STEPS TO HEALTHY SKIN

Living amidst a pollution prone metropolitan city, the first thing that strikes our mind is wellness of the skin. Skin is the largest organ in the human body, without which we would have attracted many hazardous infections. Air pollution seems to be an unavoidable part of our regular hectic schedule. In spite of being aware of the impacts of air pollution, we fail to realize how it can incite our skin.

Your skin radiates brighter, when you have a healthy skin. Your mood is very much connected with the health of your skin. You feel more confident, happy and positive, your efficacy also increases when you have a healthy glowing skin. 

Let’s check out what a healthy skin looks like:

Natural Sensation- No feeling of itching, burning or stretching.

Reflecting Light- Having a proper balanced skill with closed pores enhances light to reflect well making your skin glow and shine bright.

Seamless Skin Tone- The evenness of the skin matters, as it makes you look more attractive.

Uniformity in Texture- Smooth surface of the skin is another aspect of a Healthy skin.

Proper Hydration- The suppleness of your skin determines how well your skin is hydrated. 

But how do you get that healthy glow on your skin? It is a two-way-traffic – the skin affects your inner self, emotional state of mind and health. And what you absorb through your nourishment-gets reflected outside. Maintaining a healthy and happy life starts through self-care. A parallel can be drawn to Newton's Third Law of  Gravitation— here, if you eat well, take care of your skin, it will make you glow, feel healthy and happy; and if you choose to ignore these factors, your skin  wellness and your wellbeing will remain affected. 

Self-care is of utmost importance in all our lives. In order to maintain a healthy skin, we need to be more conscious about our skin-care habits. And that can only be achieved if we are mindful of the self-care chain – Cleansing daily, regular hydration, protection from the Sun and healthy diet. 

CLEANSING DAILY: It is one of the fundamentals of healthy skin and personal hygiene. Deep cleaning and removal of dead cells and excess dirt can only be achieved through cleansing. Like us humans, the skin too needs to breathe through pores.

Cleansing helps your skin to remain clear, radiant, healthy and glowing. The skin devoid of cleansing is more prone to acne ruptures, dull skin and early aging. Do you know what does skipping cleansing do to your skin? It blocks the path for the other skin care products to get properly absorbed into the skin. 

Cleansing also, uplifts the hydration level of your skin. Zero cleansing might result in your experiencing dryness, itchy skin and other dermal issues. 

As Dr. Kikam says, "Cleansing our face daily prevents the buildup of dirt, which can cause bacteria overgrowth—leading to inflammation and subsequent breakouts, dryness, eczema, and premature aging". 

Using gentle cleansing products helps in removing excess dirt, oils, makeup and other impurities on your skin causing blockage to clogging of pores. Some facial cleansers also help in removing and treating inflammation and prevents acne. Cleansing helps in maintaining a proper pore size, too.

Face-washing routine is very crucial for the health of your facial skin. How often should you wash your face? It is recommended that you should do a face-wash at least twice a day to avoid sedimentation of impurities. Choosing the right cleanser is very important. You should apply gel or foam cleanser if you have Oily skin; dry or sensitive skin benefits from creamy cleanser. Therefore, proper advice from your dermatologist is always preferred, to understand and remain informed about your skin type and follow necessary skin-care plan accordingly.

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) advises to wash your face if you are in a fitness studio or a yoga class, hiking outdoors or sweating heavily. 

Some of the steps to follow for cleansing are as under,

• Soak your face with tepid water.

• Apply a gentle cleanser to your face. Continue rubbing it across your face in a circular motion, emphasizing on the T-zone and the jawline.

• Cleanse well.

• Wipe off with a soft clean napkin.

REGULAR HYDRATION: Besides physical appearance, it is equally important how the skin feels. There is a marginal difference between a dry skin and a dehydrated skin. Dry skin is a condition where glands are unable to produce the naturally occurring oils, while a dehydrated is skin lacks water content, not oil. A dehydrated skin might not always be rough in texture but it would rather lack flexibility. Symptoms such as, increase in the itchiness in the skin; under-eye circles and puffiness; your skin tone appears to be dull or wrinkles and fine lines have become distinguished- indicates that your skin is immensely dehydrated. 

Although personal hygiene includes washing of hands and Vitamin D too is important for other health benefits. You need to be extremely mindful regarding overdoing of either of it as it will lead to dryness of the skin. Lack of hydration also causes inflammation or irritation in the skin as well.

A hydrated skin is a happy skin. It looks soft, smooth and supple, giving out a natural radiance, making you look younger. Our skin loses hydration due to the following factors:

• Severe weather conditions

• Consumption of too much salty food

• Over-consumption of alcohol and caffeine

• Negligence on your daily skin-care routine, leaving your skin untreated.

• Application of inappropriate or harsh cleansing products.

Often, we practice certain things that reduces the liquid content in our body that includes:

• Not drinking adequate amount of water.

• Taking hot showers for longer duration.

