Overview
Your skin is constantly bombarded by innumerable pollutants both internally and externally, from chemicals from the foods you consume to pollutants in the air. Your skin is also constantly exposed to the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays; overexposure to these rays can hasten the aging process. All these factors can contribute to making your skin look unhealthy, but you can do use a number of methods to help keep your skin looking healthy no matter what age you are.
Step 1
Limit your exposure to the sun and apply sunscreen lotion to your skin every day. Prolonged exposure to the sun’s potent ultraviolet rays can cause numerous skin problems such as skin discolorations, fine lines, wrinkles, liver spots and even melanoma (skin cancer). Apply a sunscreen lotion with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 or greater 30 minutes before sun exposure.
Step 2
Add two to three more servings of healthy foods that are rich in antioxidants to your diet every day. Antioxidants can help keep your skin healthy by increasing the production of collagen (skin protein) and eliminate free radicals (cellular waste). Dietary sources of antioxidant-rich foods include prunes, berries, grapes, papayas, pinto beans and citrus fruits.
Step 3
Apply vitamin E oil to your skin every day. Vitamin E can help lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Break two to three vitamin E capsules, empty the oil onto your fingertips and massage it into your skin before going to bed. Leave it on your skin overnight, and then wash it off in the morning.
Step 4
Avoid disease-causing toxins such as cigarette smoke–including secondhand smoke. Tobacco contains carbon monoxide and tar, both of which can slow down your blood circulation and cause skin pigmentation disorders, wrinkles, fine lines and excess dryness.
Step 5
Exercise for 30 minutes every day. Exercising increases your blood circulation and assists in delivering nutrients to your skin cells. Exercising also increases the production of collagen (skin protein) in order to maintain the elasticity of your skin.
