Tips to Maintaining Healthy Skin

Skin cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the United States and left untreated can be very dangerous. Fortunately with early detection most are curable. As you age your skin does too, becoming thinner and finely wrinkled. The number of blood vessels in your skin decrease and your skin becomes more fragile. Learning to take care of your skin will not only make you look better but it will make you feel better as well.

a.       It is a proven fact that 80% of aging can be prevented by wearing a broad spectrum sunscreen during rain or shine. Sunscreen should be reapplied every four hours if you are sweating or exposed to water.

b.      Avoid the sun during 10am-4pm because the sun’s rays are most damaging during these times.

c.       Wear protective clothing that covers your skin from the sun’s rays such as a long sleeve shirt.

a.       Smoking accelerates the aging of your skin and increases wrinkles.

b.      Smoking also decreases blood flow, which depletes the skin of oxygen and nutrients, such as vitamin A, that are very important to skin health.

a.       The colon is the sewer system of the body. Cleaning the colon eliminates toxic buildup from our diets and restores the good bacteria vital to colon health. Cleansing helps to even skin tone and create healthy glowing skin.

a.       Limit your baths and showers to 15 minutes or less because long, hot showers remove the oil from your skin.

b.      Pat skin dry after baths or showers to retain some moisture.

c.       Moisturize your skin after a shower.

      a. Shaving is a great way to remove unwanted skin but it can also cause skin irritations.  To reduce irritation and get a smooth shave try using a warm cloth on your skin prior to shaving. Also always use a clean, sharp razor and shave in the direction of the hair growth instead of against it. Always rinse skin with warm water afterwards.