Health Network News

Few things about our appearance show our health and vitality as much as our skin. Healthy, soft skin helps us look fit, if not fabulous. Dry, tired skin leaves us looking…dry and tired.

Fortunately, taking care of our skin is not difficult, once you know and follow the basic guidelines. Here’s the skinny on maintaining healthy skin: Don’t smoke. But do protect yourself from the sun, eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly and practice good skin care, including proper hair removal.

Those tips are among the following 10 ways to attain and maintain healthy, vibrant skin.

1. Protect your skin from the sun. Your skin will suffer over time from exposure to the sun. Wrinkles might be inevitable, but sun exposure doesn’t help reduce them. Wear a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen to protect yourself from ultraviolet rays while in direct sun for any period. Wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants are even better. For the most protection, avoid the sun at peak times, generally from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you must have a tan, use a tanning spray (self-applied or at a sunless tanner) but skip indoor tanning. The UV rays from tanning studios are as harmful as the sun itself.

2. Don’t smoke. Not smoking is beneficial to your health for abundant reasons, with skin health one of them. Smoking constricts the blood vessels in the outermost layers of the skin. That decreases the amount of blood flowing to the skin, giving it less oxygen and nutrients. Smoking damages collagen and elastin, the fibers that give strength and elasticity to your skin. No wonder smoking can cause premature aging of the skin.

3. Treat your skin gently. Keep it clean, but do so in the lightest way possible. Excessive washing or scrubbing wipes away the essential oils in the outer layers of the skin, leading to dryness. Don’t take long baths or showers. Use warm water, not hot. Choose mild skin cleansers because strong ones can strip oil from your skin.

4. Remove unwanted hair through shaving or quality hair removal products. Gels, creams and wax strips from Nad’s, the industry leader in hair removal products, work effectively while keeping skin smooth and soft. Nad’s believes that removing unwanted hair is only one part of a complete, holistic approach to hair removal and skin health. Nad’s Hair Removal Cycle? features four key steps — Remove, Soothe, Release and Exfoliate – and a range of solutions for each step. When each key step is followed, Nad’s helps keep skin hair-free, smooth and healthy.

5. Moisturize your skin. And then moisturize some more. Each time you clean your skin – after a shower or bath, or when you wash your face – use a moisturizer to help restore essential oils and keep skin hydrated. Choose a moisturizer that fits your skin type. Make this your morning and evening routine.

6. Eat a healthy diet. Your outer appearance reflects what’s happening inside. Eating a well-balanced diet will help you look and feel healthy. Make sure your diet includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins.

7. Drink plenty of water. Staying well hydrated keeps your skin moist and supple, not dry and prone to wrinkles. Try to drink eight to 10 glasses of water each day.

8. Manage your stress. They don’t call them “worry wrinkles” for nothing. Make lifestyle changes to lessen your daily stress, which could reduce skin sensitivity and breakouts of acne and other skin problems. Don’t overload your to-do list. Make time to do the things you enjoy. Laugh a little, or a lot.

9. Find time to regularly exercise. Staying fit helps your whole body. Your skin benefits because exercise helps to keep it elastic, reducing wrinkles. You’ll have a healthy glow because exercise increases blood flow to the skin.

10. Get a good night’s sleep. Everyone knows what someone looks like after a short night of sleep. Bags under the eyes aren’t pretty. Your body restores itself during sleep, so don’t deprive yourself of regular sleep if you want to look and feel fresh and energized.

Paul Denero is a freelance writer based out of Los Angeles. For more information on hair removal, please visit Nads.com