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Tips for Healthy Skin
By Barbara Wells
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From the first application of baby lotion to our tender, newborn skin to treatments for the wrinkles, age spots and dryness that come with old age, dealing with our skin—the largest organ in the human body—is a lifelong concern.
The Beauty for Life team makes skincare easy with some basic tips to help you enjoy supple, smooth and healthy skin for as long as possible.
When it comes to your skin, keep two things in mind: manage sun exposure and maintain hydration.
Most people have experienced the short-term effects that the sun can inflict on our skin—and painful, red sunburn can be relieved with topical applications like aloe. But many are not aware of the long-term effects of sun exposure.
The invisible ultraviolet or “UV” rays that pulsate from the sun damage our skin little by little, year after year. They can lead to rough or dry skin, age spots (sometimes known as “liver spots”), wrinkles, and even more serious conditions such as skin cancer.
There are three primary ways to reduce the amount of sun damage to your skin:
- Limit your exposure to the sun as much as possible between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm, when UV rays are most intense.
- If you are going to be outside during these hours, cover as much of your skin as possible with protective clothing. New technology has produced clothing with built-in sun protection factor (SPF), but long-sleeved shirts, long pants and hats with wide brims are effective as well.
- If you do not have SPF clothing and long sleeves and pants are not practical, use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a SPF greater than 15. The Beauty for Life team recommends applying a liberal amount of sunscreen at least 20 minutes before going outdoors and then reapplying every two to three hours, especially after exercise or swimming.
Keeping your skin hydrated is another crucial factor in maintaining healthy skin.
Myriad lotions, creams and oils can help soften, protect and improve the look and feel of your skin, but they all serve one main purpose: to help your skin maintain water in its outmost layer.
The Beauty for Life team recommends three simple ways to keep your skin moist.
- Choose a moisturizer with sunscreen (with a minimum SPF of 15) that best suits your skin type, whether it is normal, dry, oily/sensitive, acne-prone or mature. Any of the qualified plastic surgeons found on BeautyforLife.com can help you choose a moisturizer right for you.
- Use moisturizer after bathing when it is most effective in helping to retain water.
- Apply moisturizer to the backs of your hands—an area overlooked by many people—to help ward off age spots. Your hands are exposed to the elements (including the sun) more than most other body parts—and people with enough sun exposure to develop age spots are at a higher risk for skin cancer.
We hope you find these tips for healthy skin useful. If you have any questions about how to keep your skin healthy you can ask a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area, or submit a question to the Beauty for Life team.
Because it’s not about beauty for a day, for a week, for a month—it’s about beauty for life.
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