The New Year means a variety of things, including fresh starts and resolutions. While even the most beauty-conscious woman occasionally forgets to apply sunscreen or remove makeup before going to sleep, the New Year is the perfect time to take control of your skin health and kick-start better habits.
Expert Tips: Ring in the New Year with Great Skin
Follow these simple skincare tips from Dermatologist Jessie Cheung, MD to make 2017 your best skincare year yet:
#1. Stop picking. Put away the magnifying mirror and the pointy tweezers and stop picking at your pimples. Doing so can cause lasting discoloration. Try to avoid over-plucking your eyebrows, too. You’ll miss them in a few years when it’s harder for hairs to grow back fully.
#2. Eat for your skin. Cut down on processed carbs. They make you bloated and can cause breakouts. Their excess sugars can also cause premature aging with their inflammatory by-products. Instead, reach for antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables.
#3. Apply SPF every day. No matter if it’s cloudy or rainy, there is ultraviolet radiation that thins out our collagen. Sunscreen is the number one anti-ager. Find a formulation that you love for daily use.
#4. Cut back on smoking cigarettes. Smoking is not only terrible for your body, but wreaks havoc on your skin, causing wrinkles and discoloration from the restricted blood flow and free radicals. Habits are difficult to break, and nicotine is addictive; therefore, try cutting back on at least a few cigarettes a week, and eventually you might stop smoking altogether.
#5. Start taking probiotics. Your skin reflects the health of your gut. Probiotics are the good bacteria that colonize your gut and help with digestion, your immune system, and your mood, including the production of Serotonin – the happy hormone.