• Prolonged exposure in the extreme temperatures.

• Excessive use of rough sponges or exfoliating products

• Use of detergents or harsh soaps, chemicals.

The three benefits of a hydrated skin are enlisted below:

1. Regulation of proper oil balance 

2. Better Detox function- healthy skin cells help in flushing out toxins.

3. Improved elasticity of the skin.

Just like watering plants regularly is necessary, similarly we need to add water to our skin for its better health. If you well maintain your skin hydration, you will be less vulnerable to skin issues such as, acne, skin sagging, wrinkles, breakouts and dullness. In order to maintain a hydrated healthy skin, let us take a look how you can enhance your skin hydration levels:

1. Applying moisturizer twice a day. 

2. Moisturizer helps increase the moisture in the skin and prevents it from dehydration.

3. Avoid skipping Sunscreen

4. Taking hot showers for a shorter duration.

5. Avoid using cleansers containing chemical exfoliants (salicylic, alpha hydroxyl or glycolic acid)

6. Ensure keeping your skin moist post-cleansing

7. Exfoliate once a week

8. Applying appropriate face mask once in a week- face masks are beneficial in providing concentrated hydration and deep skin nourishment.

9. Applying a thermal water spray, containing mineral-heavy concentrations will keep your skin supple and hydrated. This will help in reducing irritation and redness.

10. Maintaining a Hydrated Diet- Drinking adequate amount of water. Consumption of food rich in antioxidants and water content (fruits and vegetables). Also consuming foods rich in healthy fats will enhance your immunity and improves the health of your skin.

11. Cut down processed foods, and dehydrating beverages like alcohol, caffeine etc.

PROTECTION FROM THE SUN: We all know Vitamin D is important for our health. Post lockdown doctors too have been advising sun exposure in the morning as an increase in joint issues has been observed.

But do we know, over exposure can cause severe damage to our health?

Skin loses its elasticity and physical appearance due to sun exposure for longer time. Prolonged sun exposure can also cause sunburn, early aging and skin cancer too. As 'prevention is better than cure' we would have to take necessary protective measures so that the health of our skin remains unaffected. Some precautionary measures that you need to keep in mind are as follows:-

1. Keep away from the sun in mid-afternoon

2. Always apply sunscreen (SPF 30). 

3. Sunglasses are important

4. Choose your outfit rightly, so that it covers your skin from the scorching sun

5. Be cautious if you are under certain medication that might make you become more sensitive to the sun.

6. Re-apply sunscreen at an interval of every two hours if you are sweating, hiking, or swimming.

Now you might wonder why should you use SPF sunscreen and how much do you need to apply! If your schedule is mostly based outdoors, you should choose a sunscreen with an SPF of 60 but for regular use, a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 will suffice. Sun protection factor (SPF) in the sunscreen protects a specific portion of UV rays, responsible for skin cancer and sunburns. 

In order to protect your neck, face, arms, palms and legs, you need to apply about 1 ounce of sunscreen. Particularly for protecting your face and neck, half a teaspoon of sunscreen is more than enough. It hardly matters in what order you apply your skin-care products, because the comfortability varies from person to person. What matters is applying it before going out in the heat. Besides skin care products providing protection to your skin, you should also wear hats, sunglasses and look for shaded areas to keep yourself away from the sun.

HEALTHY DIET: Who doesn't want to keep their skin healthy and smooth with zero imperfection! Beauty products may conceal marks and patches on your skin, but health of your skin will be determined by your diet content. The best way to keep your skin clean and healthy is by eating a healthy diet. People taking oily food in their regular diet will observe acne, breakouts, fine lines and other skin problems.

A good nutritious diet rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants removes the refined carbohydrates. Doctors are of the view— people with high level of antioxidants have softer and smoother skin. 

But, how do you level up amount of antioxidants in your body? The food s that will help you improve your skin are listed below:

• Vegetables and fresh fruits rich in carotene along with Vitamin A helps your skin to reproduce cells.

• Vitamin C refills the collagen in our skin.

• Fishes containing Omega3 fatty acids help in reducing skin inflammation.

• Replacing fries and burgers with walnuts, peanuts, almonds will help you get a wrinkle-free, glowing skin.

• You can observe noticeable change in your skin texture, on including chia and flax seeds in your regular diet.

• Avocados are rich in vitamin E and it helps to protect the skin from oxidative injury.

• Broccoli along with minerals and vitamins will give you zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin C protecting the skin from losing the suppleness and dryness.

• Green tea helps in preventing early aging. It also protects the skin from sun damage.

• Dark chocolates contain type of polyphenol that helps to reduce the rough texture in your skin.

The inevitable fact is— if you eat healthy, you will feel healthy and the goodness or healthiness will be reflected on your skin, making you look more beautiful and attractive!

To Know More Contact -

6289907503/04 Lakme Academy Rashbehari

6289907505/06 Lakme Academy Nagerbazar