Tips for younger and healthier skin

It is simple – the skin is an organ. And like all other organs, it should be taken care of. It is the body’s shield from outside elements, such as pollutants and the sun’s harmful rays. And not surprisingly, the healthier you keep your skin, the younger it looks.

The Sun

Of all the harmful enemies of the skin, the sun is by far the worst. Sunburned skin consists of damaged cells, forcing the skin to produce new cells and ultimately weakening the skin. UV rays have been known to damage skin, but in the past few decades they have been associated with being the number one cause of skin cancer.

Tips to protect from UV rays:

In order to protect yourself from the dangers of UV rays, you should remember to:

• Use moisturizers with UV protection
• Use sun block daily
• Use foundation makeup with UV protection
• Shade yourself from the sun with either a cap or visor

Smoking

We all know that smoking causes deep wrinkles in the skin, but it causes more than cosmetic damage. Just as healthier skin yields younger looking skin, older looking skin yields unhealthy skin. A smoker’s skin gets dried out as a result of dehydration and breakdown of collagen and elastin. The skin’s color can become desaturated, resulting in pale or gray looking skin.

Tips for Hydrated Skin

Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to keep your skill hydrated and looking healthy:

• Drink plenty of water – 8 to 10 glasses a day
• Exercise — this creates oxygen the skin needs while keeping it toned
• Exfoliate the skin – rub sea salt and water on the skin and using gentle cleansers containing 0% alcohol or oil
• Use a moisturizer each you time you bathe, in the morning, and at night
• Apply body oil to wet skin to seal moisture in
• Take Vitamin C to prevent wrinkles and fade out discoloration in the skin
• Stay away from normal soaps that dry the skin

Contact Us

If you are interested in finding new techniques to keep your skin looking young and healthy, make an appointment with Austin plastic surgeon Dr. Apostolakis today by contacting us at 512-329-8989.