Cathal BarryLooking after your skin is vitally important. Skin is the body’s largest organ and provides a thin, yet highly effective, barrier to billions of health threats that could make you sick.
Your skin plays a vital role in your overall health too. It regulates body temperature, stores energy and provides sensation through touch.
Neglecting to take care of your skin on a daily basis, however, may lead it to become dry, rough and chapped.
Here are some simple steps to follow if you are keen to improve your skin condition:
Eat healthily
When it comes to getting your skin to glow, the old adage ‘you are what you eat’ couldn’t be more apt. It really is a case of seeing on the outside whatever you put in.
A healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables can help you look and feel your best. While research is currently inconclusive, some studies show that a diet rich in vitamin C and low in unhealthy fats and processed or refined carbohydrates might promote younger looking skin. Try to cut out sugar entirely from your diet too, it’s a recipe for disaster!
Drink plenty of water
Aside from flushing unwanted toxins from our bodies, water plays a major role in keeping our skin fresh and supple. If your skin is not getting a sufficient amount of water, the lack of hydration will present itself by turning your skin dry, tight and flaky.
Dry skin has less resilience and is more prone to wrinkling. Our skin contains plenty of water and functions as a protective barrier to prevent excess fluid loss. As water is lost in large quantities every day, you need to replace it somehow.
Don’t stay too long in the sun
While I am a big proponent of getting enough sun for the associated vitamin D health benefits, staying in direct sun light can actually severely damage your skin. The body produces melanin (skin pigmentation) in an attempt to protect itself against ultra violet light.
Exposure to ultra violet light breaks down the structure of collagen which accelerates wrinkles and ageing. Don’t be afraid to get out and about in the sunshine this summer, just don’t overdo it!
Quit smoking
Smoking makes your skin look older and contributes to wrinkling by narrowing the tiny blood vessels in the outermost layers of skin, which decreases blood flow. This depletes the skin of oxygen and nutrients that are important to skin health. Smoking also damages collagen and elastin – the fibers that give your skin strength and elasticity.
Exercise
Exercise helps with skin rejuvenation by promoting blood flow and nutrients to the skin’s surface. Thanks to blood being pumped around the body, live cells lying deep in the skin are pushed up higher to the surface of the skin. This helps to create a fresher, younger appearance because they sit higher up on the skin’s surface.
Exercise also goes hand in hand with a healthy diet as most people who exercise don’t want to undo all their hard work by pigging out!