Top Ten Skin Care Tips for Healthy Skin

A new year is coming, and that’s a great time to make a resolution to get healthy, glowing skin that’s both acne-free and youthful looking. Getting healthy skin isn’t just about using the best skin care products you can find. It’s also about lifestyle choices, diet and even sleep patterns. Here are the top ten tips from the Murad skin care experts for getting healthy skin in 2012.

#10 Drink Water for Healthy Skin: Healthy skin is hydrated skin. Properly hydrated skin is firmer than dehydrated skin and doesn’t show lines and wrinkles as dramatically. Hydrated skin also means fewer acne breakouts. Most important: Healthy, hydrated skin has that “special glow” we all long for!

#9 Eat Your Water: Staying hydrated isn’t just about drinking water. The cellular structure of water in fruits and vegetables is actually more easily absorbed into your system and keeps you hydrated longer. When you eat fruits and vegetables, not only are you getting great nutrition, you’re also improving your skin’s structure and texture. To learn more about “eating your water,” read Dr. Murad’s best-selling book The Water Secret.

#8 Understand Your Acne Treatment Products: If, for you, healthy skin means acne-free skin, it’s time to educate yourself about what causes acne and the best methods to treat and get rid of acne. Don’t assume that drying out your acne is the best choice. Educate yourself on the myths and facts about acne and acne treatments.

#7 Eat a Diet Rich in Antioxidants: Antioxidants, found in fruits and dark green vegetables, are nature’s defense against the free radicals that form in your system every day from exposure to UV rays and environmental pollution. When you eat an antioxidant-rich diet, you contribute to the overall health of your skin and help prevent the signs of aging.

#6 Understand Your Anti Aging and Anti Wrinkle Treatments: Much like with acne treatments, if your definition of healthy skin is younger-looking skin, take some time to learn about the best ingredients in anti aging and anti wrinkle products such as anti wrinkle creams, retinol anti wrinkle products and products to get rid of age spots. Don’t address aging skin from just one angle—treat all the signs of aging skin.

#5 Sleep Is Important! In today’s world it’s tempting to shortchange your sleep so you can maximize the time you spend being “productive.” The reality is that a lack of sleep can take a toll on your skin. Sleep is important for restoring the body as a whole from the strains of the day. Don’t deny your body, or your skin, the sleep it needs.

#4 Find Ways to Reduce Stress in Your Life: Cultural Stress®, the daily stresses we’re all exposed to in today’s high-speed culture, can take a toll on your skin as well. Stress can result in increased activity in the glands that produce androgens, the hormones linked to the overproduction of skin cells that cause acne breakouts. Aside from acne, stress can show on your skin in the form of lines, wrinkles, poor texture and a reduced “glow.” The New Year is a great time to find ways to reduce stress, from yoga to exercise to just finding “you” time throughout the day!

#3 Skin Care Doesn’t End with Your Face: Remember that healthy skin doesn’t end at your neck! From back and body acne to age spots on your shoulders to cellulite, put together a skin care regimen that will keep your skin hydrated, treated and healthy from head to toe. Your skin is your largest organ—it’s not limited to the highly visible areas on your face.

#2 Reduce Your Exposure to Toxins: While unfortunately we can’t eliminate exposure to toxins in our daily lives, you can do things to minimize your toxin exposure for skin and body health. When possible, choose non-toxic home products as well as health and beauty products. Most important, if you are a smoker, please use the New Year as a time to stop smoking. Each time you light a cigarette, you inhale over four hundred known toxins and carcinogens that can damage your health and leave a visible impact on your skin.

#1 Sunblock, Sunscreen, Sun Protection! Rain or shine, winter or summer, the most important thing you can do to ensure healthy skin is to protect yourself from harmful UV rays. Make sure to use a daily SPF product no matter how little sun exposure you get, and a more intensive sunblock or sunscreen when you spend more time outdoors. Nothing harms the skin more on a daily basis in multiple ways than unprotected exposure to UV rays, which can lead to sun damage.

Learn more about Murad skin care products including acne treatment products, anti aging and anti wrinkle treatments, cellulite treatments and award-winning Murad Hybrids®.