Are You Using the Right Moisturizer?

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• Posted November 27, 2012 at 4:13 pm
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Using a moisturizer is an essential part of an effective daily skincare regimen. Keeping the skin of the face hydrated is one of the best ways to ensure that it retains a youthful and bright appearance. In addition to the aesthetic benefits, moisturizing also helps to keep the face’s delicate and exposed skin in a healthy condition, combating the occurrence of painful dry or flaky skin.

However, much of the benefit of using moisturizer depends on choosing one with a formulation that is designed to work best with your skin’s type and condition. Applying the wrong formulation can lead to a less than ideal appearance, and in some cases can exacerbate skin conditions like acne and shininess.

Know Your Skin Type

The most important part of choosing the right moisturizer is to be aware of your skin type. Skin is a complex organ that differs between people. A friend may report that they had a fabulous experience with a particular product, but that doesn’t mean that it’s right for you.

Help Your Face’s Natural Defenses.

Skin has evolved with a degree of natural protection in the form of oils that create a protective barrier against the elements, preventing moisture from being lost. People with naturally dry skin, or those who find that using facial cleansers strips away those oils and leaves the face feeling raw and exposed need to choose an oil-based moisturizer to replace the skin’s natural oils.

On the other hand, if you are prone to oily and shiny skin, using a oil-based product is going to exacerbate the problem, and so you should choose a water-based, non-greasy product.

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Eating Your Way to Healthy Skin

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• Posted November 20, 2012 at 4:39 pm
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In many ways our dietary instincts are not well suited to the age we live in. Before the dawn of civilization, we were hunter-gatherers, roaming the grasslands in search of tasty roots, vegetable, nuts, and the occasional morsel of meat. Sugars and fats were a rare treat, and necessary to a healthy diet, so our bodies evolved a taste for those foods.

In the modern world, sweet and fatty food is all too common, so we seek to satisfy our evolved cravings and end up indulging to excess in just those foods that are the least good for us.

The skin is our largest organ, and it’s an extremely complex system that can easily be affected by our diet. In many cases, it’s exactly the foods we desire the most that can have a harmful effect on the skin’s health and appearance.

The Good

That’s not to say that the foods that are good for our skin are not appetizing. It just takes a bit of knowledge and self-control to find the tasty treats that will both make our skin look great and contribute to a healthy diet overall.

Vitamins

Vitamins A, B, C, and E are particularly good for the skin.

Vitamin A is essential for maintaining a healthy skin. It’s a necessary nutrient for forming the epithelial cells that are found in the skin and other parts of the body. It’s also a powerful antioxidant that helps to protect the skin from harmful the free radicals that contribute to aging.

Vitamin B is actually a collection of related vitamins, many of which are essential to keeping the skin in tip-top condition. Biotin (B7) is an essential vitamin for the production of many of the elements of the skin. B2 helps maintain the skin’s chemical balance. B6 prevents puffiness, and B12 controls cell aging and growth.
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