4 lifestyle tips for healthier skin

An effective skincare routine can give you radiant skin. But glowing skin that lasts? You might need to step away from the fast food.

How we eat, hydrate, and sleep plays a large role in not only our overall health, but our skin health as well. Here are a few ways to ensure your skin always looks its best:

Watch what you eat

One of the ways you can improve your skin is by following the advice you were given growing up: Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. A balanced diet is the best thing you can do for your skin.

Try cutting down on dairy, foods high in processed sugar, and foods with a high glycemic index, such as donuts and french fries (sorry!) if you have inflamed skin or breakouts. And when it comes to redness-prone skin, we recommend paring down spicy foods and chocolate, which can make your reactive skin more sensitive. 

At the end of the day, every body (and everybody’s skin) is different and it might take a bit of experimentation to figure out the cause of your skincare issues. If you notice your skin breaking out after eating a specific food, try cutting it out of your diet for a short period to see if it makes a difference. 

Stay hydrated (and moisturize!)

If you struggle with dry skin, drinking the recommended eight to ten glasses of water per day isn’t enough to keep your skin hydrated (although it doesn’t hurt). Your dry skin might be caused by an impaired skin barrier that limits your body’s ability to retain moisture on its surface. To repair this barrier, apply moisturizer twice a day, especially one that has hyaluronic acid, a natural sugar that holds 1,000 times its weight in water.

If you’re looking to reduce inflammation, you might want to order a seltzer at the next happy hour. Consuming alcohol can make your skin more flushed because it opens up your blood vessels. Frequent alcohol consumption can cause the redness to persist, even when you’re not drinking.

Prioritize rest and relaxation

It’s called “beauty sleep” for a reason — getting a good night’s rest gives your skin a chance to recharge and recover. After a solid seven to nine hours of sleep per night, your skin will look refreshed because it’s had the time to develop new collagen and circulate blood flow. On the flip side, lack of sleep can lead to dull skin, an increase in the appearance of fine lines, and even breakouts. No one wants that.

Proper R&R also gives your skincare products the time to release their ingredients and work their magic. Because your skin isn’t focused on defending itself against UV rays and free radicals, your products can tackle your skincare issues without any distractions.

Quit a bad habit

Besides the obvious health concerns, smoking can do serious damage to your skin. It decreases blood flow on your skin’s surface, so you’re left with a dry and dull complexion. It also affects your skin’s ability to heal wounds, leaving you susceptible to long-lasting scars.

And if those negative effects haven’t deterred you, smoking stunts your body’s ability to produce collagen and elastin, which can lead to earlier development of fine lines and wrinkles. Because you’re constantly puckering your lips, you may also form wrinkles around your mouth that can be difficult to reverse.

The choices you make, from your diet to your sleep schedule, can have major effects on your skin health. And when combined with the right skincare products and you’ll see how healthy lifestyle choices can make a world of a difference.