|
|
| Allergy-Proof Your House |
| Tips for keeping your
home clean, green and allergy-free. |
 |
 |
|
|
| |
RSS Health News |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| A Look at Proper Skin Care |
 |
|
It seems that life just keeps accelerating in pace, leaving most of us more and more pressed for time when it comes to things we used to take for granted. Take skin care, for example. The business of our lives often causes us to make compromises with our health, and we often skip the dietary and lifestyle choices that can promote not only better skin, but better health as well. The really unfortunate aspect of these compromises is that they result in even greater wear and tear on our skin as we age. The skin, over time, becomes drier, thinner, and more wrinkled. The youthful look our skin once had fades with time if precautions are not taken many years in advance.
There are, however, many things that you can do now to prevent your skin from suffering these effects later. The goal is to develop healthy skin care habits now, before your skin has been ravaged by years of neglect, and develop a pattern of behavior that will follow you the rest of your life. With a little effort, your skin can be maintained and preserved in the healthiest of conditions throughout your lifetime, delaying the natural process of aging and enabling you to maintain the youthful glow you desire.
The single most important thing that you can do for your skin is to avoid the harmful ultraviolet light that comes from the sun and other sources. UV light can cause wrinkles, dryness, liver spots, and even skin tumors - yet many people continue to seek out the sun's rays in their attempt to garner that elusive "perfect tan". To protect yourself, you should avoid the sun during the most harmful hours of the day - generally from ten in the morning until around four in the afternoon, and wear protective clothing if you must go out during those hours. When you do spend times outdoors, use sunscreen with a protection factor in excess of 15, remembering to reapply it frequently and especially after you have been in the water.
Wash your face gently, and apply moisturizer daily. Many people wait until their skin has already begun to show the effects of time before they resort to facial moisturizers and rinses. For best results, you should get into that habit early in adulthood, as it is easier to preserve your skin's youthfulness than it is to recover it once it has passed. Even shaving can damage your skin, if done improperly. A gentle shave, with the grain of your hair follicles, is always the best route to go. Shaving too closely to the skin or attempting to shave while dry can irritate your skin and cause damage over time.
Pay attention to what you eat, as a diet filled with foods high in antioxidants can help to protect your entire body, including your skin. Eat an assortment of fruits and vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables. Fish, beans, and nuts are also high in the vitamins and other nutrients that your skin needs to maintain its health. Avoid large amounts of red meat and milk, which have been demonstrated to contribute to wrinkling of the skin over time.
Finally, avoid smoking and areas where smoke lingers. Cigarette smoke contracts pores, restricts natural oil secretions, and causes dryness of the skin and wrinkling. By making these minor changes to your lifestyle, you can promote greater health for your skin - and your entire body.
|
| Back |
|
