10 Tips for Healthy Skin

Aging skin is inevitable. How much it ages is not.

Your skin becomes thinner with age and years of being in the sun may lead to wrinkles, dryness, age spots, and even more serious skin problems like skin cancer. But there are things you can do to help your skin, and the sooner you start the better the long term results. Here are 10 not so obvious tips for skin care.

1. Skin care is for everyone. Women and men of ALL ages need to have a consistent daily skin care routine. Encourage those you care about to start early care for their skin daily. It pays off as we age.
​
2. Protection should never stop. Fewer than half of seniors use sunscreen even though we know better. Need some incentive to cover up and use sunscreen? Check the underside of your forearm that rarely sees the sun.

3. Moisturizing from the outside is not enough. Good quality, chemical-free body and facial moisturizers help to hydrate the top layer of your skin but more importantly, skin needs to be hydrated from the inside, too. Drink lots of water throughout the day, starting as soon as you wake up in the morning.

4. Your diet shows in your skin. Research suggests that a diet filled with highly processed foods, refined sugars, and unhealthy fats promotes skin aging while whole fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins promote healthy skin.

5. Humidity helps. Room or whole house humidifiers add moisture to the air that dehydrates your skin, especially in winter months.

6. Your skin likes shorter showers. Proper hygiene is always important but shorter, cooler showers will help retain more of the moisturizing oils that your skin thrives on.

7. Don’t forget that water is a solvent. Water alone helps to clean your skin. Harsh detergents further dissolve the natural oils that hydrate your skin. Use gentle, chemical-free moisturizing soaps or body wash and use them sparingly.

8. Skin is a sponge. Skin readily absorbs what it comes in contact with. Gently pat dry after bathing to let your skin absorb more moisture. And wear gloves if you come in contact with harsh chemicals like cleaning fluids.

9. Sleep is a skin tonic. Research shows that sleep is when your skin's blood flow increases. This helps to rebuild collagen and repair damage from UV exposure which reduces wrinkles and age spots. Get your rest!

10. Exercise may reverse skin aging. By increasing blood flow, increasing oxygen, and eliminating waste, exercise keeps skin cells healthy and vital. Some studies show exercise actually reverses signs of skin aging.

---

Get to know Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey (VNA) now, and all the home health services available to you and your loved ones, before you have a health emergency. We are proud to be the longest-serving VNA in the state of New Jersey, so we know a thing or two about helping seniors.

---

The Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey (VNA) is a leading provider of comprehensive home health care services in Morris, Hunterdon, Sussex, and Warren Counties in Northern New Jersey. Established in 1898, generations have known that just one call to VNA opens the door to quality, patient-centered home health care solutions that allow patients to remain in the comfort of their homes with dignity, health, and independence.

next post