Does ZINC make your anti-wrinkle injectables treatments last longer?

Zinc – The One Nutrient You Can’t Neglect After Anti-Ageing and Wrinkle Reduction Treatments.

Injectable treatments can enhance your features and reduce wrinkles, with very little downtime (and often, hardly any downtime) from your daily routines. This will depend, of course, on your body’s healing capacities, your skin health and the skill of your injector as well as what areas of your face or lips you’re having injected. Once you have had your anti-wrinkle treatment from facial fillers or other methods, the next question to ask is how you can make your injectables last longer. And the answer may have a lot to do with proper post-tumour eating routines and zinc intake. These tend to have a major impact on your skin’s health and appearance.

Download our Free 20 page Injectables Guide today for everything you want to know about Treatments in Melbourne

Your skin’s health, in turn, has great impact on the capacity of your skin to respond well to your anti-ageing treatments including injectables.

The answer to long-lasting fillers and other Injectable Treatments is to consider how the skin may be strengthened from within.

How Zinc Affects You and Your Skin After Injectables Treatments for Wrinkles

Although there are many different nutrients that are important for healthy, smooth looking skin, one of the most important ones is zinc (Zn).

You may not know much about Zn except that it is often found in lozenges for colds or sore throats – but there’s a lot more to know about this amazing mineral.

The Presence of Zinc in Skin Identifies Its Importance

One interesting fact is that your skin’s top layers’ epidermal cells have FIVE TIMES more Zn than the bottom dermal layers.

The mineral appears to be there for a good reason – if there’s any damage or inflammation in the skin – your primary protective organ for all the internal organs – ZINC (Zn) is one of the most important nutrients critical to your skin’s repair.

It’s essential for everything from reducing inflammation responses to helping start the production of new skin cells to help your skin layers to start healing right away.

Read our blog “Food Sources That Have the Highest Zinc Contents” (including Pomegranate fruits).

What are the Functions of Zn in Your Skin and Your Body?

Below are some of the primary functions of ZINC (Zn) in your body and how it can help your skin to look it’s healthiest best.

1. Helps boost your immune system responses.

Zn is one of the minerals that discourages bacterial, viral, and fungal growth in the body.

The importance of these functions, in relation to encouraging healthier skin, is that zinc can help prevent pimples, acne and infections. These are often nasty reminders that what we are doing isn’t working for our skin, usually a combination of the wrong skincare products, poor nutrition, hormonal changes or various types of systemic inflammation.

A recent study found that improving Zn levels in elderly adults did appear to boost T-cell numbers and immune response activity.

2. Brings New Youthful Cells to the Surface

The regulation of cell turnover depends on this important mineral.

As you age, the turnover time of your skin cells becomes a lot slower.

When you are young, you can sometimes see results from new skincare products in just a few weeks time. This is not the case when you are older.

Some of this slowing down of cell turnover may due to lower levels of the mineral (levels of this mineral often become diminished as people age). This is also why many studies that examine different skincare products aim to test these products for a minimum of 8 weeks or longer, and preferably at least 12 weeks.

3. Prevents Wrinkles

It assists antioxidants by preventing new free radicals from damaging your skin. This means zinc is essentially preventing wrinkle formation at the molecular level.

4. Collagen Formation and Skin Protection

Skin fibroblasts and fats, which are important in the production of collagen, are protected from sun damage and toxins such as pollution with this supplement. This may translate to clearer-looking skin, simply because your skin hasn’t accumulated a lot of toxins.

5. Metabolic Functions

Over 300 enzymes in the body depend on the mineral.

If you’re lacking in energy during the day, it’s possible that feeling may potentially be due to a deficiency of this mineral – ask your Medical Professional to check your blood serum levels and screen for other factors that are linked with fatigue, however – and if you take supplements, be sure you don’t go overboard.

It’s easy to ask your doctor to order a blood test to find out how much of the mineral is in the body. Whilst you’re at it, get your vitamin D and iron levels checked.

The sooner you know if you need more of this mineral either through your eating choices or nutrition plus mineral supplements, the easier your skincare routines – and overall fitness regimes – will be.

Regular skincare routines means more consistent results with your skin plus if you have good nutrition, you’ll find most of your daily activities are easier to perform.

