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Skin Care: Back to Basics

It’s natural to want to look vital and youthful for as long as possible. Science and medicine have been very helpful creating anti-ageing products and procedures to nip, tuck, zap, and laser away visible signs of time’s passage. When it comes to skincare, however, going back to basics is the first step in having a healthy, beautiful complexion.

In this post, you’ll find a list of simple skin-friendly things you can do now to help put off skin enhancement treatments until later.

Water is Your Skin’s Best Friend

Water is a fundamental component of a radiant, younger- looking complexion. Your skin, after all, is an organ, and like all the organs of your body, it is made up of cells that need water. If your skin is not sufficiently hydrated – internally and externally – it will become dry, tight and flaky.

Furthermore, since dry skin has decreased resilience, it is more prone to wrinkling. 

Drinking at least eight 8 glasses of water daily will help rid the body and skin of toxins. If you are currently drinking less than that, up your intake and you should see an improvement in your skin within a couple of weeks. 

Hydrating from the inside out is important, but you should also hydrate your skin from the outside in. Apply hydrating moisturiser within 2 minutes of leaving the bath or shower when your skin is still porous will allow for better absorption.

Sun is Your Skin’s Worst Enemy

“Fun in the sun” may not be so much fun for your skin. When left unprotected, sun-exposed skin will gradually lose moisture and be depleted of its natural lubricating oils. It’s the primary reason that sun worshipers of all ages tend to have skin that is dry, flaky and prematurely wrinkled.

Sunscreen is a must for protecting your skin, which brings us to the question of SPF and its effect on skin and the sun. As you may know, the sun produces three kinds of ultraviolet rays:

  • UVA rays penetrate the skin deep, altering your pigmentation to produce a tan.
  • UVB rays are the primary rays that cause sunburn, damaging your skin’s DNA, and causing photo ageing, pigment changes, and cancerous tumours.
  • UVC rays are absorbed by the atmosphere.

It’s important to understand that SPF on a sunscreen refers only to the amount of protection from UVB rays the product offers. Therefore, to maximise your skin’s defence against the sun, look for a product that is labelled “broad-spectrum.” A broad-spectrum sunscreen protects against both UVA and UVB damage.

Choose a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 to protect against UVB damage and includes mexoryl, oxybenzone, or avobenzone for UVA protection.