Forget about keeping a journal; your everyday activities show up in your skin. The bad news is that a fast-food diet, lack of exercise, poor sleep habits and vices such as smoking and drinking alcohol are often recorded as dullness, under-eye bags and wrinkles.
Taking care of your body gives the skin on your face its best chance of looking great. But even the healthiest of individuals has to face skin’s natural enemies: aging and sunlight.
Patricia Lane, a medical social worker, grew up sunbathing in Miami. In her early 50s, she was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune condition that could have aged her more rapidly than normal.
“I was ready to fight back,” she said. She sought the advice of a cosmetic surgeon who recommended several procedures, which she underwent one at a time, including line fillers, laser resurfacing, and upper and lower eyelid lifts. She said the procedures made her feel and look younger, and they prompted her to take better care of herself.
“I wanted a lift — a lift in the sense that I wanted to feel renewed, for myself ? It really made me feel so much better, I can’t tell you,” she said.
Maybe you don’t need anything more than a new moisturizer to improve your skin. Soft and glowing skin is always in style, no matter your age.
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Basic skin care
You don’t need an entire line of expensive skin-care products, said Dr. Michel McDonald, assistant professor of medicine and dermatology at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Consumer Reports published a January 2007 study on wrinkle creams, which indicates that some creams sold in the drugstore work as well as (if not better than) the luxury brands found in fancy department stores. “I always guide people to the bigger names like Oil of Olay or Neutrogena because they do a lot of research rather than some product that doesn’t have a lot of science behind it,” McDonald said.
– Cleanser: Mild formulas such as Cetaphil, Purpose or Basis are better.
– Moisturizer: Choose one formulated for your skin type. You don’t need a separate eye cream.
– Sunscreen: Every day, use at least an SPF 15, and look for products that block UVA and UVB rays. People with sensitive skin might tolerate physical sunblocks (such as titanium dioxide) better than chemical sunscreens.
– Anti-aging products: Over-the-counter formulas with retinol (another member of the vitamin A family) are a good way to start fighting wrinkles and dullness, said McDonald, an assistant professor at Vanderbilt.
– Exfoliators: Dr. Brian Maloney, an Atlanta plastic surgeon who specializes in faces, said the exfoliators you buy in the drugstore, such as scrubs or cleansing cloths, can help strip away old, dead skin cells cheaply and gently.
Home remedies
Suppose you wake up on the morning of a big event with a pimple, puffy eyes or a red nose (or all three). Some items already in your household may offer temporary relief, but you shouldn’t rely on them all the time. These are quick fixes.
Toothpaste: A speck of toothpaste might dry up a pimple. But if you’re prone to blemishes, you might consider using tea tree oil instead, provided it’s not irritating to your skin.
– Cucumbers: The cooling effect might deflate puffy eyes.
– Visine: It reduces redness, so it may have that effect on your skin.