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.
