Don't have time for intensive skin care? You can
still pamper yourself by acing 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. Apply
sunscreen generously, and reapply every two
hours — or more often if you're swimming or
perspiring.
Seek shade. Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and
2 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 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.
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