The Cardinal Rules of Skin Care

Many people may not admit it, but most are very conscious about how their appearance, especially their skin. Having clean, healthy skin can make even the comeliest person look radiant and attractive. It can also make a person look younger than his years, something that most women today would spend thousands of dollars for.

In truth, you don’t to do that for the sake of looking young, looking good, and feeling confident about yourself. If you have these skin care habits down pat (better if you started at a young age) you’d definitely reap the benefits of having healthy, younger-looking skin even as you grow older.

Keep Your Skin Hydrated

Drink lots of water every day. We all know that the recommended water intake is at least eight tall glasses of water a day. That will keep the body well-supplied with water, which is very important for cellular functions. It also makes the skin look healthy and glowing. With proper hydration, your skin won’t look dry nor will it feel coarse and flaky, but rather soft and supple. It certainly won’t leave a white, chalklike mark when scratched with something sharp.

Putting on hydrating lotion also helps lock in moisture in the skin. There is nothing wrong with using commercial skin care products, especially if they come highly recommended by a reputable skin centre. Just make sure it is compatible with your skin type and is truly effective at what it is advertised to do for you.

Protect Your Skin from the Sun

It is no secret that the ozone layer today is no longer as thick as it was before, nor is it as good at keeping the sun’s harmful UV rays from penetrating the earth’s atmosphere. Staying out in the sun (especially if in contact with salt water at the same time) will literally destroy your skin. Surely, we’ve all experienced getting sunburned at least once. It’s safe to subject your skin through that torture often. If you do need to be outdoors at noon and beyond, always put on high-SPF sun block or bring an umbrella or wear a wide-brimmed hat.

People who love the outdoors must double their efforts in protecting their skin from the sun. It would be best if they limit their outdoor activities (or at least those that will expose them to the sun) to exclude the hours between 10:00 in the morning and 4:00 in the afternoon. The sun’s rays are the hottest and most harmful during these hours.

Cleanse and Exfoliate

Keeping your skin clean is just matter of looking good and presentable. It is about hygiene and keeping away dirt, microbes, and other harmful foreign bodies from penetrating the body. Besides, one of the cardinal rules of using skin care products is to cleanse the skin first before applying anything.

Exfoliation is not far from skin cleansing. If you do a body scrub while taking a bath, that’s already cleansing and exfoliating in one. Exfoliation, which is the removal of deep-seated dirt and dead cells on the topmost layer of the skin and promotes skin rejuvenation, can be done by simple scrubbing or using a body/facial wash with microdermabrasion beads.