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 Top 5 Habits For Healthy Skin
Proactive skin care, from skin protection to proper shaving technique, will help you keep your skin youthful and healthy.
Good skin care - such as avoiding the sun, washing your skin gently and applying moisturizer regularly - can help delay the natural aging process and prevent many skin problems. These simple skin-care habits will help you protect your skin to keep it healthy and glowing for years to come.
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 Laser Cliniqúe's Skin Care 101
1. Protect yourself from the sun:
The most important way to take care of your skin is to protect it from the sun. Ultraviolet (UV) light - the invisible but intense rays from the sun, damages your skin, causing deep wrinkles, dry, rough skin, liver spots/age spots, and more serious disorders, such as noncancerous (benign) and cancerous (malignant) skin tumors. In fact, most of the changes seen in aging skin are actually caused by a lifetime of sun exposure.
For the most complete sun protection, use all three of these methods:
- Avoid the sun during high-intensity hours. The sun's rays are most damaging from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Reduce the time you spend outdoors during these hours.
- Wear protective clothing. Cover your skin with clothing, such as long-sleeved shirts, long pants and wide-brimmed hats. Also, keep in mind that certain clothing styles and fabrics offer better protection from the sun than do others. Several companies now make sun protective clothing (SPF clothing), which is specifically designed to block out ultraviolet rays while keeping you cool and comfortable.
- Use sunscreen. Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) such as Dr. Ataii's LC Oil-Free SPF 30. Apply liberally 20 minutes before going outdoors and reapply every two hours, after heavy sweating or after being in water. |
2. Don't smoke:
Smoking accelerates aging of your skin and increases wrinkles. Skin changes from smoking can appear in young adults after 10 years of smoking.
Smoking causes narrowing of the tiny blood vessels in the outermost layers of skin. This decreases blood flow, depleting the skin of oxygen and nutrients, such as vitamin A, that are important to skin health. All of these factors increase damage to the elastic fibers (elastin) and collagen, which give your skin strength and elasticity.
In addition, the repetitive facial expressions you make when smoking, such as pursing your lips when inhaling and squinting your eyes to keep out smoke - may contribute to wrinkles. It's also possible that repeated exposure to the heat from burning cigarettes may damage your skin over time. |
3. Wash your skin gently
Cleansing is an essential part of caring for your skin. The key is to treat your skin gently.
- Use warm water and limit bath time. Hot water and long showers or baths remove oils from your skin. Limit your bath or shower time to about 15 minutes or less, and use warm, rather than hot water.
- Avoid using soap on your face. Strong soaps - those most capable of stripping oil from your skin - can leave your skin dry. Instead, use medical grade facial cleansers, such as Dr. Ataii'sLC Calming Green Tea Wash. Calming Green Tea Wash is a gentle soap-free cleanser that cleanses the skin without drying. This antioxidant formula contains a blend of vitamins A, C, E, Green Tea and White Tea Polyphenols, Soy and Coenzyme-Q10.
- Avoid irritating additives. If your skin is sensitive, avoid products containing perfumes or dyes. These can irritate your skin and may trigger an allergic response.
- Remove eye makeup carefully. Use a soft sponge, cotton cloth or cotton balls when removing eye makeup to avoid damaging the delicate tissue around your eyes. If you wear heavy, waterproof makeup, you may need to use an oil-based product, such as Eucerin, Aquaphor or petroleum jelly, to remove makeup.
- Pat dry. After washing or bathing, gently pat or blot your skin dry with a towel so that some moisture remains on the skin. Immediately moisturize your skin. |
4. Moisturize regularly
Moisturizers help maintain your skin's natural moisture levels. They work by providing a seal over your skin - to keep water from escaping - or by slowly releasing water into your skin.
The moisturizer that's best for you and the frequency with which you need to moisturize depend on many factors, including your skin type, your age and whether you have specific conditions such as acne. A good way to test if you need a moisturizer is to wait 20 minutes after bathing and if your skin feels tight, you should apply a moisturizer. We recommend LC Calming Moisturizer. This is a light, oil-free moisturizer which contains vitamins A, C, E, Coenzyme-Q10 and Green Tea extract. Ideal for all skin types. |
5. Shave carefully
Shaving is a common and inexpensive way to remove unwanted hair. But shaving can cause skin irritations, especially if your skin is thin, dry or very sensitive. For a smooth shave:
- Press a warm wash cloth on your skin before shaving to soften the hair. Or shave after a warm bath or shower.
- Don't shave dry skin, which can cause razor burn. Apply shaving cream, lotion or gel before shaving to protect and lubricate your skin.
- Use a clean, sharp razor. If using an electric razor, don't use the closest setting, which can aggravate the skin.
- Shave in the direction of hair growth, not against it.
- Rinse your skin afterward with warm water.
If irritation does occur, apply hydrocortisone cream or Ceratopic by Skin Medica. Another option to consider for unwanted hair and skin irritations from shaving is Laser Hair Removal.
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