A diet heavy in refined carbohydrates and added sugars can lead to collagen damage, ultimately causing sagging and deep wrinkles. Fine lines and wrinkles. A deepening of smile lines. A softening of the jawline.
Sugar Sag Is Irreversible, But It Is Preventable
Once your collagen becomes cross-linked, there's no way to undo that process. That's why it's so important to focus on prevention.
Too much sugar therefore leaves you dehydrated. On your face, this means sagging skin and puffy eyes.
Reducing your sugar intake can help lower glycation in your skin. Glycation is when sugar molecules attach to protein or lipids in our bodies. When this happens, stored cells aren't as supportive to the skin's surface. The lack of collagen and elastin means it is hard to achieve a firm and plump look.
Nigma Talib, a naturopath who works with celebrities, has popularized the term “Sugar Face” to describe the effects that excess sugar has on the skin. Supposedly, she can look at someone's face and determine if they have a sweet tooth by the appearance and the location of their blemishes and wrinkles.
"When you reduce or eliminate sugar, storage of fat will decline slowly, and you will lose some weight. However, this takes time, with the effect typically beginning at one to two weeks," Glatter told INSIDER.
The American Academy of Dermatology emphasizes that a diet high in sugar can accelerate aging; although quitting sugar may not reverse signs of aging that have already manifested, it can slow their progression.
You'll Age Slower
Stop eating sugar. This is especially true when it comes to your looks. If you want to look younger than your age, eat a nutrient-dense diet. Consuming a diet high in sugar makes your skin wrinkle faster.
Exposure to light is a top cause of premature aging: Sun exposure causes many skin problems. Ultraviolet (UV) light and exposure to sunlight age your skin more quickly than it would age naturally. The result is called photoaging, and it's responsible for 90% of visible changes to your skin.
You will feel more energetic and a bit lighter as well. Within a week of quitting sugar, you will also notice your skin clearing up. Pimples and acne will reduce, your skin will become smoother and you will glow from within. Another big advantage that comes with quitting sugar is weight loss.
"It takes about 3 to 4 months for people to see a big difference in their skin after cutting down. One of the huge things that sugar instigates is acne. It'll take about 3 to 4 months because changes in the skin usually reflect about 6 weeks after the changes are made.
Too much sugar in the diet can cause the elastic collagen fibers in our skin to become stiff and inflexible. Along with saggy skin, sugar increases insulin levels and retains water in the body. As a result, the face looks swollen the very next morning after eating foods containing sugar.
When asked does sugar age you, Dr. Nish says the short answer is yes. Sugar ages us in many ways, both internally and externally, including our skin.
CHEST & NECK
The skin on your neck tends to be one of the first body parts to show signs of aging, because it is thinner and more delicate than the skin on the rest of your body. Similar to the face, your neck and chest can also develop fine lines and wrinkles.
Detoxing from sugar can help you lose weight quickly. “We had over 80 testers from all over the country, and they lost anywhere between 5 to 20 pounds during the 31 days, depending on their weight or sugar addiction,” Alpert said. “Many also noticed that a lot of the weight was lost from their midsection.
Another study suggests this can mean a 14% decrease in total calories, which may mean you consume 280 fewer calories when based on a 2,000-calorie day. Keep this up for a month, and you may lose 2 to 3 pounds just by cutting added sugars.
“Added sugars contribute additional calories and zero nutrients to food,” they add. But even the AHA do not recommend cutting out sugar completely.
Sugar is a dehydrating agent, so it increases oil production. It also affects water binding so your skin looks less perky and bouncy, and doesn't appear as oxygenated. “The skin becomes sallow, lackluster and you get those unwanted dark circles,” explains Dr. Lancer.