Doctor on how to get amazing skin

Sydney’s Dr Zac Turner on what you can do to your skin to make it glow for a ‘real-life facetuned face’ without any filters.

Welcome to Ask Doctor Zac, a weekly column from news.com.au. This week, Dr Zac Turner talks about how to look after your skin so it is fresh and healthy.

Question:I know it’s mid-April and it’s a bit late to admit this – but my New Year’s resolution was a complete failure. Over a few glasses of bubbles on NYE, I made the declaration that 2022 is the year of perfect skin – I was sick and tired of Facetuning my pics before uploading them to my insta.

Ever since I’ve been 15, I’ve waged war on my skin and its non-stop onslaught of blemishes. And now that I’m nearly 35, wrinkles are forming! And it doesn’t help that I go on to Instagram and see perfect skin everywhere.

I want a real-life facetuned face, is this even possible? – Winter, 34, Sydney

Winter wants to know whether it is possible to have a real-life facetuned face. Picture: Getty Images

Answer:Do you know what is the largest organ in the human body? The skin! We try to look after all other organs in our body so it’s time we start a skincare revolution. Let’s do it together, and we can begin by going through how to carefully look after our skin.

Glowing skin is the sign of a healthy person. It represents good-health and vitality. If your skin is looking dull or feeling dry, your body is trying to tell you something. Next time you look in the mirror and don’t like what you see, drink a glass of water and go for a brisk walk. What you shouldn’t do is comfort eat fast-food or drink a bottle of wine.

Dr Turner says that ‘glowing skin is the sign of a healthy person’. Picture: Getty Images

Before I go into my tips for a facetuned face, I recommend you re-evaluate the motivation behind your resolution. If it’s coming from a place of low-self esteem and self-hatred, I’m sorry to break it to you, but it will most likely fail.

Rather you should be adopting these habits because you love yourself, and want the best for your body. Give yourself a foot massage and say five things you love about yourself out loud, you may feel silly but you will definitely have a better motivation.

Here’s six of my tips to secure yourself a facetuned face.

Change up your diet

What you eat plays an important factor in the health of your skin. Rather than loading up on sugar-laden processed foods, you should be eating nutrient-rich foods like vegetables, nuts and fish. Very obvious right? But it seems most of us still choose the wrong foods to eat. I always find these types of things more convincing when I am presented with straight facts and science. So let’s go through some truths shall we?

The Vitamin C found in sweet potatoes works to boost collagen production and brighten the skin’s overall tone. The healthy fats found in oily fishes like salmon and mackerel can tackle skin inflammations associated with acne, eczema and psoriasis.

The health of your skin depends on what you put on your plate. Picture: Getty Images

Hydrate, hydrate and hydrate some more

Studies have shown that almost every Australian’s skin is dehydrated because of our harsh climate and prevalence of airconditioning and heating. You should aim to have at least two litres of water a day to hydrate your skin cells, but to also flush out impurities and toxins in your system.

Make sure you catch the proper amount of Z’s

A lack of quality sleep can lead to an increase of stress hormones in your body, which can impact the severity of skin conditions like acne and psoriasis. It also increases the breakdown of collagen and hyaluronic acid, which leaves the skin looking dull and lacklustre.

Supercharge your skin care routine

To have the facetuned face you desire, you are going to have to put in the hard work. There will be teething moments in this process, but you should find products that work for you. As Dr Seuss says, ‘there’s no one youer than you’, so work hard in finding the products that make you glow.

Now you can achieve this by doing your own research, or you can speak to a dermatologist who will tailor a skincare program specific to your needs.

A key to your routine should be exfoliating, and you should do it at least three times a week to get rid of your dead cells that pile up on the surface of your skin and unclog your pores.

Supercharge your skin care routine for glowing skin. Picture: Getty Images

Apply primers at the correct time

Primers these days do a whole lot more than just prep the skin for makeup application. For instance, if you’re concerned about large pores, redness or a dull complexion, you’re guaranteed to find a primer that works to combat these.

Embrace face mists

By the time 3pm rolls around, you will have collected a shadow on your face. The trick to combat this is by applying a face mist. This will restore your skin’s PH balance and soothe irritated skin and they help boost skin’s moisture levels.

Winter, I bid you good-luck on achieving your resolution. Remember to stick to the program, and if you ever feel unmotivated, have a glass of water and chuck on a face mask. Nothing beats a bit of TLC!

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Dr Zac Turner has a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Sydney. He is both a medical practitioner and a co-owner of telehealth service, Concierge Doctors. He was also a registered nurse and is also a qualified and experienced biomedical scientist along with being a PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering.