The list is never ending of supplements, elements and ingredients that are now proven to be good for you and your skin. Whilst many you can disregard and carry on as normal without, magnesium is one that you should actually take note of as its benefits are ever growing and surprisingly effective for both your gut health and skin woes such as acne and ageing. 

"Magnesium is an element that helps to regulate the hundreds of diverse bio-chemical reactions in the body," says Elena. Magnesium is an essential mineral found in human tissues and especially in bone. A few of the main health benefits of magnesium include its power to act as a catalyst to speed up the absorption of calcium in the body, eases stiff muscles, lowers cortisol production, thereby potentially helping to reduce acne and also helps stabilise any hormonal imbalances in the body. Magnesium supplementation has also been proven to reduce stress and improve your sleep pattern. 

"Magnesium is essential for energy production in cells and is considered to be the fourth most important mineral in the body," says Elena. It's required for the synthesis of DNA replication and the all-important antioxidant and smart-ager Glutathione. Although green leafy vegetables and nuts and seeds are a good source of magnesium,"this essential element is only found in these foods if it's available in the soil in the first place," advises Elena.

Today's mass-farming issues we face in the Australia means farmers are more interested in size, growth rate, and pest resistance and care less about the nutritional value of their crop. Which is why we now have an issue where by certain fruits and vegetables don't hold the same nutritional value as they did ten years ago. "Less magnesium in our food means less absorption in your body," says Elena. "with 61% of Australian males aged 14 to 18 years consuming less than their requirements for magnesium, and 72% of Australian females of the same age being grossly deficient," she adds. Meaning some may need to turn to fortified skincare to help see the benefits on your skin.

"Magnesium deficiency also results in lower levels of fatty acids on the skin," advises Elena. This reduces elasticity and moisture and creates the perfect condition for dryness and lack of tone. And more wrinkles. “Glutathione levels often peak as we hit our twenties so it’s important to consider replacing our levels from an early age,". "Although it occurs naturally in the body and can be found in leafy greens, our fast-paced lives have us exposed to high toxin levels that the human body hasn’t previously had to cope with that inhibits absorption," says Elena. To prevent strains on the liver (where most glutathione is found) and to aid the detoxification process at the same time as reaping countless health benefits, glutathione supplementation will benefit everyone and all skin types. Poor DNA replication means that we age faster, and we all know that means wrinkles.

Magnesium is also known as an important chemical in immune function and plays a role in reducing acne and breakouts, skin allergies and also collagen function. Magnesium is taken both orally and is available in Meeka topical balms. "If you chose supplement form, it's important not to overtake magnesium as it can have a laxative effect. Magnesium can also be given through IV, however, given the effects it can have on the heart rate, this should be done with cardiac monitoring, not in wellness drips," says Jack. Most supplement forms will do just the job but you may want to consider what form your body best absorbs. 

When Magnesium products are applied to the body, they look for skin oils (lipids) to help absorb into the skin.¹ For the Magnesium to be properly absorbed, there needs to be a certain proportion of lipids on the skin. For those with drier skin with less lipids, absorption may be problematic and your Magnesium products may remain on the surface of the skin, so the solution for those with dry skin is a rich Magnesium cream. Meeka's Magnesium balms contain other natural ingredients such as rich natural butters that are similar to skin's lipids. This allows the Magnesium to sink in and help contribute to the healing and regeneration of the skin.¹