Healthy skin goes beyond appearance; it reflects your overall health and well-being. Both achieving and maintaining healthy skin is dependent on a variety of factors, from your everyday routine to the products you use. Follow these five top tips to keep your skin looking healthy and radiant, regardless of whether you’re dealing with acne, dryness, inflammation, or just want to improve your natural glow.
The most effective way to keep your skin healthy is to stay hydrated. Our skin is the largest organ in our body, and like any other organ, it requires hydration for optimal function. Dehydration leads to dry, dull, flaky and irritated skin and can often worsen the appearance of common signs of ageing such as fine lines and wrinkles.
Albeit a common misconception that drinking water will instantly give you glowy skin, there is a science behind quenching your skin’s thirst. As it does for the rest of your body, hydration plays a vital role in improving blood flow to our skin, in turn, delivering essential nutrients and oxygen where it’s needed most.
With that being said, our skin’s hydration can be supplemented in other forms. Using moisturising products with key humectant ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid helps to lock in moisture and boost your skin health.
A good skincare routine does not need to be complicated; simplicity and consistency is key. Establishing a consistent daily regimen is essential in maintaining healthy skin. All that’s needed is a good cleanser to keep your skin free of makeup, impurities, dirt, and pollution, a targeted treatment to address any specific concerns, a moisturiser to hydrate the skin as well as an SPF to protect against harmful UV rays which can lead to premature ageing.
Sleep is essential in supporting healthy function in the body, especially in our skin. As we sleep, our skin enters repair mode, renewing skin cells and improving its overall appearance.
Try to aim for around 8 hours of sleep each night to give your body the time it needs to repair and recover our skin. To encourage your beauty sleep, following a relaxing routine will help you to unwind, particularly after the stress of our everyday lives.
It’s not just our brain that feels the effects of stress – our skin does too! Stress increases cortisol, a hormone that plays a key role in oil production, meaning that when we get stressed our skin tends to get oilier, leading to clogged pores and acne. For those who suffer with skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis, you may notice that stress can cause itchy and uncomfortable flare ups, which is why it is crucial to manage those levels. Managing stress through mindfulness such as meditation and deep breathing can have an incredibly positive impact on our mind and skin, keeping you looking good and feeling good.
What we eat plays a significant role in the health and overall appearance of our skin. We can nourish our skin from the inside-out through a diet rich in vitamins, minerals and beneficial antioxidants. Ingredients commonly found in skincare such as Vitamins C, D, and E as well as Zinc are just as helpful in our diets.
Eating plenty of citrus fruits and leafy greens provides our body with Vitamin C, crucial in achieving a glowing complexion. Vitamin E can be found in seeds and nuts, providing antioxidant properties to maintain our skin’s natural barrier, in turn reducing inflammation. Zinc can be consumed through whole grains and beans and is essential in skin repair, particularly for those who struggle with Acne.
By focusing on simple and consistent healthy habits such as getting sufficient sleep, staying hydrated, managing stress levels and eating a balanced diet, your skin will thank you! Healthy skin reflects your overall health, so if you feel good, your skin will look good too.
