Why sugar and sun make your skin age faster
Skin aging - the role of nutrition and sugar
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Too much sugar and sun can hurt your skin. Sugar sticks to skin parts and makes them stiff, while sunburns and too much sun damage skin over time. Eating healthy foods with lots of antioxidants and less sugar can help keep skin younger longer.
Surprising Findings
Glycation is described as 'one of the most extensively studied mechanisms' of skin aging, yet most public discussions focus on sun or genetics.
People assume wrinkles are just from sun or age, but this says sugar’s chemical damage is a top-researched cause—yet rarely mentioned in beauty ads.
Practical Takeaways
Reduce free sugars and refined carbs, and eat more antioxidant-rich foods like berries, spinach, and nuts to potentially lower AGEs in skin.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Too much sugar and sun can hurt your skin. Sugar sticks to skin parts and makes them stiff, while sunburns and too much sun damage skin over time. Eating healthy foods with lots of antioxidants and less sugar can help keep skin younger longer.
Surprising Findings
Glycation is described as 'one of the most extensively studied mechanisms' of skin aging, yet most public discussions focus on sun or genetics.
People assume wrinkles are just from sun or age, but this says sugar’s chemical damage is a top-researched cause—yet rarely mentioned in beauty ads.
Practical Takeaways
Reduce free sugars and refined carbs, and eat more antioxidant-rich foods like berries, spinach, and nuts to potentially lower AGEs in skin.
Publication
Journal
Journal of Education, Health and Sport
Year
2025
Authors
Żanna Białoszycka, Monika Białoszycka, A. Pachevska, V. Istoshyn, A. Biloshytska
Related Content
Claims (6)
Eating more fruits, veggies, and whole foods while cutting back on sugar and white bread can help keep your skin from getting damaged by sticky sugar molecules that make it age faster.
Spending too much time in the sun is the biggest outside cause of wrinkles and aged-looking skin—more sun means more damage, and longer exposure makes it worse.
Eating too much fat can slow down how fast your skin heals after a cut or injury, make your skin more swollen and irritated, and mess up the natural repair process underneath, which could leave scars or weak spots.
When sugar in your body sticks to skin proteins without needing enzymes, it creates gunk that makes skin wrinkle and lose elasticity — and scientists have studied this process more than almost any other cause of aging skin.
Wearing sunscreen and staying out of the sun too much can help keep your skin looking younger by preventing wrinkles and sun spots.