Your Skin and Weight Gain

Weight Gain Skin Diseases - Image Credit to Viral Detector

We are truly into our great British summer and if you are sensible you will be applying sun cream to your body to help prevent skin diseases. Today we were out on a fitness walk at the peak district weight loss camp and I was reminding them to put cream on and then we got onto the discussion of how having extra weight affects your skin.

So do we appreciate our skin, perhaps not until we get older and the signs of ageing start? However, our skin has very important functions. It keeps our body together by encasing our organs and protecting them from injury, viruses, and bacteria. Without the sweat glands on the surface of our skin we would not be able to control our body temperature. Hair also helps to control the body temperature, it also alerts us to touch and heat. Some health conditions can be detected by changes to the skin and hair, such as diabetes and thyroid problems. Weight gain can change the efficiency of your skin.

The skins natural reaction to increased temperature on the surface is to secrete sweat in order to cool the area down. During weight gain there are more likely to be folds in the skin around the groin, waist, and torso. Retained moisture in these areas can encourage the growth of fungi and bacteria, which in turn will lead to infections, and skin rashes. Fluid retention can build up in the legs, putting strain on the veins in the legs, this can cause dermatitis, varicose veins, and skin ulcers. The feet are more susceptible to calluses and corns due to an increase in weight. A healthy diet and weight loss can improve the efficiency of your skin.

Foods rich in omega-3 have been credited with increasing the health of your skin, this can be found in tuna, salmon, walnuts. Canola oil, and flax seed. Reducing the intake of simple carbohydrates, sugar, and food rich in starch will help to reduce insulin spikes, as these spikes can cause skin irritation and effect the skin ageing process. Good hydration is also important to healthy skin so make sure to drink plenty of water which also helps with weight loss.