Does exercise or weight have any influence on my skin?

Being over- or underweight has negative effects on the body overall but doesn't have a huge influence on skin unless the loss or gain is extreme. Obesity, for example, puts a great deal of stress on the entire body and leads to swelling and skin breakdown. Researchers at Harvard University recently found that overweight women are at higher risk of developing psoriasis, an inflammatory skin disease. Women who had gained thirty-five pounds or more since the age of eighteen had an 88 percent greater risk for psoriasis than those whose weight had remained stable. The study showed that fat deposits can lead to chronic, low-grade inflammation that may trigger the disease. Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center found that a restricted-calorie diet inhibits skin cancer (namely melanoma) in mice, while obesity triggers it by activating cell surface receptors that encourage the growth of many human cancers. It follows that losing weight, which is healthy in any case, may reduce the symptoms of psoriasis and decrease your risk of cancer. However, being underweight isn't good for your body, or your skin, either. A healthy, happy medium is key.

Exercise is great for your circulation, the conveyor belt that replenishes everything your skin needs, including the oxygen and nutrients that feed the cells. The rosy flush you get when you work out is a sign that your heart is pumping and providing better blood flow to the skin. Exercise also causes perspiration, which excretes salts and toxins through the skin, helping to keep it clear and acne-free. And it reduces stress, which in turn tends to quiet the adrenal glands and control the production of the androgen hormones that trigger acne.

Find out more about this book: Simple Skin Beauty: Every Woman's Guide to a Lifetime of Healthy, Gorgeous...

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