Vera Wang credits McDonalds for ageless skin, but Dermatologist warns against it
When Vera Wang shared a photograph of herself at her home during the Covid lockdown in 2020, wearing a sporty crop top, tiny shorts and cool sunglasses, she didn’t expect the response to be so focused on how young she looked at the age of 71.
Now, at age 74, the fashion designer has made headlines again for her youthful looks - but this time, Wang appears to be giving the nod to fast food for helping her maintain her ageless skin.
She recently told Page Six at the DKMS Gala in New York City: “I do eat McDonald’s, absolutely. I order it every day, like two weeks on it, and then I’ll change.”
It’s not just a Big Mac and fries that Wang indulges in; she also revealed that she is a big fan of Dunkin’ Donuts.
“I like the cream-filled, sugar-coated donut,” she told the publication. “It’s like a jelly donut, but it’s cream inside, vanilla cream. I like the pink with sprinkles too.”
But when it comes to skincare, it appears that Wang’s unconventional diet is an exception, and certainly not a rule that doctors would advise anyone to follow if they want to maintain healthy skin.
Dr. Catherine Borysiewicz, dermatologist and lecturer for healthy living platform Goldster, tells Yahoo UK: “Whilst some of us will always be fortunate in our ability to metabolise processed foods, when it comes to skin health you really are what you eat. The skin relies on building blocks from our diet and for this reason, it is important you have a healthy balanced diet.
“Protein, fresh fruits and vegetables packed with vitamins and antioxidants, nuts with minerals and oils. Fermented foods to help support your skin microbiome. Fats are super important too- but look for fish oils and my personal favourite avocados.
“Regularly eating diets high in sugar and fats such as those found in super processed foods can trigger skin breakouts and rashes not to mention the negative effect it can have on your health and wellbeing.”
Dr Ross Perry, medical director of Cosmedics skin clinics, explains that junk food and fast food, much of which falls under the ultra-processed food category, often contain high amounts of salt, sugar and fat.
“Sugar is known to lower collagen and elastin - we lose this naturally as we age but too much sugar in the food we consume will only speed this process up making wrinkles and premature ageing more noticeable,” he says.
“Junk food stimulates the oil and sweat glands, which actually can then cause excess sebum on the skin and in turn produce acne. Processed foods in general which contain very little vitamins will only make skin look sallow, tired and potentially congested.”
Meanwhile, consuming a lot of salt can result in tired skin that appears dry as it drains moisture from the skin, Dr Perry adds. “Overall, eating a lot of processed food can essentially cause the body to become inflamed which then has an impact on the skin’s surface, due to the lack of nutrients [that are usually] found in fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein. It is only natural [that] the skin will become more prone to premature ageing and look lacklustre.”
Instead, dermatologists recommend drinking plenty of water and incorporating the following foods into your everyday diet to boost your skin:
Colourful fruit and vegetables
Oily fish
Avocados
Nuts and seeds
Lean red meat
Wholegrains
Eggs
Tofu
Read more about skin health:
Top foods to eat to combat rosacea and acne - and what to avoid (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)
From treatments to products, here's your complete guide to getting rid of acne scars (Women's Health, 11-min read)
I tried No7's new dermatologist-led skincare range before it launched and it exceeded my expectations (Yahoo Life UK, 6-min read)
