5 Simple Tips for Healthier Skin

Like it loathe it, your skin is a reflection of your lifestyle. Late nights, partying, outdoor life, smoking and others can all have a negative effect on your skin and a visible one at that. Maintaining a healthy skin does not mean spending fortunes on expensive skin care products or making dramatic changes to your lifestyle. Follow these 5 simple skin care tips to give you a healthy glowing skin to be proud of.

Stop Smoking

If you are a smoker, you need to stop…Now! In the US, 15.5% of adults have smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and smoking related illnesses kill 1 in 5 adults every year. Putting aside the deadly effects that smoking has on your lungs, smoking drastically worsens your skin.  There are thousands of chemicals in cigarette smoke causing elastin and collagen destruction. The smoke also causes increased reactive oxygen species otherwise known as free radicals which are unstable molecules leading to the destruction of the molecules around them. The result: uneven skin coloring, lax blood vessels and sagging skin. If you want to live longer, healthier with better skin. Stop smoking as soon as possible

Hydrate

Not drinking enough water will lead to dehydration of the skin. Signs that you are dehydrated are dull and sunken complexion which highlight wrinkles and discoloration. Keep yourself hydrated and your skin will look markedly plumper, brighter, and younger. It’s a simple tip, easy to action but makes a big difference in maintaining a healthy skin.

Eat Healthier

Your skin is a direct reflection of everything you put on and in your body. It’s a cliché, but it’s true; You are what you eat. Your skin needs certain nutrients and vitamins, which when consumed will lead to healthier skin. A few of the best foods to feed your skin are:

  • Avocado – packed full of Vitamins C and E, and provides great anti-ageing and anti-inflammatory benefits
  • Spinach –  loaded with minerals and antioxidants, and boosts your elastin and collagen production.
  • Green Tea – Superb for flushing out toxins which will give you a healthier and clearer complexion.
  • Blueberries – Considered the greatest food source for antioxidants offering strong anti-aging prevention for your skin.

Get Your Sleep Hours in

It’s not called beauty sleep for nothing.  Not getting enough sleep will result in poor water balance and lead to dryness, increased visibility of wrinkles and puffy bags under your eyes. Although there is no magic number of hours needed, its recommended that you get at least 7 hours of sleep to enable your body’s hydration rebalances.

Be Gentle With Your Skin

How you cleanse and what you put on your skin can take its toll.  Too much bath time and water too hot, will remove essential oils from your skin. Also, make sure to avoid strong soaps and moisturize your skin daily with a moisturizer containing a high SPF (sun protection factor)

Changing or altering a few habits to your lifestyle can give your skin the boost it needs to maintain a natural, healthy glow. From drinking more water to sleeping more, enact these simple tips for healthier skin and a healthier you.