SAVE FACE

When the temperature changes, we remember to buy suitable outerwear but often ignore the most important shell we have on our body: our skin. It gets overlooked and falls into the following season full of flakes from the previous 6 months. Stop ignoring the sjin you’re in and begin making the necessary adjustments in your lifestyle to bring back some of the softness you had as a baby.

1) An easy pill to swallow: If you’re missing vitamins in their most natural state, you might be the perfect candidate for supplements. We all know that eating well and drinking plenty of water will give us an overall better complexion but while you’re waiting for the good effects to kick in, Pycnogenol is said to prevent collagen breakdown, omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids can promote suppleness and Heliocare’s Tropical Fern extract may help to ward off sunburns. Speak to your doctor to see if these products are right for you and get glowing skin from the inside out.

2) Exfoliate your skin smooth: The next time you’re at a white sandy beach, don’t forget to leave with a portion of sand for at home use. Adding a small handful of grains to a mild body or facial wash, will scrub your body clean, remove any traces of chafing skin and leave you feeling silky smooth, figuratively and literally speaking. If you can’t get to the beach, at least go to the pharmacy where you’re sure to find sand based cleanser or scrubbing glove and say good bye to last seasons flakes forever. Well at least for awhile anyway!

3) Moisturize while you cleanse: Most people don’t concern themselves with the products they use to clean their body or face, but the reality is, many chemicals in soaps and cleansers are too harsh for the skin. If you pay special attention to what you wash your clothes with, how can you not be even more attentive to how you clean your bodily shell? The best cleansers will not strip your skin clean of their natural moisturizers and in fact, will add the extra benefit of moisturizing your skin while cleansing. A good example of a mild cleanser that doesn’t clog pores is St. Ives Swiss formula Olive cleanser. Try one like it today and see changes as early as tomorrow.

4) Walk instead of run: Speed walk that is. If you’re trying to get to point A to point B in a hurry or simply enjoy a good jog every now and again, you might want to consider your skin in about 10 – 15 years, or maybe less. If you constantly bounce up and down, the weight of your body on your feet causes everything above the ankles to jiggle. While this might not pose an obvious problem to the calves or thighs, it definitely poses one to your breasts and even face. With gravity already against us, our skin is prone to sagging. Speed up your walk and lessen the bounce. In 15 years, your skin will thank you for it.

5) Book an appointment today: For many people, dermatologists are often a last resort for skin fixes as over the counter products convince us we can get rid of facial lines and red blotches with one simple cream. Not so. Sometimes more serious measures are needed and only a trip to the skin doctor can clear things up, pun intended. In this day and age, brown spots caused from the sun and our natural ageing process can be lightened; fine lines and deeper wrinkles can be lessened; skin textures can be smoothened and complexions cleared. While it’s not always dire to get treated by a dermatologist, it certainly doesn’t hurt to get a professional opinion from one; after all you’ve got one skin. You might as well consider it priceless and treat it with the utmost respect!