Easy Ways to Keep Your Skin Healthy All Year Round

Most of the ways you can keep your skin healthy all year round come from avoiding certain risk factors. The most important things to avoid when taking care of your skin are sun and smoking. The third element you must monitor is what comes into contact with your skin.

In this article, we're looking at how you can protect your skin year-round. At Phytage Laboratories, we believe you deserve access to the research-backed ingredients that make it easier to maintain an overall healthier lifestyle.

With products such as Urgent Cell Repair 911, you can maintain your skin health easier. Continue reading to learn more about how to help prevent skin damage.

What Harms Skin?

When discussing the best strategies to keep skin healthy, it might help to start with what harms your skin the most. The three things that harm most people's skin are UV radiation, smoking, and skin irritants.

UV Radiation

Ultraviolet radiation describes the invisible electromagnetic waves emitted by the sun and tanning beds. There are three types of UV radiation:

UVA rays
UVB rays
UVC rays

UVA rays are the least harmful of the three but they can still cause skin cells to age. This type of UV ray can cause wrinkles. UVB rays damage the skin directly and they cause most sunburns and skin cancers. UVC rays are most commonly used in special tools, such as welding torches and mercury lamps.

UV rays of all kinds damage the DNA contained in our skin cells. Healthy DNA is crucial to healthy functioning cells and when DNA is continuously damaged over time, cells can start to grow out of control. UV rays can also trigger the release of free radicals in the skin.

Free radicals are unstable atoms that damage elastin fibers and cause wrinkles and other visible signs of premature aging.

Smoking

Tobacco smoke contains harmful substances and is associated with many types of long-term skin damage, such as dry skin, deep facial wrinkles, baggy eyes, uneven dark spots, and a drooping jawline.

The exact reasons for smoking leading to bad skin are unknown, but some theories link smoking to narrowed blood vessels, reduced vitamin A in the skin, the breakdown of elastin fibers in the skin, and the release of free radicals.

Narrowed blood vessels lead to less oxygen flow and vital nutrients to skin cells that contribute to wrinkles. Smokers also purse their lips and eyes when they smoke, which can lead to wrinkles and dry out the top layer of the skin.

Skin Irritants

Contact dermatitis occurs when you develop itchy or painful reactions after a skin irritant makes contact with you. Irritants can include allergens or chemicals found in everyday household products. Common skin irritants include:

Cleaning products
Soap
Latex
Fabric softener
Wool clothing
Perfumes or fragrances
Metal jewelry

Tips for Healthier Skin

Stay Hydrated

Drink plenty of water to hydrate your organs and your skin. As with other cells in the body, skin cells are made up of water and need plenty of hydration to function at peak performance. Without water, your skin will dry up like a prune.

Protect Yourself from the Sun

The sun can hurt your skin no matter the weather. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the US and it affects around 5 million Americans annually.

UVB rays that cause sunburn are slightly less prevalent during non-summer months but UVA rays are present year-round and also cause skin cancer. You might incorrectly assume that if it's cold or cloudy outside, you won't be at risk of sun damage. However, it's still important to apply sunblock or sunscreen.

Eat a Balanced Diet

Eating a balanced diet for skin care requires plenty of fruits and veggies. Too much sugar can cause a spike in blood sugar and your cortisol levels to increase. Essentially, when you consume too much sugar, sugar sticks to collagen and weakens it.

Healthy skin requires healthy fats, antioxidants, and vitamins. Eating less refined or processed foods while maintaining a rich, nutrient-heavy diet will help your skin appear youthful and blemish free.

Sleep

Most of us have looked in the mirror in the morning and only narrowly avoided screaming in terror at what we saw. Lack of sleep can cause hyperpigmentation, the puffy bags you get under your eyes. When you sleep, your body repairs your skin cells.

Seven to nine hours of sleep is critical for your body to perform the necessary maintenance to rid yourself of the mirror monster, so take care to get some shut-eye.

Manage Stress

Staying calm during stress can have more health benefits than you might think. It can reduce cortisol production and avoid decreases in collagen. You can take time to unwind each day after work and find activities such as yoga to relax.

Choose Your Products Wisely

You should choose skin products designed specifically for your skin type. Oily skin should use different skin care products than dry skin. Treat your skin gently and if you wear makeup, always remove it at the end of the day.

You can use removal products that are pH-neutral for the preservation of your skin. A gentle cleanser every night will also help clear your skin and prevent blemishes from appearing. Applying moisturizer also helps maintain the water content of your skin.

Exercise

Working out is good for virtually everything involving your body. Naturally, it contributes to healthier skin. When you increase your blood flow, exercise nourishes skin cells and carries away waste products, including free radicals from working cells.

Aiming for a minimum of one hour of exercise three times per week is a sustainable workload that can simplify your skincare routine.

Conclusion- Ways to Keep Your Skin Healthy

The primary ways to keep your skin healthy are geared more toward what you should avoid if you want healthy skin. You shouldn't smoke. You should try to limit your UV exposure and watch what you put on your skin.

Beyond the things to avoid when worrying about taking care of your skin, you should maintain a healthy diet, exercise consistently, use the correct skin care products, and ensure you take the correct vitamins.

At Phytage Laboratories, we believe you should have access to researched-backed ingredients that contribute to your overall and skin health. With our Urgent Cell Repair 911, you can improve your skin health with a balanced diet so your skin maintains its youthful glow.

Browse our products today to learn more about how Phytage can contribute to your skincare routine.