Habits, diet and stress all play a part in our health. Skin condition can be caused by allergies/reactions, genetics/ethnicity, medications, medical conditions and many other internal and/or external factors.
Our body's health affects how we feel as well as how our body and skin looks.
Internal & External factors
- Genetics and ethnicity this one we have to thank our parents for. We are born into different ethnicity and we can't control it.
- Lifestyle the way we live our lives is not always the smartest too much partying, drinking, smoking and lack of sleep. Your skin is the biggest organ in the human body and not taking proper care of it also contributes by making your skin age faster.
- Negative attitude Negativity is a common decease in every human, its part of everyday life and part of our lifestyles. Negativity creates stress which only affects our skin.
- Free radicals are bacteria that float in the air and are invisible to the human being. Their purpose is to damage the skin. Taking Vitamin C on a daily basis can help you fight this type of bacteria.
- Dehydration drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day is very good for the skin helping it fight dehydration. Drinking too much coffee and alcoholic beverages is bad for the skin. (Having a glass of wine once a day does keep you away from the doctors, but when you over do it it affects both your health and skin drastically!)
- Vitamin deficiency lack of vitamins affect your skin. A multi vitamin is a good source to keep the skin hydrated and nourished. Vitamins C and E have been used in skin care products as antioxidants for many years. .
- Improper nutrition, alcohol, smoking and caffeine what we choose to put into our bodies significantly affects our overall health. Consuming alcohol has an equally damaging effect on the skin. Heavy or excessive intake of alcohol dilates the blood vessels. Smoking and drinking contribute to the aging process on their own. Combining both of them together is even more damaging. People that smoke have asphyxiated skin which is lack of oxygen. Their skin is usually dull and may also have a yellowish or gray color as well as they age quicker.
- Hormones and menopause unfortunately whether we like it or not we are all going to age and go through all these different hormonal changes, it's the beauty of being a women! Having hormonal imbalances can lead to sensitivity, hyperpigmentation, dehydration and microcirculation a problems that affect our capillaries (is those veins that are under your eyes).
- Lack of exercise lack of exercising or giving the body improper nourishment is damaging to our skin. Going to the gym, running or even jogging around your block to keep your blood and heart pumping affects the skin in a positive way. Exercise 30 minutes every day is what is needed to keep you healthy.
- Lack of sleepthe human body needs at least 7-9 hrs. of sleep. Although some people claim to feel rested on just a few hours of sleep a night, research shows that people who sleep so little don't perform as well as people who get closer to seven hours of sleep a night. We need to aim for those 7hrs a day. Drinking chamomile tea which contains lavender can be helpful at night by calm you from a stressful day at night.
- Medications and drugs using prescription and illegal drugs affect the skin as much as smoking does. Some drugs have also been shown how they interfere with the body's intake of oxygen. Some drugs can actually aggravate serious skin condition one example is acne and others can cause dryness and allergic reactions on the skin's surface.
- Sun damage approximately 80 percent of premature aging is caused by the sun. UVA rays affect the dermis, collagen, and elastin. They can also cause DNA damage which in the long run can leading to skin cancer.
- Misuse of products or treatments the use of incorrect product can damage your skin drastically. One example is using a soap bar that is made only to cleanse your hands & body but not your face. The ingredients it contains can damage your face. Your face skin is thinner than your whole body. Some people will wash their face with a washing liquid which is, basically murder to the face. It will drain all the oil from the skin, leaving your skin pretty much with nothing left. So for a person with oily skin, this may make you feel better for a few hours, but you will realize that the more you use it, the more your skin will turn from oily to dry. And this is where the nightmare starts.
- Poor maitenence and care using all the wrong products can also damage your skin drastically. On my previous blog I wrote about all skin types and what type of products you should look for.
They key to keeping healthy looking skin is to take care of yourself properly, proper exfoliating, staying dehydrated free, and using proper products for your face is essential it doesn't matter if it's Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter we must all MEN & WOMEN use a moisturizer that contains UVA/UVB. And of course once a month or as needed go to your nearest Esthetician for a facial.
