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Skin care: 5 tips for healthy skin

Good skin care — including sun protection and gentle cleansing — can keep your skin healthy and glowing for years to come.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Don't have time for intensive skin care? Pamper yourself with the basics. Good skin care and healthy lifestyle choices can help delay the natural aging process and prevent many skin problems. Get started with these five no-nonsense tips.

1. Protect yourself from the sun

The most important way to take care of your skin is to protect it from the sun. A lifetime of sun exposure can cause wrinkles, freckles, age spots and rough, dry skin. Sun exposure can also cause more-serious problems, such as skin cancer. For the most complete sun protection:

  • Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. This is when the sun's rays are the strongest.
  • Wear protective clothing. Cover your skin with tightly woven long-sleeved shirts, long pants and wide-brimmed hats. You might also opt for special sun-protective clothing, which is specifically designed to block ultraviolet rays while keeping you cool and comfortable.
  • Use sunscreen when you're in the sun. Apply generous amounts of broad-spectrum sunscreen 30 minutes before going outdoors and reapply every two hours, after heavy sweating or after being in water.

2. Don't smoke

Smoking makes your skin look older and contributes to wrinkles. Smoking narrows the tiny blood vessels in the outermost layers of skin, which decreases blood flow. This depletes the skin of oxygen and nutrients, such as vitamin A, that are important to skin health. Smoking also damages collagen and elastin — fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity. In addition, the repetitive facial expressions you make when smoking — such as pursing your lips when inhaling and squinting your eyes to keep out smoke — may contribute to wrinkles.

If you smoke, the best way to protect your skin is to quit. Ask your doctor for tips or treatments to help you stop smoking.

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References
  1. Sunscreens/sunblocks. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/sun_sunscreens.html. Accessed Aug. 17, 2009.
  2. UV information. The Skin Cancer Foundation. http://www.skincancer.org/understanding-uva-and-uvb.html. Accessed Aug. 17, 2009.
  3. Skin care. American Osteopathic College of Dermatology. http://www.aocd.org/skin/dermatologic_diseases/skin_care.html. Accessed Aug. 17, 2009.
  4. Dry skin and keratosis pilaris. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/skin_dry.html. Accessed Aug. 17, 2009.
  5. Morita A. Tobacco smoke causes premature skin aging. Journal of Dermatological Science. 2007;48:169.
  6. Cosgrove MC, et al. Dietary nutrient intakes and skin-aging appearance among middle-aged American women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007;86:1225.
  7. Stress and skin. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/media/background/factsheets/fact_stressandskin.html. Accessed Aug. 21, 2009.
  8. Pavlovsky L, et al. Pathogenesis of stress-associated skin disorders: Exploring the brain-skin axis. Current Problems in Dermatology. 2007;35:136.
  9. Spencer EH, et al. Diet and acne: A review of the evidence. International Journal of Dermatology. 2009;48:339.

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Nov. 24, 2009

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