Your skin works hard to keep you healthy, and you can return the favour by taking care of it. Here are some tips to help you keep your skin looking and feeling good.
Sun care
Sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) rays, which are the main cause of skin ageing and can cause skin cancer.
Sunburn can significantly increase the risk of skin cancer, so it’s important to protect skin against sun damage at any age, but take special care with babies, children and young people.
To help protect yourself:
spend time in the shade between 11am and 3pm
cover up with clothes, a hat and sunglasses
use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15
You need to spend some time in sunlight so your body can make vitamin D, which is essential for healthy bones.
To find out more about balancing the need for getting vitamin D and protecting your skin from sun damage, see how to get vitamin D from sunlight.
Smoking is linked to early ageing of the skin. It’s thought smoking reduces the skin’s natural elasticity by causing the breakdown of collagen and reducing collagen production. Collagen is a protein that supports skin strength.
It also reduces blood flow to your skin, so your skin gets fewer nutrients and less oxygen.
When you drink alcohol, your body and skin can become dehydrated, leaving the skin looking older and tired. Drinking water can help your skin stay hydrated, preventing it drying out.
When you have alcohol, try to drink within the recommended limits, and have a non-alcoholic drink, such as soda water or fruit juice, between alcoholic drinks.
Washing your skin
Try to use mild soaps or bath oils – too much washing or using harsh soaps can wash away the natural oils that keep our skin healthy.
If you have dry skin, don’t use harsh alcohol-based products as these can irritate skin and dry it out.
Moisturising can help prevent dry skin. If you have oily skin, avoid oil-based products and choose water-based ones instead.
Cold winter air and harsh winds can significantly damage our lips. They stop being smooth and luscious. Instead, they become rough, chapped, and unappealing. It’s needless to mention how difficult it is to put lipstick on before heading out on Saturday night because it just seems “weird” on chapped lips. To cure this problem, we usually go for lip balm. Every girl or woman on this planet has her own favorite chapstick that we apply onto our lips all the time, even when we’re not outside. However, could the primary culprit for constantly chapped lips during winter be your lip balm? Experts say yes.
Lip balm: friend or foe?
Lip Balm is it good for you?
When you apply your lip balm, you feel that soothing sensation. And let’s face it; they smell divine. But did you ever notice how regardless of regular usage of lip balms, you lips are always chapped and dry. Why aren’t they getting better?
Dermatologist Leslie Baumann, MD states that answer lies in the ingredients. Lip balms that contain humectants like hyaluronic acid and glycerin make your lips worse. Why? The answer is quite simple; Baumann explains that these ingredients pull all the moisture out the delicate skin of your lips. This particularly happens in dry environment. In turn, the water, simply, evaporates leaving your lips dry and chapped.
In body care products, humectants are used to retain the moisture. However, in order to do their “job” properly, humectants need to be offset by occlusive ingredients such as shea butter, beeswax, various oils etc. These occlusive ingredients create a physical barrier to prevent water loss from your lips. It’s an ideal partnership; humectants hold on to water, while occlusives prevent it from evaporating.
Dr. Mauro C. Romita, a specialist in aesthetic and reconstructive surgery says that lip balms which contain menthol, camphor and peppermint can irritate your lips and prevent them from healing properly. Also, dermatologist Gary Slaughter states that these ingredients are known for irritating the skin. Slaughter explains that these ingredients quickly dry out your lips; which requires constant reapplication, which is another reason why your lips are constantly chapped.
Furthermore, Slaughter mentioned that some lip balms contain OL (which stands for alcohol) and salicylic acid, both of which cause irritations.
Should I ditch lip balms entirely?
After reading how lip balms might be the main culprits for chapped skin, you’re probably wondering whether you should avoid purchasing or applying these products. Nowadays, you can find different lib balms in stores and they contain different ingredients. Ideally, you should go for products that contain humectants and occlusive ingredients, and products that don’t contain ingredients which cause irritations.
Chapped lips causes
In order to avoid prolonged healing and constantly chapped lips the best thing to do is to know the factors that cause this uncomfortable problem. Knowing the causes will help you avoid the problem. Therefore, causes of chapped lips are:
• Licking lips – you might feel like licking lips adds moisture to them, but you’re wrong. In fact, your tongue transfers saliva from your mouth onto your lips which eats away and destroys thin layers of skin covering the lips.
• Sun damage – your lips need protection from the sun just like the rest of your body.
• Using matte lipsticks on daily basis
• Using “lip plumping” products
• Vitamin B2 and Vitamin B6 deficiency
• Excessive intake of Vitamin A
• Some medications can, also, dry out your lips.
