TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR SKIN LOOK YOUNGER

TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR SKIN LOOK YOUNGER

ow many times have you heard someone say to you, “Wow, you’re glowing.”? Not often? Then keep reading… Nothing says that you’re healthy more than the condition of your skin. Having healthy skin adds radiance to your appearance. For women, healthy skin is synonymous to beauty.

However, your skin needs more than just look good. The skin, being the largest and fastest-growing organ of the body, performs a lot of essential functions in your overall well-being. It protects us from a daily barrage of bacteria and viruses. By feeling pain or pressure, the skin helps us react appropriately to dangers in our surroundings. The skin protects us from the harmful effects of ultraviolet light from the sun’s rays which can damage cells. Additionally, healthy skin, when exposed to the sun, produces Vitamin D which promotes calcium absorption and bone growth. Healthy skin helps regulate body temperature.

Our skin, being permanently exposed, is constantly bombarded by harmful elements so it is really important to look after our skin from the inside out. Our nutritional intake also plays an important role in having healthy skin. The following tips are proven to give you that robust and radiant skin.

Feed Your Skin

Vitamin CProper nutrition is the cornerstone of healthy skin. The cells in our body are in a constant process of renewal and therefore providing the right materials is important in keeping them healthy and strong. Aside from having a well-balanced diet, there are some key foods that help make your skin healthy and beautiful.

Vitamin C is important in maintaining a healthy skin. It helps fight skin dullness and assists in the repair of collagen damage. Eat more citrus fruits, bell peppers, kiwifruit, and berries for added vitamin C into your diet. Vitamin A found in beta-carotene rich foods such as oranges and carrots and helps by increasing the production of amino acids necessary for cell regeneration. Leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale are rich in lutein, antioxidants that fight free radicals which cause the skin to age. There’s a reason why they are called “glow foods,” they make your skin look great. Green tea is high in catechin, another potent antioxidant.

Avoid Excessive Sun Exposure

SunscreenExcessive sun is your skin’s worst enemy. Collagen is a protein that keeps our skin elastic and firm. As we grow older, our body’s production of collagen slows down and the effects are wrinkling, creases and sagging skin increases. Repeated and lengthy exposure to sunlight, specifically ultraviolet light, hastens the breakdown of collagen and accelerates skin ageing. A glowing tan is actually an indication of skin damage. In order to protect itself from ultraviolet light, your body produces melanin. So avoid those tanning sessions at all costs.

To protect against the harmful rays of the sun, always wear sunscreen when you think that you’re going to be under the sun for a lengthy period of time, say an hour or so. Sunscreens with at least SPF 30 are advisable. Find a product that is infused with vitamins and moisturizers as these products protects and replenish your skin at the same time. Vitamins C and E are antioxidants that can help combat the effects of UV lights.

Always Treat Your Skin Right

Dermatologists recommend that you establish daily skin-care or face-care habits. With the abundance of products out in the market today, it is hard to determine what is really right for your skin. It is best to start with a gentle cleanser, then a moisturizer with sunscreen during the day and without sunscreen at night.

Retinol creams, available with a prescription, help smooth out lines and wrinkles. Retinol targets receptors in the skin that boost collagen production and reduce substances that hastens collagen breakdown during exposure to the sun.

Regular exfoliation also helps in the maintenance of healthy and glowing skin. Scrubbing away the dead top layer of skin helps speed up the process of skin renewal and boost collagen production. Exfoliants containing glycolic and lactic acids are better than skin scrubs. They gently dissolve the glue-like substance bonding the dead skin and produce a more uniform result, making the skin look healthier.

Add moisture to your skin by using hydrators. Optimal hydrator products are those that draw water in the skin, such as glycerine and hyaluronic acid, and those that contain petrolatum and lanolin that acts as barriers to prevent the escape of water from our skin.

Hitting The Gym

GymHitting the gym or just doing some full range motion exercises, increases the flow of blood in your body. Increased blood flow means more oxygen and nutrients are being carried to the active cells in your body, including the cells of your skin. Increased blood flow also carries waste, like free radicals, away from healthy and active cells in your body. Exercising also dilates the pores on your skin and sweat pushes out the trapped dirt and oil in your skin. Just remember to wash your face immediately after your workout to prevent them being trapped back inside.

Aside from the important tips mentioned above, there are other things you can do to maintain healthy and radiant skin. If you smoke, then stop smoking. Smoking leads to collagen breakdown that result in the skin sagging. And remember to get enough sleep. Try and get a consistent 8 hours per day. Sleep is necessary in the process of cell repair.

In the end, having healthy, glowing skin not only enhances one’s appearance but serves as an important role in a person’s total well-being.