Skin care tips

by Mike August 11, 2011

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 many skin problems. Get started with these five no-nonsense tips.

Protect yourself from the sun:

The most important way to take care of your skin is to protect it from the sun.

Recent studies have shown that by age 18, you've only accumulated 18 to 23 percent of the sun damage you'll incur over a lifetime," says Dr.Hegi. That means that there's still time to protect your skin from the sun and put off sun-induced aging. Do this by using sunscreen and products with sun-damage reversing ingredients such as vitamin C and retinol.

A lifetime of sun exposure can cause wrinkles, freckles, age spots and rough, dry skin. Sun exposure can also cause more-serious problems, such as skin cancer. For the most complete sun protection:

Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. This is when the sun's rays are the strongest.

Wear protective clothing. Cover your skin with tightly woven long-sleeved shirts, long pants and wide-brimmed hats. You might also opt for special sun-protective clothing, which is specifically designed to block ultraviolet rays while keeping you cool and comfortable.

Use sunscreen when you're in the sun. Apply generous amounts of broad-spectrum sunscreen 30 minutes before going outdoors and reapply every two hours, after heavy sweating or after being in water.

Sunscreens with an SPF of 15 are generally high enough, since this absorbs 92% of the sun’s UV radiation. After 15 the numbers really become less important. For instance, in a sunscreen with an SPF of 30, this will absorb 97% of the sun’s UV radiation. As the numbers get higher, they become meaningless. Even with sunscreen, it is very important to limit the amount of time that you spend in the sun.

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, such as vitamin A, that are important to skin health. Smoking also damages collagen and elastin 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 may 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.

Smoking destroys skin tone! The faces with the most even skin tone, or most uniform color distribution, were not only judged to be younger but they also received significantly higher ratings for attractiveness and looking healthy. So if younger-looking skin is on your mind, skin tone should be too.

Treat your skin gently:

Daily cleansing and shaving can take a toll on your skin, so 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 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.

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 takes steps to manage your stress. Set reasonable limits, scale back your to-do list and make time to do the things you enjoy. The results may be more dramatic than you expect.

When it comes to anti aging skin care, women tend to focus most of their attention on their faces. In fact, in 2008 it was reported that 97% (98% in 2006) of female anti aging beauty care purchases are for facial skin care products.

What about the rest of you?

Skin you reveal on your hands, chest and legs can give away your age if you’re not careful no matter how much attention you give to your face. Areas that receive the most incidental UV exposure, like the hands and the décolletage. So when it comes to anti aging skin care, love the skin you’re in all the skin you’re in.

Try Skin Brushing:

Skin brushing, a technique that goes back thousands of years, may be one the best ways to treat your skin today. It is done by gently brushing dry skin and is used to clean, stimulate and exfoliate the skin.

In the past, rough materials such as loofah, dried corn cobs or sand have been used. Today, the most popular ways to perform dry skin brushing is with the still popular loofah, exfoliation mitt or my favorite a long handled vegetable fiber brush. (Tampico brush)

What Are The Benefits of Skin Brushing?

Helps to remove dead skin cells, opening pores and preventing clogging:

Open pores are better able to eliminate sweat and toxins which help the body to detoxify. Since 1/4 of our body's detoxification each day is through our skin, our skin can eliminate about 2lbs. of waste.

Increases blood flow to the skin and improves circulation.

Increases lymphatic circulation by stimulating the lymph glands to release toxins:

The lymph glands are a part of our body’s natural defense system. Lymph travels through our lymph system located throughout our bodies (groin, armpit, neck, under the jaw, behind the ears and the back of the head) and helps filter impurities out eventually moving them out through the colon.

And as an added benefit, it helps fight cellulite by helping to break down fat cells.

Simple Steps:

The best time for brushing the skin is when the skin is dry, just prior to bathing.

If you've never used a Tampico brush, you may find it to be very stiff and rough especially when you are new to brushing your skin. Start out very gently until your skin gets used to it.

Start brushing your skin in small circles. I like to start with the soles of my feet and work up in each leg. Always work toward the heart. Next, move on to hands and arms.

Brush upwards on the body and across the back, up the neck and across the jaw line applying a lighter touch to areas where the skin is thinner. Avoid nipples and any sensitive or inflamed areas. That's it.

You skin may have a slight flush due to increased blood circulation.

For more information:

http://theskinsociety.com/