Skins are fragile things and need careful nurturing. Before you sign up for plastic surgery make sure you are doing all you can for yours.
1. Cleanse
No matter what your skin type clean your face every night and day. It isn’t necessary to buy expensive cleansers as long as you rinse well and follow with moisturiser. Men have larger pores and oilier skin than women therefore this step is very important as you get dirtier. Try and use products as free of chemicals as possible as these can irritate your skin.
2. Moisturise
Moisturiser enables your skin to retain water. Look for a moisturiser suitable for your skin and don’t forget the area around your eyes.
3. Exfoliate
Exfoliating once a week helps remove dead skin cells and enables the nutrients in moisturisers to penetrate into the skin. Steer clear of scrubs that contain ground elements as these can damage the skin.
4. Cover up in the sun
Hats and sunscreen need to be used year round.
5. Manage stress
Stress ends up as lines on our faces and upsets our hormonal balance and immune system. Take up yoga or meditation or at least ensure you have put time aside to relax.
6. Don’t smoke
7. Exercise
Exercise encourages the production of collagen and aids circulation and therefore the blood supply to the skin.
8. Nourish yourself
Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day and include plenty of fruit and vegetables in your diet. Vitamin C is especially important for skin. It has antioxidant properties, helps to prevent free-radical damage that contributes to ageing, aids in the growth and repair of body tissue and helps form collagen, which gives skin its elasticity.
9 –Drink in moderation
Too much can lead to permanent damage of blood vessels.
10. Get enough sleep
Dark shadows and tired skin do not contribute to radiance.
Isabelle - 16 years ago
While most of these ideas are common knowledge today I would take issue with the advice to drink that much water. I wish I could remember which medical expert said that he sees problems with top level athletes who drink during marathons, dieters who use water to fill their stomachs and get a full feeling, pary pill takers who think it stops them getting high, and older people. Some seniors are using medications to help their bodies stop retaining excess water, others who find their kidneys and bladder muscles cannot cope with the increased volume have continence problems.