6. Stability for Cell Membranes

The more stable your cell membranes become, the greater your ability will be to ward off potential ‘foreign invaders’ trying their best to get into your cells. Zinc strengthens the cell membranes and may help protect you from unwanted cellular invasions from toxins or harmful cells.

7. Wound Healing is improved by ZINC

This mineral is stored in enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (an important antioxidant for skin) and RNA/DNA polymerase.

Storage of it is so crucial to your body’s well being that there’s even a special metal-binding zinc storage protein called metallothionein (MT) – directly in your skin.

Injection healing and enzyme interactions

The advantage of this ‘zinc-binding protein’ is that once a wound, incision or injection occurs, it becomes available to the enzymes in the skin so they can get to work – producing new skin cells to close up the open area.

Zinc is often an ingredient in topical skin preparations, too.

For example, sunscreens use ingredients that may combine zinc with titanium. Both sunscreens and sunblock creams are very protective. They can help deflect UVB rays and prevent further sun-damage. However, it is best to avoid the sun and wear protective clothing as well as use high-quality sunblocks that contain zinc or combine it with titanium.

The mineral stays on the top layers of the skin and helps prevents UVB sun damage.

What are Zinc Deficiency Signs?

Deficiency clearly affects the skin, hair and nails. Having too little zinc in your diet and cells is also linked with dermatitis, diarrhoea and even hair loss.

Pigmentation changes in the skin and hair, slowing of the growth of hair and nails, as well as skin sores all, point to the possibility that there might be low levels of zn in the body, i.e. zinc deficiency, that should be remedied with professional care.

Vegetarians may have a harder time getting enough ZINC in their daily nutrition regimes

It’s a lot harder to get your daily requirement of 8 mg (the requirement for an adult woman) if you’re a vegetarian than if you’re a meat eater, but there are other foods that are high in the mineral.

Two favorite ZINC loaded food sources for vegetarians or vegans are AVOCADOS and POMEGRANATES.

Vegetarians may need 50% more zinc in their diet to ensure they get enough.

For people who consume meat, darker-skinned chicken and turkey legs and thighs, along with fish, tend to be highest in zinc, and it is also found in a bound form in many plant foods.

Discuss supplementation or topical ointments containing zinc with your plastic surgeon. He will support you in whatever can be done nutritionally for your skin to make your injectable treatments last longer.

Foods you can add to your daily nutritional intake if you find yourself low on the trace element ZINC (Zn).

If you’re low on ZINC – or just read our blog about how ZINC may help your skin respond better to skincare treatments – you’ll want to know WHAT foods have a High Zinc content and how you can add them to your diet to get better looking, healthier skin.

How much ZINC do women and men need on a daily basis?

Zinc is a trace element, and whilst the daily need for zinc isn’t very high, it’s critical that your body has appropriate zinc intake on a daily basis. The recommended ZINC intake is currently:

8 mg for females
11 mg for males

These are the average daily intake (allowance) recommendations or RDA for Zinc, but many people struggle to get enough zinc in their daily diets.

If you’re pregnant, however, your zinc RDA is usually higher, and will vary by your age.

According to the Mayo Clinic, pregnant women and mum’s who are breastfeeding need the following zinc intake for optimal health:

pregnant women 14-18 years of age: 13 milligrams daily
breastfeeding women 14-18 years of age, 14 milligrams daily.
pregnant women 19 years old and older: 11 milligrams daily.
breastfeeding women 19 years of age and older: 12 milligrams daily.

So which foods have the highest ZINC content?

Zinc content in Fruits and Berries

Whist plant-based zinc options are abundant, your body doesn’t always absorb the zinc nutrients as fully as it might if the source was fish or chicken and other meats.

Fruits you’ll want to add to your eating plan to increase zinc levels include:

AVOCADOS: The highest concentration of zinc is found in avocados, in about 1.3 milligrams each.
POMEGRANATE: a popular berry, pomegranate has approximately 1 milligram of ZINC per serving.
BLACKBERRIES: along with anti-oxidants, blackberries have 0.8 milligram of zinc per serving.
RASPBERRIES or LOGANBERRIES: sweet and delicious, raspberries have about 0.5 milligram of zinc per serving.
BOYSENBERRIES: lower on the list but still a good source of zinc is the boysenberry, with approximately 0.3 milligrams per serving.

