Skin is extremely important for good health, because it protects the rest of your body from germs and infectious agents. While many people want healthy skin because of the radiant appearance it provides, it can also be an indicator of overall health, and having healthy skin starts with having a healthy body. Skincare and anti-aging products are huge industries, but taking care of your skin has just as much to do with how you treat your body and what you put into it as it does what you put on it.
Part 1
Cleansing and Moisturizing
1
Wash regularly, but not too often. Your skin is covered in a layer of dead skin, oil, and good bacteria that help prevent harmful things from entering your body. Showering washes this layer away. Clean skin is important for good hygiene, but washing too frequently is unnecessary, and can make it more difficult for your skin to protect your body from contaminants and infections.
Generally, people don’t need to shower more than every other day or every three days. You may want to consider showering more often if you work with the public or the infirm, take public transit daily, or have a physical job that requires exertion.
Part 1
Cleansing and Moisturizing
1
Wash regularly, but not too often. Your skin is covered in a layer of dead skin, oil, and good bacteria that help prevent harmful things from entering your body. Showering washes this layer away. Clean skin is important for good hygiene, but washing too frequently is unnecessary, and can make it more difficult for your skin to protect your body from contaminants and infections.
Generally, people don’t need to shower more than every other day or every three days. You may want to consider showering more often if you work with the public or the infirm, take public transit daily, or have a physical job that requires exertion.
2
Have short showers or baths in warm water. Bathing in hot water and for too long strips helpful and necessary oils from your skin, and it can aggravate certain skin conditions like rosacea and eczema.
3
Use mild cleansers. Just like hot water, strong soaps will remove oil from your skin and leave you feeling tight and dry. When you do bathe, choose mild soaps or cleansers that don’t contain artificial fragrances. Look for soaps that:
Contain soothing and moisturizing ingredients like aloe, witch hazel, and vegetable oils, and herbs or botanicals such as chamomile, lavender, rosemary, and peppermint.
Don't contain sodium lauryl sulfate or alcohol, which can both dry out your skin.
Match your skin type. For instance, if you have dry skin, look for moisturizing soaps. For sensitive skin, look for fragrance-free and hypoallergenic soap.
Clean your skin without stripping away skin and oil.
4
Pat your skin dry. Instead of rubbing dry with a towel when you’ve finished bathing, gently pat your skin with a towel and let the remaining moisture air dry.[9] This will ensure you leave a layer of oil on your skin that will help keep in moisture and prevent dryness.
5
Exfoliate once or twice a week. This will remove the top layer of dead skin, and reveal the fresh, new, radiant skin below, giving your skin a healthy, glowing appearance. Avoid using acids, such as lemon or tomato juice, on your skin and especially your face. They can strip away your skin’s natural oils, and make you more sensitive to the sun.
Regular cleansing, exfoliation, and moisturizing can help prevent breakouts and blemishes, and keep your skin looking young and healthy.
For dry skin, look for an exfoliating product that has no additional cleansing agents (or very mild ones) and a moisturizer. For oily skin, choose a balancing exfoliating product that also offers deep scrubbing.
6
Moisturize regularly. Along with keeping moisture against the skin, which keeps it from drying out, moisturizers also protect the skin and improve its tone and texture. Consider using a moisturizer that has an SPF rating for some additional sun-protection.
As an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, olive oil can also be applied topically to the skin as a natural moisturizer. Sweet almond, coconut, and jojoba also work as moisturizers, as do Shea and cocoa butter. You can use these products on their own, or look for moisturizers that contain them.
Look for lotions or gels instead of creams if you have oily skin, but opt for creams if you have dry skin.
For acne-prone skin, look for moisturizers that contain salicylic acid. But if you have sensitive skin, look for calming ingredients like green tea, vitamin C, and aloe.
Part 2
Eating a Healthy Diet
1
Eat your fruits and vegetables. Eating foods that come in all the colors of the rainbow ensures that you’ll get the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are vital for good health. Fruits and vegetables will help promote healthy skin because they promote a healthy body. Eating a diet that’s rich in these foods can lead to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure, can regulate blood sugar and weight, and aid with digestion.
Eat dark, leafy green vegetables.
Eat brightly colored foods that are orange, blue, yellow, red, and purple.
Tomatoes, for instance, are great for the skin because eating them can help protect it from sun damage, make your skin smoother, and boost collagen.
Image titled Get Healthy Skin Step 8
2
Eat skin-friendly foods. Foods rich in antioxidants, selenium, coenzyme Q10, and flavonoids all promote healthy bodies and radiant skin. Antioxidants and selenium prevent damage done by free radicals, which are thought to contribute to wrinkles, tissue damage, and dry skin. Coenzyme Q10 is an antioxidant produced by your body. Flavonoids are the by-product of plant growth, and have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Foods that are high in antioxidants include whole grains, berries, apricots, beets, squash and sweet potatoes, tangerines, beans,[16] and olive oil.
Foods that contain selenium include whole-wheat pasta, Brazil nuts, button mushrooms, beef and turkey, oysters, shrimp and crab, snapper and cod, and some other fish.
Coenzyme Q10 can be found in whole grains, fish, organ meats, and soybean, canola, and sesame oils.
