Younger Looking Skin with 2015 New Years Resolutions

Younger Looking Skin with 2015 New Years Resolutions

Younger looking skin is possible.  Make 2015 the year for healthier, younger looking skin.  Adopt some or all of the resolutions in this article, and within months, your skin will show the difference.  If it’s too many changes at once, resolve to adopt a new one each month throughout 2015 for younger looking skin.

• Drink more water – Make it a goal to drink the recommended 6-8 glasses of water per day, more if you can.   If you don’t drink water, your skin will look dull, dehydrated and wrinkled.  While excess water will not actually moisturize your skin, water improves circulation and blood flow and carries nutrients to every cell in the body, including skin cells.   It is also responsible for flushing out toxins and waste products which is important in keeping the complexion clear.  If you aren’t flushing out toxins and bodily wastes they become trapped under your skin, and make it look dull and aged.
• Exercise – Exercise is great for the body, but did you also know it will help you have younger looking skin.  Exercise increases blood flow to the skin cells.  This increased blood flow carries oxygen and nutrients to the skin cells.  These nutrients help repair damage and increase collagen production..  This blood flow also carries away toxins and waste products, including free radicals.  If you  break a sweat while exercising, the pores dilate and eliminate trapped dirt and oil.  Exercise also reduces inflammation and regulates hormones, benefiting the skin in many ways.  Just don’t forget to wash your face after you exercise to get rid of the oils and debris left on the surface of the skin.
• Quit smoking – Everyone knows smoking is bad and it causes dull, grey, puffy looking skin.  Make 2015 the year to quit smoking for both younger looking skin and your health.
• See your Esthetician – A good Esthetician can make your skin look years younger, recommending the correct products and treatments for your skin type.  I recommend a treatment every four to six weeks to keep dead skin exfoliated and boost collagen production.  Regular treatments can improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, sagging skin, hyperpigmentation, acne, rosacea and so much more.  I tell my clients that one treatment will temporarily make their skin look better, but after six months of regular treatments, they will definitely notice long-term, significant improvement in their skin.
• See your Dermatologist – While an Esthetician can help keep the skin looking younger, we cannot diagnose or treat medical conditions, especially suspicious looking spots or moles.   I recommend to my clients that they see a Dermatologist on a regular basis for a full body scan, and immediately if they have something that looks suspicious.
• Use the correct products – Almost every woman I know has a drawer full of products that promised to give them younger looking skin,  get rid of their brown spots, dark circles, wrinkles, etc.  A good Esthetician will know the correct ingredients and strengths for your skin type.  While professional products are generally more expensive than drug store products, taking the guess work out of your purchasing, and getting products with effective concentrations will benefit your skin more and be less costly in the long run.  Two ingredients that I almost always recommend to my clients are topical Vitamin A and Vitamin C.  These are the two most researched, most proven ingredients in skin care.  They both will fight free-radicals and build collagen.
• Wash your face before bed – During the day, your face builds up a layer of oil, dead skin cells, bacteria and sweat. Add makeup to this, and the the oil normally secreted by the pores can get trapped, causing a build up of oils and dead skin cells which will result in clogged pores, breakouts and dull skin.   It will also lead to enlarged pores that are nearly impossible to shrink.  If you are using anti-aging serums, your skin will absorb them better if they are applied to clean skin, resulting in younger looking skin.
• Eat right – Your body needs antioxidants to fight free radicals which cause disease.  Make sure you get plenty of fruits and vegetables and avoid foods that cause inflammation in the body.  Inflammation is bad for all organs of the body, including the skin.
• Control your stress- Easier said than done – but learning how to control stress will have a direct impact on the way you look.  Stress increases the hormone cortisol, which can cause dryness, loss of collagen, fine lines and wrinkles, rosacea flare-ups and acne.  It also causes sleepless nights, which leads to dark circles and puffy eyes.  When you know that you are under a lot of stress, exercise, practice deep breathing or meditation.   Find what works for you, and at the first signs of stress, take time to calm that stress.
• Wear sunscreen – Last but not least, wear sunscreen.  Even in the winter, sunscreen is important to shield your skin from damaging, aging UVA and UVB rays.  Studies from Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Herston, Australia, have reported that individuals who wear sunscreen daily, even in winter, had 24% fewer Actinic Keratoses (the most common precancerous skin lesion) than people who applied it once in a while.

Here is to a healthy, beautiful 2015 with younger looking skin!