Everyone would love to have gorgeous, flawless skin, but what is the secret to success? For much of the past couple of years, we have been covering half of our face. We’ve suffered maskne, indentations, and half facial tan.

How will our skin hold up now that we are once we are again exposing our lovely smiles to one another?

So, let’s keep it simple. Here are the three steps to youthful, beautiful skin.

Protect Your Skin from the Sun

The sun is the enemy of the skin. UV light affects elastin in the skin, and this will harden and wrinkle your outermost body part. Wear clothing that protects you from the sun and use sunscreen with SPF 15 at the very least. This is a tough one if you enjoy sunbathing and the look of that “healthy” tan, but we are dealing with facts here.

If the goal is to keep your skin from aging quickly, you need to avoid UV light. Also, a big added benefit of protecting your skin from the sun is a significant decrease in your risk of developing skin cancer.

Live a Healthy Lifestyle

What is healthy for the body, is healthy for the skin.

Do Not Smoke

Smoking deteriorates collagen which is a protein in connective tissue. Collagen keeps your skin strong and taught. It is actually the most abundant protein in the human body. Destruction of collagen causes sagging skin and wrinkles in addition to many other health problems.  

Eat a Healthy Diet

High skin turnover rate is the key to young skin. Your body needs nutrients to achieve this high turnover rate. A balanced diet with sufficient vitamins is needed for beautiful, healthy skin. Omega and fatty acids are particularly helpful for skin health.

Get Your Beauty Sleep

Beauty sleep is not a myth. We see the effects of sleep deprivation with dark circles under the eyes. Sleep is when the body heals and when skin repairs itself. So, get enough of it.

Exercise Regularly

Exercise increases blood flow to the skin and assists with the skin turnover rate. So, make exercise a part of your daily routine to keep that skin young and glowing.

Drink Enough Water

Your skin needs to be properly hydrated to retain elasticity and prevent drying. Our bodies are 60 percent water, and we need to maintain this proper percentage or our skin will become dry and wrinkled.

Do Not Actively Damage Your Skin

In addition to protecting your skin from the sun, protect your skin from your bad habits. Make sure to wash off your make-up nightly. Keep your pores from being clogged up for 24 hours a day. They need to be cleared and cleaned daily.

Do not pick at your skin. No one wants to see blemishes but picking at lesions will only make larger, deeper lesions and can cause permanent scarring.

Know Your Skin

Get to know your skin on a personal level. There are many different types of skin and therefore the care of skin should be tailored to you. If you have dry skin, yes, moisturize copiously. Dry skin will cause cracks and wrinkles.

If you have oily skin, moisturizer will simply clog your pores and cause acne which may scar. Oily skin needs something to clear out those pores. Products with salicylic acid are very effective for this.

Salicylic acid is oil soluble. Therefore, it mixes with the oil and gets into the pores. It breaks up oil and dead skin cells. It is wonderful at exfoliating skin and decreasing oil.

If you have combination skin, get to know where you are oily and where you are dry and treat accordingly.

Skin care and self-care have a lot in common. Keep these three steps in mind when tending to your skin and watch your face glow!

How do you feel your skin has been holding up with the pandemic? Do you have any tips that keep you motivated to maintain a good skin care routine? Please share them below!