7 Reasons Why a High-Sodium Diet Can Be Bad for Your Skin

At this point in your life, you’ve probably come to realize that there is a strong link between what you eat and what your skin looks like. For some, it’s been a positive discovery, figuring out the benefits of simple habits like drinking more water and green juices. For others, it’s been a rocky road, waking up to unwelcome and mysterious breakouts. If you’ve fallen victim to the latter and are unsure what the cause is, the answer may be right in front of your face and on your plate.

You may not even know it, but having a diet filled with salty foods and sodium-rich dishes could actually be sabotaging your skin. Here are 7 reasons why you should ditch the salt at your next meal for a healthier complexion.

1. It can weaken your skin

According to the American Heart Association, exceeding the daily-recommended amount of sodium can result in high blood pressure. High blood pressure can weaken your skin and inhibit the growth of collagen. Collagen is crucial in maintaining a youthful complexion and healthy-looking skin.

2. It can make your skin extremely dehydrated

Consuming too much salt can dehydrate your body, which may result in dry, flaky skin.

3. It can lead to breakouts

When sodium dries out your skin, your body tries to compensate by overproducing oil in your glands, which leads to oily skin and can result in unwanted breakouts.

4. It can swell up your face and make you look puffy

Eating foods that are too salty can cause your body to retain water, making you not only feel and look bloated, but also create puffiness and swelling around your eyes and in your face. This could explain those pesky under eye bags that won’t seem to go away.

5. It can make you look more tired than you are

You may have gotten a solid eight hours of sleep, but if your dinner was high in sodium, you may be surprised to wake up to dry, crackly skin and puffy eyes. This will make you look way more tired and restless than you might actually be.

6. It can cause wrinkles

As we mentioned above, eating too much sodium can weaken your skin. This causes inflammation, which reduces the amount of elastin produced by your body. For this reason, your skin is less likely to fight back when lines and wrinkles begin to form.

You can combat wrinkles topically by using a gel moisturizer that contains hyaluronic acid to firm and smooth the skin. Dr. Lin Skincare’s Daily Hydrating Gel is packed with hyaluronic acid and has multiple benefits from providing oil-free hydration for acne-prone skin, to soothing, age-defying properties for all skin types.

7. It aggravates sensitive skin or skin prone to acne

If your skin is already sensitive and prone to breakouts or acne, consuming foods high in iodized salt can make it even worse.

Have you already taken steps toward cutting excess sodium out of your diet? Share your story or ask us a question in the comments below!