There are plenty of dos and don’ts when it comes to maintaining beauty, but perhaps none are as important as caring for your skin. There are some habits that can significantly age you while others will keep you looking young for years to come. Since plastic surgery, botox, and other artificial anti-aging procedures should be avoided, you’ll want to consider these dos and don’ts for caring for your skin.
Do Use a Retinoid Lotion
There are hundreds, maybe thousands of anti-aging skincare products on the market, but most of them don’t work nearly as effectively as the manufacturers claim. However, most dermatologists agree that retinoids (skin care products containing retinol or high amounts of vitamin A) are quite effective at erasing the effects of aging.
Don’t Pick, Rub, or Pull at Your Skin
Your skin is under enough stress from UV rays and free radicals; avoid agitating it more with your bad habits. Picking at scabs and blemishes on your skin will result in scarring while pulling and rubbing skin will increase early signs of wrinkles and fine lines.
Do Use Skin Treatments
Be liberal with your skin treatments. Moisturizing your skin should be a daily occurrence to help restore necessary moisture and delay wrinkles and fine lines. Also, apply a face mask on a weekly basis to help eliminate dead skin cells, clean out pores, and fight off acne and other blemishes. You’ll want to look for a mask with aloe to help reduce both acne scarring and premature aging.
Don’t Ignore Your Neck and Chest
Aging skin isn’t unique to your face, a fact too many people forget. As you moisturize and apply skin treatments to your face, focus on your neck and the area around your collar bones. The earliest signs of aging traditionally show up with wrinkles and fine lines around your eyes and mouth, but the next place they become visible is in sagging skin on your neck, and then your chest.
Do Wear Sunscreen
Never leave the house without putting sunscreen on your face and neck with at least 30 SPF. Besides the fact that skipping sunscreen can lead to skin cancer, the most commonly contracted cancer today, it also protects your skin from free radicals and UV rays, which wreak havoc on the firmness of your skin. Start each day by hydrating your face with a moisturizer high in SPF.
Don’t Go Tanning
It’s true that a dark tan is extremely trendy, but it’s also the best way to guarantee copious wrinkles in your old age. Even if no wrinkles, sagging skin, dark spots, or other unsightly signs of age haven’t appeared yet, they will later on, and skipping the tanning beds is the best form of prevention. If you’re set on having a tan, opt instead for tinted lotions or spray tans, which will give you the desired skin color without the harmful effects.
Do Stay Consistent
Stay consistent with your skin care regimen if you want to see results as you age. You can’t stop the effects of aging forever, and taking sporadic care of your skin will make the aging effects appear faster. Cleanse and moisturize your face daily and use scrubs, masks, and other healing treatments on a weekly basis. Wear sunscreen everyday, even if it’s overcast. If one type of treatment doesn’t work for you, keep trying new ones until you find one that does. Staying consistent with anti-aging skin care is the best way to ensure that aging signs are prolonged for as long as possible.
