07 Jan Healthy Habits for Great Skin
Achieving great skin starts with professional treatments and some at home habits. People with youthful, glowing skin have a few things in common. They share some of the same healthy habits. Show your skin some love and incorporate some of these healthy habits into your day.
- Limit Excess Sugar
Excess sugar (refined sugar/simple carbs) can wreak havoc on the body including weight gain, high cholesterol, elevated blood sugar and inflammation. Inflammation is not good for your body or your skin. Inflammation produces enzymes that break down collagen and elastin, resulting in sagging skin and wrinkles. Digested sugar permanently attaches to the collagen in your skin through a process known as glycation. Aside from increasing the effects of aging, glycation can also exacerbate skin conditions like acne and rosacea. With a laundry list of ailments that are affected by excess sugar consumption, limiting your intake will help restore balance to your body and skin.
- Eat Fruit, Veggies and Whole Foods
Mom was right when she said to eat your veggies. Like most of your body, your skin uses the building blocks of vitamins and nutrients that fruits, vegetables, and whole foods provide. Foods containing antioxidants, vitamin E and vitamin A help to improve your skin’s health. The carotenoids in orange and green foods boost your skin’s glow. Eating whole foods, fruits and veggies can help you cut back on excess sugar by providing your body with nourishment for sustained energy.
- Drink Water
Water works in mysterious and wonderful ways when it comes to skin. Everyone agrees drinking lots of water is key to great skin, but why remains a mystery. It might plump the skin up and fill out wrinkles and lines, or help collagen, a building protein in skin, work more efficiently. Staying hydrated balances the oil/water concentration in your skin to help combat acne and oily skin.
- Wear Sunscreen & Limit Sun Exposure
In addition to skin cancer, constant sun exposure leads to dull, rough and wrinkled skin with uneven skin tone and sunspots. Protecting your skin from the sun is an easy and crucial step to keeping it healthy and flawless. This doesn’t mean you need to live indoors so that your skin will stay safe. Apply a sunscreen SPF30 or higher, a hat and UV sunglasses prior to going outside and avoid prolonged sun exposure. Make sunscreen part of your daily routine by using one that doubles as your daytime moisturizer.
- Follow an AM and PM Skin Care Routine
Your skin care routine doesn’t have to be complicated, just consistent. People with great skin do something for their skin every single day. It can be as easy as cleanse, hydrate and apply sunscreen in the morning. In the evening cleanse, exfoliate and hydrate or use a Retinol product. Our skin repairs itself at night so it’s important to wash off the environmental pollution, sweat and makeup from the day and apply products to boost the skin’s repair process.
Treat your skin well and it will do the same for you by glowing radiantly. It only takes a few healthy habits to start your journey toward Great Skin.