Sadly, you won’t get much zinc from eating strawberries or other berries not listed above.

Seafood can be high in Zinc

Seafood can also be high in zinc (i.e., 6 cooked Oysters will provide 42 grams of Zinc – well over the daily RDA). Crab and Lobster also provide high levels of ZINC.

Meat Sources and Zinc

Beef and Lamb typically offer people high levels of Zinc.

Grains can include Zinc

Crude or un-toasted Wheat Germ is the go to for zinc in the grains department.

Green Leafy Vegetables have high levels of ZINC

For plant-based zinc, try Spinach (cooked is better for absorption), Endive or Radiccio leaves. Asparagus and brussel sprouts can also be a good source of additional zinc, although they only offer 0.5 mg per cup.

But your body doesn’t always absorb plant-based zinc as well as zinc from other types of food sources.

Seeds and Nuts Containing zinc

Pumpkin seeds are very high in zinc (and often iron), and squash seeds are also good sources for added dietary zinc.

Other good seed sources for zinc intake include Sesame Seeds, Sunflower seeds, Chia and Flaxseeds.

Cashews are great sources of Zinc followed by Pine Nuts, Pecans, Walnuts, Almonds, Peanuts and Hazelnuts.

Chocolate or Cocoa and Zinc

If you were looking for an excuse to consume chocolate (not that you ever need one as dark chocolate has many benefits to health), you’ll be glad to hear that Dark baking Chocolate is apparently high in Zinc.

Zinc in Legumes or Beans

Beans, in particular cooked Chickpeas, are apparently good sources of Zn. Soybeans, Lima beans and Peas offer 0.5 mg of zinc per cup.

Legumes – chickpeas in particular – are popular choices for vegans and vegetarians.

For anyone wanting to add this mineral to their diet, you can also try baked beans, adzuki beans and kidney beans.

Mushrooms and Zinc Content (Portabella, Brown Mushrooms, Dried Shitake Mushrooms)

There are many different types of Mushrooms, and mushrooms can be a good source of this mineral.

Try adding cooked White Mushrooms, Brown mushrooms (raw) and Portabella Mushrooms, Oyster Mushrooms and Dried Shitake mushrooms. Not only do they help add to your mineral intake, they are great additions for a delicious meal.

2 Favourite ZINC loaded food sources for vegetarians or vegans are AVOCADOS and POMEGRANATES.

This mineral is found in a bound form in many plant foods, as noted above.

Vegetarians might need 50% more zinc in their daily diets to ensure they get enough.

For people with plant-focused diets, the high phytic acid content in plant proteins hinders how much zinc we absorb.

Avocados are a great fruit source of the mineral, as noted. Darker-skinned chicken and turkey legs and thighs, along with seafood, tend to have the highest levels of the mineral.

Are you potentially Zinc Deficient?

Deficiency of this mineral is, unfortunately, very common. This is especially true in ageing women and men. It’s also true people who limit their intake of seafood or meat and don’t supplement their zinc.

If you are older, you’re even more likely to be deficient. This, in turn, may leave your skin looking less-healthy and more lax, dull or wrinkled.

Being low in the mineral can impact your skin, hair and nails, causing dermatitis, diarrhoea and sometimes hair loss.

Pigmentation changes in your skin and hair, a slowing of the growth in your fingernails and hair , and chronic skin sores point to low levels of zinc in your body. But you’ll want to verify the cause by getting a full exam and blood work. This will determine your overall health and the levels of the mineral in your body. It’s often wise to check your iron levels whilst you’re at it.

Vegetarians may have a harder time getting enough ZINC in their daily nutrition regimes.

It’s a lot harder to get your daily requirement of 8 mg zinc if you’re a vegetarian than if you’re a meat eater. But there are plant-based foods that are high in mineral.

Is ZINC deficiency impacting your skin or mood?

Deficiency in this vital mineral is linked to a number of problems and can increase complication risks for certain illnesses. It has even been linked to mood disorders such as depression.

Low levels of the mineral in your skin can lead to sluggish cellular turnover. If you are deficient in the mineral, your skin may look a bit lackluster and dull. You don’t want to take too much, however, because that can also lead to problems, including constipation. Be sure that your doctor is monitoring you if you’re taking these supplements. Overdosing is a no-no that can lead to numerous effects.