New Year’s Resolutions For Your Skin
We’re just days away from 2013, and we thought it would be great to come up with some new year’s resolutions for your skin.
We’re just days away from 2013, and we thought it would be great to come up with some new year’s resolutions for your skin. Stick with these 7 mantras, and your skin will look better than ever!
1. Wear sunscreen everyday.
You hear it all the time, but do you actually do it? All those horror stories about accelerated aging and skin damage are true. You should be reapplying sunscreen of at least SPF 15 every two hours. A liquid-based formula is great for your initial application. After that, use a powder form such as Colorescience SPF 30 to reapply throughout the day.
The photo above shows identical twins. The one on the left did not use sunscreen on a daily basis. The twin on the right was much more conscientious about applying sunscreen.
2. Commit to at least 4 weeks of using a retinoid.
Why 4 weeks? Because that’s about how long it takes for your skin to adapt to retinoids. If you have never tried a retinoid, we suggest starting with a retinol (is it a bit gentler on the skin than Retin-A). Begin using the product every third night or every other night. It’s normal to see mild flaking and redness for the first couple weeks. If you experience extreme dryness and turn very red, you are either using too much product or applying too often. After about 4 weeks, your skin should no longer be irritated. In fact, you should see an improvement in both texture and tone.
Water really is the fountain of youth. It has many medical benefits, including keeping your skin cells healthy. It’s an unfortunate fact that even though the skin is the largest organ in the body, it is normally the last organ to receive water and absorb hydration. Dehydrated skin is more prone to UV damage, flaking, and wrinkles.So how much should you drink daily? It depends on the person’s needs and lifestyle, but the Institute of Medicine states that men should drink roughly 13 cups of fluids a day while women should be getting around 9 cups per day. (Remember, these are estimates for fluids in general, not just for water.)
You know those long vertical lines that you can see on someone’s face that are right in the middle of the cheek, and you think – how did they get such a random deep line there? Sleeping on the side of your face may be why. As we shift throughout the night, side sleepers are constantly squishing their faces into the pillow. Even if you only sleep 5 hours, it is still a long time to have your skin compressed into wrinkles.If you absolutely cannot even think about sleeping on your side, at least invest in silk pillows. They tend to be more forgiving and move with your skin as it slides around.
Once we hit our 30s, the skin cell turnover rate doubles. Your skin now takes approximately 28 days to slough off instead of 14 days when you were younger. This means duller skin and uneven texture. By exfoliating, you can help get rid of dead skin cells that are accumulating on top of healthy skin. Common exfoliants include retinoids, brushes such as the Clarisonic PRO, scrubs, enzymes, and products with AHA and BHA.
It is also best to schedule an appointment with your skincare provider for a professional treatment every 6 weeks or so.
6. Eat foods rich in vitamin C and E
Vitamins C and E are powerful antioxidants that help protect the skin against sun damage and skin cancer. They work by accelerating the skin’s natural repair mechanisms and by directly inhibiting further damage. Mangoes, spinach, broccoli, and kiwi have high amounts of both vitamin C and E. Remember that cooking these foods decreases their vitamin content, so fruits and veggies are best consumed raw.
If your daily diet lacks these foods, you can add supplements. The recommended daily allowances from the FDA are as follows: 15mg of vitamin E for adults, 90mg of vitamin C for men, and 75mg of vitamin C for women.
7. Stop smoking.
You know why. Need yet another reason? Take a look at the twins below. Can you guess which twin smoked half a pack of cigarettes for 14 years?
By following these 7 tips, we predict that the new year will bring you radiant and healthy skin!