Did you know that 80% of skin aging is caused by lifestyle and not your actual age? Effective skin care goes well beyond ointments and sunscreen; it’s also about things like diet, pollutants, and our health overall.
The skin is just as sensitive as any other major organ in the body and we need to do more to take care of it in order to look our best. These tips will keep your skin looking healthy for longer, and these tips are great for both men and women, so pay attention:
Protect your skin from the sun
Sun exposure is a major cause of dryness and age spots; not to mention cancer. Years of sun exposure will cause you to look much older than you are, and it can lead to many skin problems. To avoid UV damage, use a powerful broad-spectrum sunscreen (UV30+) and reapply sunscreen every few hours to keep skin protected.
Stay indoors between 10: am and 4: pm because this is when the sun is hottest. When going outside during these hours, wear long-sleeved shirts and wide-brimmed hats whenever possible.
Don’t smoke
Smoking doesn’t only damage the lungs and teeth; it also causes the skin to age faster, and reduces the amount of nutrients reaching the skin by constricting blood vessels that transport essential nutrients. Tobacco smoke releases thousands of chemicals, many of which are toxic and destroy elastin and collagen. Just sitting close to someone who’s smoking degrades your own skin and contributes to sagging, wrinkles, and bad skin tone.
Drink lots of water
Your whole body is made up (mostly) of water and without a good supply of h20, basic processes like nutrient absorption and waste removal wouldn’t work. When you don’t get enough water, the skin becomes tight, dry, and flaky. This is a problem because dry skin is not resilient as is more prone to wrinkling. P/h balance is also important and heavily reliant on a good supply of water. Get at least 8 glasses per day to reduce toxins, keep skin moisturized, and to strengthen collagen.
Wash and moisturize REGULARLY
Moisturizing keeps skin looking smooth and soft, and it also reduces the appearance of lines. The thing about it is that you need to moisturize regularly. It should be something you do every day so the skin doesn’t dry up at any point. For the best results, wash and exfoliate with a gentle product and then apply moisturizer to lock in water, and you will look and feel reinvigorated every day.
Get enough sleep
When you don’t get enough sleep your whole body starts falling apart, and the skin shows signs of tiredness and aging. Skin damage is normal and the body has its ways of repairing what’s broken; however in order for this to happen, you need to watch your sleeping habits. 6-8 hours of sleep is enough to keep you healthy, just make sure to sleep every night and keep the room dark and quiet so that you can go through all of the five phases of sleep.
Eat a well-balanced diet
Diet plays a major role in skin care, and when we eat too much sugar it binds with protein molecules and degrades collagen, leading to old, wrinkly skin. To avoid this, reduce the amount of simple carbs in your diet, and boost your Vitamin C intake. Eat foods that are high in antioxidants like carrots, spinach, blueberries, garlic, lentils, mackerel, salmon, nuts, etc.
When you crave something sweet, eat
Without a good supply of nutrients your skin won‘t be able to heal and look radiant. So make an effort of eating a balanced diet to make the rest of your skin care routine more effective.
Guest Blogger
Dr. Sean Daneshmand has been nominated as a “Top Doctor in San Diego” as published in San Diego Magazine continuously since 2008-2018. He has also completed extensive training in Aesthetic procedures including Vaser Liposelection and has been the Medical Director of Ageless and beautiful Medical Spa since May 2005.
