I learned from my mother: I started using my mom’s moisturizer when I was just 11 years old. Growing up near a lake and the beach, I used to be a sun worshipper. Fortunately, I gave that up in my early 20s and have never been in a tanning bed. Now at 48, my skin is in pretty good shape. It’s never too early – or too late – to start treating your skin right. Beautiful skin can be achieved by following these simple tips:
Drink lots of water. When I increased my water intake to two 24 oz. bottles daily, I saw a remarkable difference. My skin looked brighter, fresher and younger. Water has many benefits, as skin is comprised of 90% water. But you have to drink this amount daily, not just once in a while, to see results. Read “17 Health Benefits of Drinking Water” here: http://healthcave.com/17-health-benefits-of-drinking-water/.
Exfoliate – Use a cleanser that has tiny granules in it to cleanse skin deep down. This gets beneath the surface and gives your skin a much more thorough cleansing than just a basic face wash.
Invest in a Good Eye Cream – Years ago I was told by a beauty consultant about the eye area, “This is the first thing to go.” I’ve been using creams around the eye area since my early 20s and it has paid off. I like to try different products and don’t stick with one in particular. It’s just important that you use it – every day twice a day.
Wear Sunglasses Year Round – I can’t stress this enough. Anytime you’re squinting, your adding to the likelihood you will have permanent “squint” marks around your eyes. If you look at most women in their 40s, the telltale signs of aging first appear around the eyes.
Moisturize Twice Daily – Find a good moisturizer and be sure to apply it under your makeup before you go out and after you cleanse at night before you go to bed.
Use SPF in Both Moisturizer and Makeup – Year round your skin needs protection from the sun, even on cloudy days and in the winter.
Use Astringent – You’d be shocked at how much dirt comes off your face when you apply some astringent to a cotton ball. I’d come home from my job at a warehouse and after washing, three cotton balls would come out black – yes, black. You don’t want that sitting on your face.
Weekly Treatments – Treat yourself to a spa facial, or at home, a peeling facial mask, an oxygen mask, mud mask or some other type of deep treatment.
Stay out of the Sun – We’ve been hearing this one for a while now, but it’s true. It damages skin, permanently. If you insist on being tan, get some bronzing makeup for the same effect. Your skin will thank you later.
Avoid Tanning Beds – The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2009 called the use of tanning beds “carcinogenic to humans.” This was a change from the previously noted “probably carcinogenic.” See this informative article “Tanning Beds Cause Cancer” on WebMD’s site here: http://www.webmd.com/healthy-beauty/news/20090728/who-tanning-beds-cause-cancer.
In 2006, a report by IARC cited a study where using tanning beds before age 30 increased the chances of melanoma by 75%. Personally, I think women over 40 look wrinkly and older when they tan, and skin that’s healthy and well taken care of beats the leathery look any day.