Getting and maintaining healthy skin can be a real challenge for some of us. With hundreds of products and tips out there it’s often hard to judge which are effective, and which are ineffective ploys to make a quick buck. The following are five simple steps and considerations to help you achieve healthy feeling and great-looking skin.
Proper Topical Care
Using the right skin care products and sound, tried-and-true acne treatments is a hugely important part of keeping your skin at its healthiest. Being gentle with, and remembering to steer clear of over-washing aggravated problem areas are also paramount to healthy treatment. Remember to pat skin dry rather than wiping, and don’t use extremely strong soaps or shave creams. Using a pore-friendly shaving cream that combats against ingrown hairs is a largely helpful tool in skin maintenance.
Reduce Stress
Researchers around the country have proved the existence of an undeniable link between stress and acne. Keeping stress levels down by managing your workload or taking extra time to do things you’re passionate about can greatly reduce acne and unwanted blemishes.
Eat Healthy
Eating greasy, unhealthy foods can have a negative effect on your skin’s appearance. Although researchers aren’t certain about direct links between foods and skin condition, there certainly appears to be a link between healthy eating habits and healthy skin. In general, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins are good options to keep you looking fresh. Additionally, eating healthy keeps your body and mind of a sound nature, and can ultimate lead to lessened stress levels.
Not Smoking
If you’ve ever seen those horrible don’t smoke campaign commercials, you’ve probably noticed that the people in the ads don’t have the healthiest skin. They often look much older than they actually are. This can be absolutely linked to smoking, as smoking effects the blood vessels directly under our epidermis and decreases elastin and collagen, the fibers that keep our skin tight and strong.
Decreasing Sun Exposure
You probably know by now that direct exposure to the sun is not healthy for our skin. Not only does sun exposure directly contribute to ugly topical skin cancers,, it also causes wrinkles, sunspots, and long-term scarring where problem areas exist. So to keep your skin looking healthy, be sure to always wear sunscreen and to keep your sun exposure at a healthy level – no long days spent lounging in direct sunlight.
Your skin is your body’s largest organ, and first line of defense. Protect it to not only maintain your beauty, but also your health.