Suit Up
Fortunately, there actually are quite a few basic ways to protect and rejuvenate your skin, which (fun fact!) is your body’s largest organ.
Start inside: Drinking plenty of water moisturizes you from the inside out. Fish oil can also help with this. If you are drinking Reverse Osmosis-treated water, be sure to replenish the minerals that RO removes by adding electrolytes.
Pamper your outside, too: Use warm, not hot, water to bathe or shower. Then pat rather than rub yourself dry. Patting is easier on the skin and leaves some dampness that you can seal in with moisturizer.
Frequent moisturization seems too easy to be helpful, but it actually makes a big difference. I live in a dry place and my skin laps up lotion. I used to grumble about it until my doctor reminded me: “When a practice you resent actually makes a difference, you’ll be glad to do it.” Moisturizing has fallen firmly in that category for me.
Moisturizing also helps conceal blemishes, reduce dryness and oiliness, and helps even skin tones. That becomes more important than ever as we age and our skin gets blotchier.
There are lots of great moisturizing creams, including topical retinol ones that can help restore your skin’s elasticity and thicken the collagen that helps firm skin.
Just massaging moisturizer into your skin helps by stimulating blood circulation and new cell growth. Such a great invitation for some luxurious pampering disguised as health care!
Going out? Wear sunscreen and cover up. And what the heck, go with it! Get some huge sunglasses with ample rhinestones and a sunhat with a large brim and learn to glide silently. Why yes, you are a classic movie star or maybe an international spy.
As for the sun’s “deadly rays,” ideally choose a lotion with an SPF of at least fifteen for daytime to prevent premature lines and wrinkles. There are also some tinted moisturizer/sunscreen combinations that give you makeup, lotion, and sun protection all at once.
Vitamins are a plus, too; A and B5 are good for increasing firmness and building moisture levels; C and E protect new skin and fight skin damage.
