3 Foods Making Your Skin Look Older Without You Knowing

By Solomon — Daily Touch

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Updated: November 18, 2025

There are two types of people: those who look younger than their age, and those who look older even when they're still young. Most times, the surprising difference is not cream or soap — it's what they eat. Here’s the truth, told the Daily Touch way.

1. Sugar — The Silent Killer of Your Glow

Sugar is sweet, but what it does to your skin is bitter. When you consume excess sugar from soft drinks, sweets, cakes and snacks it triggers glycation — a process that damages collagen and elastin, the proteins that keep skin firm and elastic.

Signs: Faster wrinkles, dullness, stubborn pimples, and dark patches.
Why it matters: Glycation stiffens skin fibers and makes topical creams less effective.

If you want to glow, start by cutting sugar. Real beauty begins in the stomach, not at the mirror.

2. Fried Foods — The Oil That Ages You

Fried street food — suya, puff-puff, akara, fried chicken — tastes good, but the reality is these foods expose your skin to harmful free radicals created when oils are repeatedly heated.

Signs: Rough texture, enlarged pores, early fine lines, skin irritation.
Why it matters: Free radicals accelerate cellular damage that no cream can fully reverse.

Enjoy fried foods occasionally, not as a daily habit. Your expensive skincare can’t outwork poor eating.

3. Too Much Salt — The Enemy of Smooth Skin

Salt improves flavor but in high amounts it draws water out of your tissues and dehydrates your skin. Processed and instant foods are often the biggest culprits.

Signs: Puffiness, dry flaky skin, lack of natural radiance.
Why it matters: Dehydrated skin loses elasticity and ages faster.

Cut back on instant noodles, canned foods and excessive seasoning — and drink water like you mean it.

"You can buy the most expensive skincare products, but if your eating habit is wrong, your skin will expose you." — Daily Touch

Final Truth — Beauty Is What You Swallow

Glow comes from living right, not living rushed. Control what you feed your body and the mirror will follow. Start small: reduce sugar, limit fried food, and drink water. Your skin will thank you — in a language the whole world will see.

Read Part 2: 3 Drinks That Make You Look Older