Flavonoids can be found in things like dark chocolate and green tea.
3
Consume foods high in vitamins A, C, and E. These vitamins provide different benefits, but they all contribute to healthy skin. Vitamin C can boost the collagen and elastin in your skin, and these proteins prevent wrinkles, lines, and sagging. Vitamin A helps keep your skin fresh and glowing by preventing dryness, reducing dark spots, and smoothing wrinkles. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that fights the damage done by free radicals.
Foods rich in vitamin C include peppers, citrus fruits, dark green vegetables, papaya, and kiwi. You can also try strawberries, pumpkin, and pomegranate for high doses of this wrinkle-fighting vitamin.
Foods packed with vitamin A include dark leafy greens, oranges, carrots, cantaloupe, and eggs.
Vitamin E can be found in nuts and seeds, olives, dark leafy greens, and vegetable oils.
1
Eat your fruits and vegetables. Eating foods that come in all the colors of the rainbow ensures that you’ll get the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are vital for good health. Fruits and vegetables will help promote healthy skin because they promote a healthy body. Eating a diet that’s rich in these foods can lead to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure, can regulate blood sugar and weight, and aid with digestion.
Eat dark, leafy green vegetables.
Eat brightly colored foods that are orange, blue, yellow, red, and purple.
Tomatoes, for instance, are great for the skin because eating them can help protect it from sun damage, make your skin smoother, and boost collagen.
Image titled Get Healthy Skin Step 8
2
Eat skin-friendly foods. Foods rich in antioxidants, selenium, coenzyme Q10, and flavonoids all promote healthy bodies and radiant skin. Antioxidants and selenium prevent damage done by free radicals, which are thought to contribute to wrinkles, tissue damage, and dry skin. Coenzyme Q10 is an antioxidant produced by your body. Flavonoids are the by-product of plant growth, and have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Foods that are high in antioxidants include whole grains, berries, apricots, beets, squash and sweet potatoes, tangerines, beans,[16] and olive oil.
Foods that contain selenium include whole-wheat pasta, Brazil nuts, button mushrooms, beef and turkey, oysters, shrimp and crab, snapper and cod, and some other fish.
Coenzyme Q10 can be found in whole grains, fish, organ meats, and soybean, canola, and sesame oils.
Flavonoids can be found in things like dark chocolate and green tea.
3
Consume foods high in vitamins A, C, and E. These vitamins provide different benefits, but they all contribute to healthy skin. Vitamin C can boost the collagen and elastin in your skin, and these proteins prevent wrinkles, lines, and sagging. Vitamin A helps keep your skin fresh and glowing by preventing dryness, reducing dark spots, and smoothing wrinkles. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that fights the damage done by free radicals.
Foods rich in vitamin C include peppers, citrus fruits, dark green vegetables, papaya, and kiwi. You can also try strawberries, pumpkin, and pomegranate for high doses of this wrinkle-fighting vitamin.
Foods packed with vitamin A include dark leafy greens, oranges, carrots, cantaloupe, and eggs.
Vitamin E can be found in nuts and seeds, olives, dark leafy greens, and vegetable oils.
4
Get your omegas. Fats are necessary for healthy skin, especially omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These fatty acids keep skin bright and moisturized, and prevent dryness and blemishes. Good sources of these essential fatty acids include:
Walnuts
Olive and canola oil
Flaxseeds
Sardines, mackerel, and salmon
5
Drink water. The skin, like every part of the body, needs proper hydration to function optimally. Sufficient hydration can prevent dryness and flakiness, which will prevent wrinkling[27] and make lines less noticeable.
The traditional guideline for water consumption is eight cups (one cup is equal to eight ounces, or 235 ml) per day. However, fruits and vegetables contain water, so eating them counts toward your daily hydration. The best rule of thumb is to listen to your body about water consumption, so if you’re thirsty, drink up!
6
Avoid added sugars. Sugar in your diet can lead to wrinkles and sagging skin. Sugar molecules attach themselves to protein molecules, and when this happens it can damage collagen and elastin. While there are many foods that are good for you—such as fruit—that contain sugar, watch for added sugar in processed and pre-made foods.
Get your omegas. Fats are necessary for healthy skin, especially omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These fatty acids keep skin bright and moisturized, and prevent dryness and blemishes. Good sources of these essential fatty acids include:
Walnuts
Olive and canola oil
Flaxseeds
Sardines, mackerel, and salmon
5
Drink water. The skin, like every part of the body, needs proper hydration to function optimally. Sufficient hydration can prevent dryness and flakiness, which will prevent wrinkling[27] and make lines less noticeable.
The traditional guideline for water consumption is eight cups (one cup is equal to eight ounces, or 235 ml) per day. However, fruits and vegetables contain water, so eating them counts toward your daily hydration. The best rule of thumb is to listen to your body about water consumption, so if you’re thirsty, drink up!
6
Avoid added sugars. Sugar in your diet can lead to wrinkles and sagging skin. Sugar molecules attach themselves to protein molecules, and when this happens it can damage collagen and elastin. While there are many foods that are good for you—such as fruit—that contain sugar, watch for added sugar in processed and pre-made foods.
0 comments:
Post a Comment