Tips for restoring smoothness in the lips
• Don’t lick your lips
• Use marigold cream onto your lips (the cream is versatile and can be used for just about anything, even burns)
• Don’t pick or peel the flaking skin on your lips
• Exfoliate your lips with mixture of water and brown sugar (once or twice a week)
• Drink plenty of water
• Always read the list of ingredients prior purchasing lip balm
• Use lip balms with UV protection.
Conclusion
Sometimes, we refer to lip balm as our savior when we have chapped lips. However, lip balm with poor list of ingredients can be our biggest enemy. Therefore, before you purchase your next lip balm, read the list of ingredients carefully. If it contains substances that irritate the gentle skin on your lips, you should move on to the next product.
Margaux Diaz is a social development worker who spends her free time pondering and writing about Health and Fitness. She loves gathering information from various sources regarding Health and Lifestyle Fitness. She is an inspirational writer who strongly believes in the power of self-motivation. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter
The skin is the outer covering of the whole body, and it is important to take care of it. A daily skin care routine is imperative for people who want to have a gorgeous and radiant look all the time. This is because the products and care given to the skin will help to determine the final results of how the skin will look. The simple ways of taking care of the skin will involve:
Have a routine
7 SIMPLE WAYS FOR EVERYDAY SKINCARE
It is important to have a daily routine with the steps that are important to take care of the skin. Skin experts encourage individuals to have a personal list of the daily skin care routine that they use. This helps one to ensure that all the steps are done in the right way.
Wash the face
It is important to wash the face at least twice a day i.e. in the morning and before going to bed. This is even in cases where one washes in the morning, and they are not wearing any makeup. There are many germs and toxins that come into contact with the skin during the day. The face is more affected because it remains exposed throughout the day. People who wear makeup should remove it strictly before going to sleep to prevent it from clogging the pores and causing acne on the face. Washing is important, but it is not advisable to scrub the face as this can lead to chapping of the skin.
Use the right products
It is important to be careful about the products that one applies on the face. The right anti-aging products and the best skin brighteners will keep the face glowing and radiant for e.g Meladerm. It is advisable to apply an anti-aging cream when going to bed as this will continue working on the face as you sleep. The right products will work well on a clean face especially at night when one is without makeup.
Hydrate the skin
A night time lotion or cream is important to keep the skin well hydrated. It is important to slather the skin with a lotion immediately after birth to prevent it from excessive dryness. Proper hydration will also lead to longer and thicker eyelashes, and this will make one look more radiant. In addition to moisturizing the skin, it is important to take water daily at least eight glasses. Taking the right diet will also help to keep the skin in good condition and prevent symptoms of high blood pressure and other conditions.
Using a mask
There are many skin care masks that are available, and some are good for night time. The masks are loaded with nutrients and antioxidants that help to nourish the skin. The masks that are meant for night time are well suited for the night, and they do not mess the pillowcases. There are also others that are good for the day.
Sleep on the back
Sleeping on the stomach or the side will smush the face on the bed or the pillow and this can easily lead to the development of wrinkles. Sleeping on these sides will also remove the moisturizer and rub the face of its important nutrients. The skin experts encourage people to sleep on their back to prevent the early and premature development of wrinkles. It is advisable to practice sleeping on your back, and this will become a routine in no time. People who are just not able to sleep on their back are advised to use pillowcases made of satin as it does not smush the face as much as the other materials.
Proper health precautions
It is important to take the necessary skin care precautions to avoid the development of skin conditions. Most skin conditions are caused by bacteria and the presence of toxins on the skin. Practicing skin protection entails taking good care of the skin and being on the lookout for the things that come into contact with the skin. This helps to reduce the chances of the skin coming into contact with germs. It is also advisable to avoid touching the face with fingers and other items like telephone receivers. It is important to avoid sharing drinks with other workmates or friends as this can lead to the transfer of infections from one person to another.
Conclusion
It is important to take care of the skin for one to glow and look radiant. Having a routine for daily skin care is very important as it helps to prevent the occurrence of acne, skin conditions and other symptoms of high blood pressure and other chronic conditions. This article explains the seven simple ways of every day skin care.
Author Bio
Kathy Mitchell was born and raised in the USA. She has done MA in English literature, and she loves to write articles on health and beauty. She loves to read daily online magazine on health and beauty. Also, she is contributing to consumer health digest since 2011.Her articles are both professional and creative. You can contact her on Facebook and Twitter.
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