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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