Save Your Skin

by Natalie Savona

DEVON-based Natalie Savona is resident nutritionist for Cosmopolitan magazine, a member of Healthy magazine’s expert panel, a regular contributor to national newspapers and the author of several books, including her latest, The Kitchen Shrink.

After a winter of being hidden, battered by the cold and parched by the heating, your skin may well be in need of some intensive care before you even dare to bare it for summer.

Start now and you won't be shy when the sun does finally give us an excuse to bare some flesh. Sure, you can slap on extra moisturiser, but it'll be a more thankful task if you give your skin a hand by oiling it from the inside out.

The best way of doing this is to take 'essential fatty acids' in supplement form. Components in oils from seeds (hemp, pumpkin, sunflower, linseed, sesame etc.) and fish can be incorporated into cell membranes, making your skin better oiled, more able to hold moisture, and supple.

Blends of cold-pressed seed oils from your health food shop nourish every cell membrane, giving you silky smooth, glowing skin. Good blends include Optimum Oil from Holland & Barrett, Udo's Choice and Essential Balance, among others.

Mix a dessertspoon daily into smoothies or salad dressings, or pour over cereal, rice or vegetables. If you prefer, take capsules of these oils, or good quality fish, linseed or hemp oils instead.

Spruce yourself up further by exfoliating with a scrub from the chemists and daily dry skin brushing.


Natalie Savona



Natalie Savona gives individual nutrition consultations at Queens Walk Practice, 83-84 Queens Street, Exeter. For an appointment, call 01392 422 555. Contact the clinic or visit www.nataliesavona.com.