1) Wear Sunscreen. I know I have written about this topic a number of times in my blog. However, the single most effective means of preventing premature aging (wrinkles, age spots, leathery skin texture) as well as helping prevent skin cancer, is to wear sunscreen everyday. Apply it at least 30 minutes before going outdoors, and remember to apply to all exposed areas of your body, such as your neck, tops of ears, chest, arms and the back of your hands.
2) Wear An SPF On Your Lips. It is important to understand that our lips are covered with mucus membrane, which tends to chap, flake and burn faster than the rest of the skin on our body. Most lipsticks and glosses contain castor oil or petroleum jelly as their main ingredient. These ingredients enhance the UV damage to your lips, and leads to premature wrinkling and browning. This is one of the reasons why I created LIP 20, which moisturizes, repairs and protects with SPF 20 – all in one. It contains zero castor oil, petroleum jelly or parabens so you get all the benefits of a lip treatment that is wearable the entire day.
3) Stop Smoking. We all know smoking is bad for our health. But studies now show that smoking not only causes premature wrinkling, a lackluster complexion and skin yellowing on our face, but on the skin covering our entire body! So stop smoking for vanity’s sake.
4) Avoid Drinking Fruity Beverages Outdoors. If the peels or juices of lemons, limes, and some other citrus fruits come in contact with your skin while you are out in the sun (think lime margaritas) you can get a blistering sunburn in those areas. These fruits contain compounds called psoralens that dramatically increase your sensitivity to the sun. Affected patients don’t realize the cause, and think they have developed brown age spots, or even worse, herpes. So take precautions when enjoying your citrus beverages outdoors.
5) Exfoliate Regularly. Think of your face like a well manicured lawn, and your skin as the soil underneath. When soil is packed down and condensed, it leaves no room for water and nutrients to get to the roots. You need to loosen up the soil regularly so the roots can grow, and your lawn can stay lush and green. So for an instant glow to your complexion, use a gentle exfoliant to polish away layers of dead skin cells 2 to 3 times a week. Avoid overly harsh scrubs with large particles; these will irritate and dry out your skin. Instead, look for ingredients such as date seed powder, pineapple and papaya enzymes, and oatmeal…they gently exfoliate while nourishing and smoothing the skin.