Seven Secrets to Soft, Silky,  Sexy Skin

1. Leave the Worshiping for Church Yes, I know, the glow of a tan can look very appealing, however, wrinkles and uneven skin tone do not. So, skip the sun worshiping and the tanning booth, opt instead for an SPF15 sunscreen every day, 365 days a year. This one step alone will cut out almost 90% of the aging effects on your skin. (see my earlier post, here comes the sun )

2. Schedule Face Time Cleanse your face day and night. Treat yourself to the occasional facial.  You deserve a little pampering, don’t you think?

3. Stay Hydrated Your skin needs to be moisturized daily, inside and out. Drink plenty of water and apply a moisturizer day and night.

4. Protect Yourself Take the time to apply a foundation. It serves two purposes – It protects your skin from the elements and it evens out your skin tone. Uneven skin tone can add years to your face, more so than wrinkles . . . wear foundation, ‘nough said.

5. Cover Your Eyes The skin around your eyes is 1/4 the thickness of the skin on the rest of your face and is, therefore, more prone to damage, wrinkles, and dryness.   A moisturizing  eye cream is a must! You know the drill – day and night, please.

6. Rough It Up The microfine crystals in microderm abrasion are extremely useful in removing dull dead skin cells, refining your pores and exposing softer, younger looking skin.  Need I say more?

7.Support Your Growth, of your collagen, that is. Look for products with peptides and retinol/retinol palmitate. These ingredients help to promote collagen growth which will help your skin look firmer, smoother, and decrease the look of  fine lines and wrinkles.

Follow these seven steps and your skin will be looking softer, smoother, silkier, sexier -  “forever young”.  Cue the Rod Stewart.  ♫

Spring has sprung, folks, and that means we’ll all be spending more time outside. Ahhh, it’s a great feeling to have the sun warm your face!

When I was little I couldn’t wait to run around outside in the sun in my bare feet (and get the occasionally bee sting) and swim at the local pool. On my first visit to the pool, I’d come home with a blistering sunburn and be doomed to wearing a white t-shirt over my bathing suit the rest of the summer. If only we’d heard of sunscreen . . .

Did you know that ultraviolet rays are on the government’s known carcinogen list and that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States? We may think of sun exposure and tanning as a luxury of our idle youth, but adults over 40 actually have the highest exposure to ultraviolet rays and Caucasian men over 50 have the highest incidence of melanoma.

If cancer doesn’t scare you, how about wrinkles? Up to 90% of the signs of aging on our skin are due to sun exposure.  The signs can be wrinkles, age spots, and tough leathery skin.  Not a pretty picture.

Luckily, the solution is pretty simple – wear sunscreen. Wearing a sunscreen with at least SPF15 will go a long way to protecting your beautiful skin.  Just make sure you wear it every day. Even cloudy days will allow about 2/3 of the sun’s rays to come through.  And if your in the sun for extended periods, sunscreen needs to be applied every two hours to be effective. Don’t be skimpy either, it takes about an ounce of sunscreen to cover your entire body and get the desired protection. For good measure – remember your hat, sunglasses, water, and coverup.

Worried that if you wear sunscreen you’ll miss out on your vitamin D?  Just 10-15 minutes of sun, twice a week, without sunscreen should give you enough sun exposure to get your vitamin D fix.

Now go out and soak up some sun – just remember your sunscreen!

Listen: Here Comes the Sun