How to Take Care of Your Skin

My dermatologist once told me that basically any lotion or emollient will plump up fine lines and wrinkles and work on age prevention. So if you are at a minimum using some type of moisturizer on your skin you are working to keep your skin looking younger. The key is keeping your skin moisturized every 12 hours. Most of us don't want to just rely on the basics here. We don't want to wake up and find ourselves too far gone with wrinkles to have to look at cosmetic surgery. I don't anyway.

We don't wear wrinkles as well as this Shar Pei does.  He was born with those wrinkles!

Photo credit:  Wikimedia Commons, CC BY SA, Dave

Your best bet is to find a moisturizer that is designed to:

• Boost cell turnover
• Stimulate collagen growth
• Banish DNA damaging free radicals

As I mentioned, your skin should be moisturized every 12 hours. I am mainly referring to your face but other parts of your body benefit from this as well. I have always told my clients to use their facial products on their hands! It works the same way. Our hands tell our age too.

Moisturizing every 12 hours means this.

Daytime – Use a moisturizer with a sunscreen and antioxidants like Vitamin C.

Nighttime – Use a Retinoid or Retinol product to work on fine lines and wrinkles while you sleep. You can see a dermatologist for a prescription Retinol cream or choose from several available at your local drugstore. ROC puts out a great Retinol cream that I have used for years. It is gentle to your skin too.

Makeup should be removed every night with a gentle non soap cleanser. Soap dries your skin out. Please avoid soap. There are many affordable gentle cleaners at the local drug store that work great. Mary Kay also has their Timewise line that includes a cleanser. It has exfoliating beads within the cleanser to remove dead skin cells.

You should exfoliate at least once a week to remove those dead skin cells which will allow hydration to penetrate the skin.

Eye makeup should be removed with any oil free eye makeup remover. Mary Kay's Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover is by far my favorite.

There are so many moisturizers out there for your face and body that it can be hard to choose. Which one will work? As long as the moisturizer has at least one of the following ingredients you are working in the right direction.

Glycerin – This is a humectant which pulls water from the atmosphere and into your skin. It is very typical in most body lotions because of its consistency. It is heavy. If you have used Eucerin Lotion you know what I mean. It is a heavy lotion but works very well for dry skin.

Hyaluronic Acid – This acid occurs naturally in your skin. It holds up to 1,000 times its weight in water. Lancome High Resolution Refill 3X contains hyaluronic acid and is a great moisturizer to try. It is well worth the money.

Ceramides – This is fat that traps water just underneath the surface of your skin. Your skin cells would dry up and shrivel away without them. Eczema is a result of the lack of ceramides in your skin. CeraVe Lotions contain ceramides and are available for the body or the face.

Additional items to look for would be Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Vitamin A would be something like Retinol. There are many Vitamin C Serums out there to choose from. Mary Kay makes a very effective Vitamin C serum that I just love. I would suggest using your Vitamin C products during the day and Retinol or Vitamin A products at night for wrinkle prevention.   

In addition to your skin care regimen there are a few things you can do every day to prevent wrinkles. Start doing these things now.
 

1. Relax when you are working out. Most people tense their jaw and throat when exercising. It makes the cords of the neck stick out and pulls down on the face. Stop it.
    
2. Move that heater! How many of you work in an office that is freezing during the winter? You had to bring in that portable heater and place it under your desk to keep your feet warm. Most people place these heaters within 3 feet of their body. Move it to about 10 feet from your body if you can. That heat causes your skin to become red and aggravated which causes a breakdown in collagen.
    
3. Wear a sunscreen every day. It is very important that you do this. You can get sun damage from your ride into work and home from work through your car windows. You don't have to be laying in the sun to get sun damage. Most moisturizers today contain a sunscreen in them. If not, apply one prior to your moisturizer.
    
4. Drink a lot of water to keep your skin hydrated. Did you know your body loses up to 8 ounces of water a day. Replenish that water.
    
5. Stop pursing your lips together. Things like drinking through a straw or even drinking from a water bottle will make your purse your lips together which causes wrinkles over time. Use a water bottle that you can squirt the water in your mouth. Or drink from a glass. Stop sucking on that cigarette too.
    
6. Sleeping on your side causes creases on your cheeks. Your skin is pressed against the wrinkles in the fabric causing wrinkles in your skin. Use satin or silk pillow cases. Another option would be a higher thread count pillow case.
    
7. Rub safflower oil all over your skin before using a moisturizer. It helps to prevent dryness.
    
8. Evening Prim Rose Oil is great to restore skin's lipid barrier. Take 1000mg per day. You can also pierce the capsule and rub some of the oil around your eyes and lips for bonus wrinkle prevention.
    
9. Fish or Flaxseed Oil is a building block for holding moisture in the skin. It extends the life of your cells and reduces aging inflammations. DO NOT rub this on your face. You might smell a little fishy if you do.
    
10. Always apply your body moisturizer on damp skin. Just when you step out of the shower is best.
     
11. Exfoliate your skin regularly to remove dead skin cells so it allows the hydration to sink into the skin.
     
12. Use an extra emollient shaving cream when shaving your legs. Shaving tends to make your legs more prone to moisture loss. I use my hair conditioner to shave my legs. It works great every time.
     
13. Use non soap cleansers on your face and body. Soap dries out your skin. Dove Nutrium or Olay Ultra Moisture Body Washes are good products to try.