Thursday, May 9, 2013

Skin Care Basics

By Cristine Sphan


Throughout your life, genetic and environmental factors will cause a lot of wear and tear to your skin. However, you can start caring for your skin at any age. In fact, your health, fitness, and beauty regime should feature skin care and protection.

The first step to taking care of your skin is preventing damage. Sun, wind, pollutants, and simply aging can degrade the condition of your skin. Dry and itchy skin, wrinkles, sagging, and age spots are common complaints. To keep your skin looking and feeling its best, here are some steps that you can take:

Exercise, rest, and good nutrition lay the foundation for beautiful, healthy skin, inside and out. For your skin to maintain and repair cells, it requires vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. A proper diet helps to ensure this, and is good for your overall health. Drink plenty of water. Your body needs water to hydrate the skin and move waste and nutrients through the system.

Protecting your skin from the damaging rays of the sun is the most important way to care for your skin. Ultraviolet radiation damages the skin and can lead to wrinkles, premature aging, age spots, and cancer. Using sunscreen helps protect your skin from the sun's rays. But too much is not good either. Your skin does benefit from some daily sunlight.

Dry skin is very common, especially with age. Older skin has fewer sweat and oil glands than younger skin. Frequent baths, certain cosmetics or medications can cause dry skin. If possible, cut back on the number of baths or showers each week, and avoid using harsh soaps when bathing. Try using a natural, mild soap that is perfume- and dye-free, when you must lather up. Moisturize after bathing. Continue moisturizing throughout the day to keep skin healthy. Your hands and face are particularly susceptible to daily damage, and may need to be moisturized several times.

Create a Routine for your Skin

Base a skin care routine on your daily activities, skin type, and nutritional needs, to be sure you are caring for your skin in the best way possible. Following a daily skin care regime will also allow you to more closely evaluate your skin for abnormalities.

Create a specific washing routine for yourself. Wash your skin thoroughly on a daily basis to remove the dirt, debris, pollutants, and perspiration that accumulates on a daily basis. If you have dry or sensitive skin, use only warm water to wash your skin and use a mild natural cleanser every few days. Be sure to wash with a gentle cleanser on a daily basis if you have normal or oily skin.

Your washing routine should include moisturizing. Unless your skin is very oily, you will want to use a moisturizer everyday to keep your skin hydrated and healthy. Your skin needs moisturizer all year long as both the indoor winter heat, and summer sun can be equally damaging to your skin.

Your daily skin program should include protection. Again, use a natural sunscreen when possible, regardless of whether or not you plan on spending much time in the sun. If you get in the habit of applying sunscreen everyday, you will never be left without protection from the sun's damaging rays.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment