Skin Care: 5 Tips for Healthy Skin

Good skin care including sun
protection and gentle cleansing can
keep your skin healthy and glowing for
years to come.

Don't have time for intensive skin care?
Pamper yourself with 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.
When you're outdoors, reapply
sunscreen 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. 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 its 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.

Posted by Chrisray

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