As the year comes to a conclusion, one thing to make sure you add to your New Year’s resolution list is taking care of the body’s largest organ…your skin! With these simple tips, you can achieve the beautiful skin you’ve always wanted and garner yourself a rejuvenated New Year’s glow. In 2013, it’s time to ditch the old habits and filter in the new – making your skin look fresh, youthful, and radiant!
You Are What You Eat
Regardless of age, we all strive to maintain or create youthful, dewy skin. While many factors contribute to the health and appearance of skin, a simple method in which you hold entire control is eating a healthy, clean diet. As the Mayo Clinic suggests, a nutritional regimen abundant with fruits, lean proteins, whole grains, and vegetables not only proves valuable for overall health but promotes external benefits as well. By diminishing the consumption of foods saturated with unhealthy fats and processed/refined carbohydrates and instead enriching the diet with Vitamin C, you can help to eliminate the hassle of acne and even curb wrinkle formation.
But wait…you aren’t ONLY what you eat, but also what you drink. Livestrong explains that, “The first and easiest step to healthier looking skin is hydration, from the inside out.” Thus, drinking eight to ten cups of water per day and cutting back on sugary drinks and alcohols are natural approaches aligned with the keys to a clean diet and the elevation of skin health.
Don’t Touch Your Face
Avoiding hand-to-face contact is one of the most undervalued skin tips. As Livestrong elaborates, your fingers and other objects that touch your face are prime culprits in the outbreak of acne. Carrying “dirt, bacteria and other substances that can cause your pores to clog” hands, telephones, sweatbands, and hats are a few items that harbor and spread acne-causing sweat, dirt, and oils.
Cleanse, Exfoliate, Tone and Moisturize Your Skin
The healthiest, most radiant skin spurs from a stringent daily regimen of cleansing, exfoliating, toning and moisturizing.
1) Cleansing: Based on your skin type (from normal to oily), 2-5 cleanses per day with a gentle cleanser (ranging from liquids and oils to lotions and foams) are sufficient to rid pore-clogging dust, dirt, and skin cells. Discovering the most effective cleanser revolves around your skin type and finding specifically formulated products to meet your skin’s needs. Because the goal of cleansing is to remove grime and impurities, it’s vital that you have clean hands before proceeding to apply the cleanser in upward and outward motions – protecting the skin’s elasticity while loosening dirt and makeup. As you wash, create a circular motion with the fingers.
2) Exfoliating: Dead skin cells contribute to acne and dull skin appearance. Exfoliating with a strong, yet non-damaging granular facial scrub assists in cleaning the skin surface by sloughing off top-layer skin particles and dirt. If your skin type is dry or sensitive, use caution when exfoliating in order to avoid excess dryness or inflammation.
3) Toning: Using an astringent and/or toner with glycolic or alphahydroxy acids, apply to a cotton pad and wipe the face in upward, outward strokes. Toning provides multifaceted benefits for the skin; including: residue removal, skin pH restoration, closing of the pores, and tightening of the skin. Toning is essential for creating your skin’s dewy radiance and leaves your face “clean, clear and ready to be hydrated.”
4) Moisturizing: Keeping your skin moisturized is the key to soft, glowing, and youthful skin. After the first three steps, apply a light moisturizer onto your face and neck but don’t forget to tend to other areas of need, such as the elbows, heels, and lips.
Sleep on Your Back
Sleeping on your back is ideal for minimizing and preventing wrinkles by preserving collagen and elastin fibers in your face and neck. According to CNN, this position makes it “easy for your head, neck, and spine to maintain a neutral position” which not only avoids those bothersome sleep lines and keeps from stretching out the skin, but also prevent excess fluid from surging to the head and improperly circulating causing puffy, swollen eyes.
Avoid the Sun and Wear Sunscreen
Although it can give you that “golden goddess” tan, the sun can be your skin’s worst nightmare. The Mayo Clinic reveals that, “A lifetime of sun exposure can cause wrinkles, age spots…as well as increase the risk of skin cancer.” For ample skin protection against potent ultraviolent rays, Mayo Clinic proposes:
- Using a sunscreen with at least 15 SPF, reapplied every two hours for outdoor activity
- Avoiding the sun at its peak ray strengths between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Wearing sun-protective clothing or long-sleeves, wide-brimmed hats, and long pants in order to keep your skin covered
What we desire from our skin is beauty and longevity. Numerous skincare products or professional treatments are not your only hope for healthy, glowing skin. By utilizing these fresh ideas, you can “pamper yourself with the basics” in 2013.
Sources
http://www.livestrong.com/article/159003-touching-your-face-acne/
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/04/19/healthiest.sleep.position/index.html
BIO of writer:
Barbara Boseris an Independent Distributor with It Works Global.
Thanks Kristen for all the great tips. About the only things on here I do do is drink plenty of water and stay out of sun and use sunscreen. Looks like I have some htings I should work on 🙂