Dr Gabriel Chiu

Celebrity beauty isn’t just all about the makeup that goes on top of the skin. It’s also about the professionals behind the scenes who help celebrities keep their skin healthy.

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon and skin care expert Dr. Gabriel Chiu of Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery performs some of the most flawless aesthetic surgery in the business. But he’s not just about rhinosplasties and tummy tucks. He also has experience working with children who were burn and trauma victims. A tremendous service.

And beyond that, as a master of reconstructing the body, Dr. Chiu has a tremendous wealth of knowledge regarding the composition of skin, and how to keep it healthy. Here is a Q&A about skin care that we got straight from Dr. Chiu’s newsletter called “Don’t Chiu Know!”

“What vitamins should you take to keep young and elasticity in your skin?
What types of skincare are good for you to keep from wrinkling or aging?

There are two things that definitely decrease the skin’s elasticity, causing wrinkling and accelerated aging: smoking and the sun. If you want to look young, protect yourself from the sun and don’t smoke.

A healthy diet and exercise may also help because they increase blood flow. Fish and other foods containing omega-3 fatty acids (such as flaxseed) may also be helpful.

Vitamin A, found in green leafy vegetables, whole milk, and liver, can help maintain and repair skin. Vitamin C & E are antioxidants that protect you from sun exposure, pollution, and smoking. They help remove free radicals, thereby reducing the damage.

Besides citrus fruits, vitamin C can be found in broccoli, bell peppers, and Brussels sprouts. Vitamin E can be found in vegetable oils, nuts, olives, spinach, and asparagus.

Selenium, found in whole grains, seafood, garlic, and eggs, also help to minimize the damage caused by free radicals. Zinc can clear skin by controlling oil production and is important in cell growth. It can be found in oysters, lean meats, and chicken.

Lutein, a dietary nutrient available as a supplement and long-known for its effectiveness in promoting eye health, also provides specific skin health benefits. These include increasing the hydration, elasticity and superficial lipids of the skin, while decreasing the oxidation – a process that causes degradation – of those beneficial skin lipids.”

Thanks Dr. Chiu. We’ll be looking forward to more great information from the next issue of “Don’t Chiu Know!”