Good skin care — including sun protection and gentle cleansing —
can keep your skin healthy and glowing for years to come.
Don't have time for intensive skin care?
Pamper yourself with the basics. Good skin care and healthy lifestyle choices
can help delay the natural aging process and prevent various skin problems. Get
started with these five no-nonsense tips.
1. Protect yourself
from the sun
One of the most important ways to take care of
your skin is to protect it from the sun. A lifetime of sun exposure can cause
wrinkles, age spots and other skin problems — as well as increase the risk of
skin cancer.
For the most complete sun protection:
·
Use
sunscreen. Use a
broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. When you're outdoors,
reapply sunscreen every two hours — or more often if you're swimming or
perspiring.
·
Seek
shade. Avoid the sun
between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun's rays are strongest.
·
Wear
protective clothing. Cover your skin
with tightly woven long-sleeved shirts, long pants and wide-brimmed hats. Also
consider laundry additives, which give clothing an additional layer of ultraviolet
protection for a certain number of washings, or special sun-protective clothing
— which is specifically designed to block ultraviolet rays.
2. Don't smoke
Smoking makes your skin look older and
contributes to wrinkles. Smoking narrows the tiny blood vessels in the
outermost layers of skin, which decreases blood flow. This depletes the skin of
oxygen and nutrients that are important to skin health. Smoking also damages
collagen and elastin — the fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity.
In addition, the repetitive facial expressions you make when smoking — such as
pursing your lips when inhaling and squinting your eyes to keep out smoke — can
contribute to wrinkles.
If you smoke, the best way to protect your
skin is to quit. Ask your doctor for tips or treatments to help you stop
smoking.
3. Treat your skin
gently
Daily cleansing and shaving can take a toll on
your skin. To keep it gentle:
·
Limit
bath time. Hot water and
long showers or baths remove oils from your skin. Limit your bath or shower
time, and use warm — rather than hot — water.
·
Avoid
strong soaps. Strong soaps and
detergents can strip oil from your skin. Instead, choose mild cleansers.
·
Shave
carefully. To protect and
lubricate your skin, apply shaving cream, lotion or gel before shaving. For the
closest shave, use a clean, sharp razor. Shave in the direction the hair grows,
not against it.
·
Pat
dry. After washing or
bathing, gently pat or blot your skin dry with a towel so that some moisture
remains on your skin.
·
Moisturize
dry skin. If your skin is
dry, use a moisturizer that fits your skin type. For daily use, consider a
moisturizer that contains SPF.
4. Eat a healthy diet
A healthy diet can help you look and feel your
best. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. The
association between diet and acne isn't clear — but some research suggests that
a diet rich in vitamin C and low in unhealthy fats and processed or refined
carbohydrates might promote younger looking skin.
5. Manage stress
Uncontrolled stress can make your skin more
sensitive and trigger acne breakouts and other skin problems. To encourage
healthy skin — and a healthy state of mind — take steps to manage your stress.
Set reasonable limits, scale back your to-do list and make time to do the
things you enjoy. The results might be more dramatic than you expect.
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