Good skin care — including sun protection and gentle cleansing — can keep your skin healthy and glowing.
Don’t have time for intensive skin care? You can still pamper yourself by acing the basics. Good skincare and healthy lifestyle choices can help delay natural aging and prevent various skin problems. Get started with these five no-nonsense tips.
- 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 complete sun protection:
Use sunscreen. Use 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 4 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.
- 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 and makes skin paler. This also depletes the skin of oxygen and nutrients 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. In addition, smoking increases your risk of squamous cell skin cancer. If you smoke, quitting is the best way to protect your skin. Ask your doctor for tips or treatments to help you stop smoking.
- 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.
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- 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 fish oil or fish oil supplements and low in unhealthy fats and processed or refined carbohydrates might promote younger-looking skin. Drinking plenty of water helps keep your skin hydrated.
- 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. Get enough sleep, 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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Focus on gentle products
People who need extra care for their skin will generally find that they react better to gentle products, which are less likely to irritate the skin. Products that commonly irritate sensitive skin include:
Avoid hot water
Showering, bathing, or washing the hands and face with very hot water can dry out or damage the skin. People who notice dry skin after bathing can try using lukewarm water instead.
Use gentle cleansing devices
Exfoliation is important to help wash away dead skin cells, but some devices can be too abrasive and may actually harm the skin. Tools such as washcloths, rough sponges, or loofahs may be too rough for the skin, causing damage and irritation.
Some delicate options exist, such as soft cleansing brushes. Alternatively, using clean fingers to massage a cleanser into the face may help prevent extra irritation.
