What’s on our New Year’s resolution list? It’s not too early to start thinking about changes you want to make in your life, your work and even your health as we wrap up 2017. A new year is also a good time to think about making sure your skin is in good shape, too, especially after the holiday indulgences. You may not need to completely overhaul your skin care routine, but there may be some things you can do to make sure your skin looks its best throughout the day:
Start with sleep: The restorative power of sleep can do wonders for your skin. You’ll have fewer wrinkles. That’s because your body produces collagen when you sleep and that helps reduce wrinkle development. A good night’s sleep helps boost blood flow which gives your skin a glow. Lack of sleep can contribute to puffy eyes and dark circles.
Watch your diet: Your body takes the vitamins, minerals and amino acids from the foods you eat to keep your skin healthy. Foods help keep your skin healthy include fatty fish, avocados, walnuts, broccoli, tomato, soy and dark chocolate. If you eat highly processed foods, your skin won’t be as strong and supple as it could be.
Exercise: Exercise boosts circulation. The increased blood flow delivers more oxygen and nutrients to the skin’s cells to give your skin that overall glow. And when you work up a sweat, pores dilate to release trapped dirt and oil. (Just make sure to wash off the debris as soon as possible so it doesn’t run back into your pores.)
Keep the sun at bay: The UV rays of the sun destroy collagen and elastin, which leads to wrinkles. Still some sun can be good for your skin – just keep it in moderation. Sunlight does provide vitamin D, which is good for cell development and repair. Make sure to wear sunscreen every day. A minimum of SPF 15 or 30 is recommended for every day.
Follow a daily skin regimen: Daily skin care should include:
- Cleanse: Taking good care of your skin requires removing makeup and dirt, oil and other debris that your skin accumulates during the course of the day. Cleaning your skin each day removes these impurities and also enables other face care products you apply to penetrate properly.
- Moisturize: Dehydrated skin makes lines and wrinkles more prominent. Choose a moisturizer from a gel, lotion or light cream. For very dry skin, consider a heavy cream.
- Exfoliate: When you exfoliate, you are actually removing dead skin cells that lie on the surface of the skin. Removing these dead cells makes skin softer and smoother. Also once these dead skin cells are removed, it’s easier for facial or body care products to penetrate the surface of the skin.
Also in the New Year, consider retinol products such as True Results Retinol Active Skincare to help skin look its best. Retinols achieve anti-aging results by protecting skin from free radicals and prompting surface skin cells to turn over and die rapidly so that new skin cells can grow. Retinols also slow down the breakdown of collagen, the protein in skin that gives it strength and durability.