Your skin is the largest organ the body has and when it’s healthy, its layers work hard to protect your body. But when it’s jeopardized, the ability to work as an effective wall is weakened. Your skin is the porthole to your body; which tells the stories of your life – from the radiant glow of pregnancy, acne breakouts during your teenage years, to the sunspots of aging.
Both your health and your age are reflected in your skin. The skin has a lot of functions, thus making it a multitasked organ of the human body. Its most significant role is being the first line of protection and support between our bodies and of course the outside world – your skin protects you from pollution, viruses, chemical substances, and bacteria, that you encounter at home or in your workplace.
More so, the skin controls your body temperature, moisture loss, and maintains fluid balance. And it acts as a wall and identifies pain sensations to alert us to danger, even better it protects us against the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.
Chapter Overview
Effective Ways You Can Make Your Skin Look Better and Healthier
Taking proper care of your skin might seem intimidating, considering there are overwhelming amounts of treatments, products, facials, and lasers out there. Luckily, you don’t have to spend a ton of money and time at certified Ultherapy® clinics to get better skin. The basics of skin care are highly underrated and simple. Here are ways you can effectively make your skin look healthier and better:
Protect Yourself From The Sun
One of the most significant and easy ways to take care of your skin is to shield it from the sun. When you constantly expose your skin to the sun, it causes age spots, wrinkles, and other skin problems. Even worse it increases your risk of having cancer.
How to effectively protect your skin from the sun:
- Using a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 can protect you from the sun effectively. Apply sunscreen liberally to your skin, then reapply every two hours or more often, if you’re swimming.
- Always seek shade from the sun, so avoid the sun within 10 a.m. and 4 p.m, most especially when the sun’s rays are most active.
- You can wear protective clothing to cover your skin with tightly knitted long-sleeved shirts, lengthy pants, and wide-brimmed hats. More so, you can consider laundry additives, which give clothing an extra layer of UV protection for a specific number of washings, or special sun-protective clothing; which is particularly designed to obstruct ultraviolet rays.
Avoid Smoking
Constantly smoking makes your skin look older and even worse causes wrinkles. More so, smoking narrows tiny blood vessels in the outermost layers of skin, which in turn, makes the skin pale and reduces blood flow. Smoking drains the skin of nutrients and oxygen that are necessary for skin health. Smoking also damages elastin and collagen – the fibers that give your skin elasticity and strength. Besides, the constant facial expressions you make when smoking – such as squinting your eyes to keep out smoke, and pursing your lips when inhaling can contribute to wrinkles.
Also, smoking raises your risk of having squamous cell skin cancer. Thus, if you smoke, quitting the habit is the best way to protect your skin. You can ask your doctor for treatment and tips to help you stop smoking.
Always Eat A Healthy Diet
A healthy diet can help in making you feel and look your best. Eat lots of vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and whole grains. Although the connection between acne and diet isn’t clear, some studies suggest that a diet rich in fish supplements or fish oil and low in unhealthy fats and refined carbohydrates might promote younger-looking skin. Finally, drinking plenty of water helps in keeping your skin hydrated.
Treat Your Skin Gently
Daily shaving and cleansing of your skin can take a toll on your skin. So to keep it gentle read on:
- Limit your bath time, long and hot showers or baths remove oils from your skin. So limiting your bath or shower time, and using warm water can help in making your skin look better – avoid bathing with hot water.
- Avoid using strong soaps, because strong detergents and soaps can also strip oil from your skin. Rather use mild cleansers.
- Shave your skin carefully; and to lubricate and protect your skin, apply shaving cream, gel, or lotion before shaving. For the friendliest shave, use a clean and sharp razor. Conclusively, shave in the way your hair grows, not against it.
Finally, after bathing, tenderly pat your skin dry with a towel, so some moisture remains on your skin. If your skin is dry, try using a moisturizer that fits your skin type.
Making your skin younger and healthier isn’t so hard at all. You just need to follow the tips stated above and commit to doing them regularly. This will result in skin that glows and looks more radiant than it ever has.