How to take good care of your skin

You may not realize it, but your skin is very important. It is the single most visible part of your body, and is sometimes considered a reflection of a person's character. Also, it is the foundation upon which any beauty enhancements are built. Even extreme, invasive corrections, such as facial surgery, breast augmentation, botox or juvederm will be limited in their improvement of appearance if the skin is unhealthy. With this in mind, we have put together a series of suggestions to help you understand your skin, and to look and feel your best. Probably the largest contributor to poor skin health is stress, so we have included some specific stress management ideas as well. Not everybody is the same, so consider the tips as a list of possiblities to explore. Many of them are inexpensive, and some even fun to do.

Healthy Skin Tips:

1 Include in your routines, daily maintenance treatments in the morning and at night, using a quality mild cleanser that will not strip the skin oils, a quality balancing toner, and a quality, light moisturizer. Quality is of the essence. It is pointless to take the time to do this regime without quality products.

2 If you are 20 years or older, it is a good idea to use
 an anti-oxidant and peptide serum every night at bedtime.

3 If you are 30 years or older, it is a good idea to use an anti-oxidant based Vitamin-C serum at night, and a peptide serum every morning before your moisturizer. It is easier to prevent skin damage than it is to repair it, and your skin needs the help to maintain collagen.

4 Have a facial at least every month. Consider your skin care goals when selecting a facial, some goals require a lot more intensive a treatment than others.

5 Apply soy wax or similar softening and moisturizing wax to sturdier skin areas like elbows and knuckles. It will help to blend these areas better, make them softer, and your body will have a sleeker and smoother appeal.

6 Small quantities of sun are great for you, but wear a high protection factor sunscreen on your face always while outdoors. Avoid sun exposure totally after exfoliations, allergies, skin abrasions, burns, breakouts, or anything that thins or scratches your skin. You will be more prone to pigmentation damage.

7 Always bathe with a natural loofa without scrubbing your skin with force.

8 Soak in natural sea salts at least weekly. Do not substitute sea salt with regular salt. They are not the same, and regular salt can be dangerous.

9 Never go to sleep with your makeup on.

10 Drink a lot of water each day.

11 Do not consume alcohol in excess. It is said that alcohol interferes with the circulation's ability to deliver nutrients to your body cells, and remove toxins. Regardless, excess consumption of alcohol works against the beauty that emmanates from inside you.

12 Do not smoke, recent studies are showing that tobacco smoke affects skin condition not only from the outside, but also from the inside of your body. It is estimated that the level of skin aging as a result of tobacco smoking can be as high as 30% over normal aging. For perspective, that means that your skin at age 50 could look to be the skin of someone age 70.