Good skin care, like sun protection and gentle cleansing, can keep skin healthy and radiant.
Written by Mayo Clinic staff
Don’t have time for intensive skin care? You can still pamper yourself by following the basics. Good skin care and choosing a healthy lifestyle can help you delay natural aging and prevent various skin problems. Start with these five sensible tips.
1. Protect yourself from the sun
One of the most important ways to care for your skin is to protect it from the sun. A lifetime of sun exposure can lead to wrinkles, age spots, and other skin problems, as well as an increased risk of skin cancer.
For the most complete sun protection:
Use sunscreen. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen that has a sun protection factor of at least 15. Put on plenty of sunscreen, and reapply every two hours—or more often if you’re swimming or sweating.
Find shady places. Avoid the sun between 10 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon, when the sun’s rays are most intense.
Wear protective clothing. Protect your skin with tight-fitting, long-sleeved clothing, long pants, and wide-brimmed hats. Also consider laundry products that can give clothes an extra layer of UV protection for a set number of washes, or special sun-protective clothing that is specially designed to block UV rays.
2. Don’t smoke
Smoking gives your skin an aged appearance and contributes to the formation of wrinkles. Smoking constricts the small blood vessels in the uppermost layers of the skin, which decreases blood flow and makes the skin appear paler. This also removes oxygen and nutrients that are important for good skin health.
Smoking also damages collagen and elastin, the fibers that give skin strength and elasticity. In addition, repeated facial expressions you make when you smoke, such as pursing your lips as you inhale and squinting as you exhale, can contribute to wrinkling.
Also, smoking increases the risk of squamous cell carcinoma. If you smoke, quitting is the best way to protect your skin. Ask your doctor for advice or treatments to help you quit smoking.
3. Treat your skin gently
Daily cleaning and shaving can harm your skin. To treat it gently:
Limit the duration of the bath. Hot water and long showers or baths remove natural oils from the skin. Limit the duration of the bath or shower and use lukewarm water instead of hot water.
Avoid strong soaps. Harsh soaps and detergents can remove natural oils from the skin. Instead, use gentle cleansers.
Shave carefully. To protect and lubricate your skin, apply shaving cream, lotion, or gel before shaving. For a closer shave, use a clean, sharp razor. Shave in the direction that the hair grows, not against the grain.
Pat yourself dry. After washing or bathing, gently pat your skin dry with a towel to leave some moisture on the skin.
Moisturizes dry skin. If you have dry skin, use a moisturizer that suits your skin type. For daily use, consider a moisturizer that contains sun protection factor.
4. Eat a healthy diet
A healthy diet can help you look and feel better. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. The association between diet and acne is unclear, but some research suggests that a diet high in fish oil or fish oil supplements and low in unhealthy fats and processed or refined carbohydrates may promote younger-looking skin. Drinking plenty of water helps keep the skin hydrated.
5. Manage stress
When stress gets out of hand, skin can become more sensitive, triggering acne breakouts and other skin problems. To promote healthy skin and a healthy mood, take steps to manage stress. Get enough sleep, set reasonable limits, trim your to-do list, and find time to do the things you enjoy. The results could be more significant than you expect.
