How can you take care of your skin?
Oxidation, chemicals, stress and sunlight can all cause our skin to age prematurely. To maintain skin youthfulness, it is important to use daily skin protection with a non-toxic sun protection formula. In addition, a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables helps combat oxidative stress in the body and in the skin. Limiting exposure to chemicals, air pollution and cigarette smoke helps support skin health, as well as avoiding stress, which can cause skin to look older. A healthy skin care cleansing and moisturizing routine is also important.
What should you look for in skin care products?
When choosing a skin care product, it is important to look for ingredients that are scientifically backed. If you are not familiar with an ingredient, you can look it up to see what it does. Because much of what we put on our skin gets absorbed systemically, it is also important to use products with non-toxic ingredients. The Environmental Working Group website provides a score from 1-10 for different skin care ingredients to help consumers evaluate their safety.
What is a good skin care routine?
A basic skin care routine should include a gentle cleanser, toner, restorative serum, moisturizer and sunscreen, typically applied in that order. Targeted therapies for individual concerns may be added to this basic routine as needed. For example, eye cream or age spot cream may be applied after a serum and before a moisturizer. In addition, a weekly intensive treatment, such as a hydrating or cleansing mask, may be beneficial. Certain nutrients, such as collagen, astaxanthin and omega-3, have been shown to support healthy skin appearance when taken internally and are good choices for maintaining skin health.
