Skin Care: 5 Essential Tips for Healthy Skin

1. Protect Yourself from the Sun

One of the most critical ways to care for your skin is by protecting it from the sun. Continuous sun exposure over a lifetime can cause wrinkles, age spots, and other skin problems, as well as increase the risk of skin cancer.

For comprehensive sun protection:

• Use sunscreen: Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 generously, and reapply every two hours or more frequently if you're swimming or sweating.
• Seek shade: Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when its rays are the strongest.
• Wear protective clothing: Cover your skin with tightly woven long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and wide-brimmed hats. Consider using laundry additives that provide an additional layer of ultraviolet protection for a certain number of washings or wear special sun-protective clothing designed to block UV rays.

2. Don’t Smoke

Smoking makes your skin look older and contributes to wrinkles. It narrows the tiny blood vessels in the outermost layers of skin, which decreases blood flow and makes skin paler. This also deprives the skin of oxygen and nutrients important for skin health.

Smoking also damages collagen and elastin, the fibers that give your skin strength and elasticity. Additionally, repetitive facial expressions made when smoking, such as pursing your lips and squinting, can lead to wrinkles.

Smoking also increases the risk of squamous cell skin cancer. 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, not hot, water.
• Avoid strong soaps: Strong soaps and detergents can strip oil from your skin. Choose mild cleansers instead.
• Shave carefully: To protect and lubricate your skin, apply shaving cream, lotion, or gel before shaving. Use a clean, sharp razor for the closest shave and shave in the direction the hair grows.
• Pat dry: After washing or bathing, gently pat or blot your skin dry with a towel, leaving some moisture 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. While the link between diet and acne isn't fully clear, 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.

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. Ensure you get enough sleep, set reasonable limits, scale back your to-do list, and make time for activities you enjoy. The results might be more dramatic than you expect.