Everyone wants healthy, glowing skin free of blemishes and dark spots. No one wants to deal with skin cancer caused by the sun’s UV rays either. But, people also want to enjoy the summer outdoors and enjoy the sunshine and warm weather. Others love to garden or hike. Still, others enjoy all kinds of summer outdoor sports such as tennis, swimming, baseball, golf, and horseback riding. How can people enjoy the outdoors and still have healthy clear skin?
How To Get and Keep Healthy Skin
To have healthy skin a person needs to follow some basic rules.
- Eat a balanced and healthy diet. The food we eat and what we drink can make our skin better or worse. Vegetables, fruits, lean protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, whole grains, and other nutrients help our skin. Over-processed foods with the wrong kind of fats and sugars can harm our skin. Those potato chips, white bread, and candy bars can cause acne and other problems. Drink plenty of water to hydrate the skin. Fish oil and vitamin C have been proven to be good for the skin.
- Exercise regularly to maintain a healthy weight and improve circulation. This helps the skin. But, always shower and wash the face after strenuous exercise that causes sweating. Showering helps remove bacteria and dead skin cells that might otherwise clog skin pores.
- Clean skin stays healthier but do not overdo the face washing. The recommended time for daily face washing is two. Wash the face with water and gentle cleaning products. Do not use harsh soaps. Do not scrub the face, wash gently and pat dry. Follow the face washing with a gentle moisturizer containing SPF sun protection. Keep baths and showers short to avoid removing important oils from the skin. Use facial care products that are not oily and consider using skincare with vitamin C.
- Protect the skin from the sun. Sun exposure can cause skin spots or hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, skin cancer, and other problems. Ways to protect the skin include using sunscreen, avoid direct sunlight between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. by seeking shade, and wear protective clothing like wide-brimmed hats, long-sleeved shirts, and long pants. Sunscreen should be reapplied every 2 hours.
- Don’t smoke, or quit smoking. Smoking can make people look older and get more wrinkles because it narrows tiny blood vessels near the surface of the skin. Smoking takes away needed oxygen and nutrients that are important to skin health. In addition, smoking damages collagen and elastin. Smoking can also cause skin cancer. Drinking in excess also damages the skin. Illegal drugs can be very damaging to the skin so avoid them.
- Get enough sleep and avoid stress. Too much stress can lead to sensitivity in the skin and even trigger acne breakouts. Try to achieve a healthy state of mind by setting reasonable limits and reducing that to-do list. Take time to do some things that are enjoyable like getting together with friends, working on a hobby, listening to music, walking, and other enjoyable activities.
Vitamin C Plays a Roll in Healthy Skin
When a person notices dark spots on their skin after sun exposure they may have a condition called hyperpigmentation. Some details about hyperpigmentation follow. Hyperpigmentation is a harmless condition that produces dark patches of skin, age spots, liver spots, or a freckle-like appearance to parts of the skin exposed to sunlight. These dark spots can also be caused by prescription medications, hormonal changes, or irritation from chemical peels or microdermabrasion.
Once this condition appears, it is hard to get rid of but vitamin C serum can be helpful in lightening the affected skin. The skin gets its colour from melanocytes and melanin absorbs and scatters UV radiation to protect the skin from radiation. But, too much exposure to the sun can cause the overproduction of melanocytes and an uneven distribution of colour which can take the form of dark spots.
By using good-quality vitamin C products, a person can lighten the spots and prevent new spots from forming on the skin. Why does vitamin C help the skin?
- Vitamin C has anti-inflammatory and anti-ageing benefits that contribute to healthy skin.
- Vitamin C fights dark spots because it is an antioxidant.
- Vitamin C has the ability to lighten dark spots without affecting normal skin.
- Finally, vitamin C can help control the enzyme tyrosinase which then prevents the excess production of melanin and melanocytes and the formation of dark spots.
How Does a Person Incorporate Vitamin C in their Skin Care?
Though people take vitamin C supplements as tablets, the skin healing properties of vitamin C are best utilized by using topical forms of the vitamin. Vitamin C serum can be applied to the skin after it has been cleansed. Vitamin C serum is available in single-use ampoules. In addition to vitamin C, skin improving nutrients such as vitamin E and peptides might be included in the serum.
The best serums include three types of vitamin C including L-ascorbic acid, L-ascorbic acid in Microsponge, and Ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate. Vitamin C has beneficial effects in both supplement and topical forms. This is because of its antioxidant properties and the role it plays in collagen synthesis. It also has good effects on skin cells. The topical application of vitamin C depends on the correct PH number and acidity.
Vitamin C may also help skin wounds heal faster, reduce damage from the sun’s UV rays, reduce photodamage and intrinsic ageing, reduce acne and inflammatory lesions, and lighten skin. It seems that topical applications of vitamin c work best when combined with vitamin E. The same is true of supplements. It may be helpful to combine the supplements and topical applications of vitamin C to get the best results.
As with any skincare plan, it is a good idea to get expert advice before starting to use new products. One visit to a dermatologist may give a person important information on the benefits and safe use of vitamin C in supplemental and topical form. Using the best quality products is important for good results and safe use.
