Top 10 Skincare Tips

Here, my top 10 skin tips: (Oct 26, 2009).

Protect yourself from the sun -- use sunscreen and avoid direct sunlight between the hours of 10am and 3pm. That's when the sun rays are the strongest.

Don't smoke. Your skin is a large organ and it needs a lot of circulation. Smoking impairs that dramatically. That's why smokers' skin looks dull and gray. Instead of having oxy-generated blood delivered to the surface of the skin, they're getting poisons and oxidants.

Get adequate rest and nutrition.
Protect yourself from stress -- both emotional and environmental stress.

Wash your face twice a day and put on the proper treatment product. I'm amazed when women tell me they don't wash their face in the morning. A lot of icky stuff collects overnight -- dead skin cells, dirt, and dust!

Don't neglect certain areas of the skin. Elbows, heels, neck, and your décolletage area need moisturizing. Don't forget the sunscreen and your scalp and the tops of your feet need sun protection.

Touch your face less and wash your hands more! Don't get too surgical on yourself. It's very tempting to pick, poke, squeeze, and scratch in front of the mirror. But the more you traumatize the skin, the greater your risk of scarring. Apply treatment products and let them work.

Keep your makeup clean. Replace the sponges in your compact on a regular basis. Now and then, toss the whole works and start fresh -- the average shelf life for cosmetics is 6 to 12 months. In some cases, like Tyra Show, I've even heard of 3 months. Don't buy products so expensive that you'll be heartbroken if you have to throw them away.

Exercise moderation. More is not always better. Moisturizer, for example, is the most overused product in America. We've been bamboozled by cosmetic companies into thinking every square inch of our body has to be slathered. And it's simply not true. Exfoliators are another thing to be careful with. Used too often they over acidify and irritate your skin. I've know some users who scrub so often they have caused blackhead breakouts from over exfoliating the skin.

Keep your regimen simple. And when you do add a new product, do it gradually so your skin has time to adjust. Most skincare or makeup products has an average of 20 to 40 ingredients -- you're introducing 20 to 40 potential allergens to your face every time you try something new. Use: That Girl products designed so even problem skin can use. Less likely then the mass to cause skin allergies.
1st posted 9/15/ 2008 - last time 12/01/2008 @ 1:46pm.

by Deb (Dee)