Beauty Expert Donna Fay shows how to improve your skin’s health in just 6 steps.
Take Your Vitamins
There’s a reason you were told at a young age to always take your vitamins. They help with your hair, skin, heart, bones, muscles, and even your immune system. Most commonly, vitamin C helps with the overall health of your skin but also aids in improving your eyes, immune system, and hair. Another important vitamin is vitamin D. This vitamin helps your immune system as well, but also helps you build stronger bones, and it keeps you happy.
Drink plenty of water
Generally, experts recommend 2.5 liters of water a day; that equals anywhere from 6-8 glasses. But all bodies are different, so check for your age, weight, and height. The more water you drink, the more your body will crave it. Your skin is about 64% water, so drinking water will keep your skin cleansed and hydrated. It will also flush out any toxins and dirt that may clog your pores, giving you a healthy glow.
Water not only helps keep your skin cleansed, it also helps tighten and tone the skin. Our bodies naturally fill our cells with water to make them tight and firm and this reduces the appearance of wrinkles, giving a much smoother appearance. Adding more water to these cells causes them to swell and push against your skin from the inside, reducing the appearance of cellulite and flabby skin.
Eliminate vices
Now for something people generally don’t want to hear: reduce your vices. Lower your alcohol consumption and either smoke less or stop. Smoking and drinking age you like no other. It’s also not beneficial for your mental health as well as your physical health. Try it for 7 solid days, then see how you feel.
Reducing stress
Prolonged periods of stress will take a toll on your skin. When your body is in this state the most vital organs like the heart, brain, and lungs work overtime. The skin becomes less vital and becomes deprived of nutrients, which eventually affect its appearance. Combat stress by using some relaxing techniques like yoga or meditation.
Eat healthier
This is rather simple: avoid junk food or at least try to. Most processed food is made with preservatives and processed oils. This makes them very hard for your body to digest. These processed oils can build up in your liver over the course of time, so your liver function may start to break down. The other thing to avoid is excess sugar, the kind you find in candy, boxed cookies and the like. Too much sugar can lead to bad cholesterol, excess fat in the hips, and stomach and can also lead to heart disease. If you’re looking for a change in diet and some healthy sweet alternatives that will give you better looking skin, read our post on Eating for Healthy Skin.
Sleep more
The importance of a good night’s rest cannot be stressed enough. Studies show that lack of sleep can cause premature aging of the skin, more fine lines, breakouts and unevenness. If you’re having trouble getting the amount of sleep needed (7-9 hours a night) try going to bed 15 minutes earlier each night until you reach your goal.