HOW TO MAINTAIN GOOD SKIN
It is one thing to have good skin and another to know how to maintain it. “Healthy skin is a reflection of overall wellness.”~ Dr. Howard Murad, hence the need to know how to maintain good skin can not be extremely emphasized.
Having good skin means: it has the sensation considered normal, it reflects light, has a smooth consistency, has an even tone and it is well hydrated.
Just like acing your school work, having good skin is a thing that makes one proud. However, just like learning how to maintain good skin, getting good skin is also practicable.
What is skin?
Have you been having quite trouble maintaining your skin? Have you been having so many futile results that have made you feel like you are doing so many wrongs? Hopefully, at the end of this article, you will have clarity on the things you are not doing right and make them right.
The skin is an enormous organ in the body, composed of fat, water, proteins, and minerals. The skin and derivatives such as nails, hair, oil, and sweat glands, constitute the integumentary system. Its major function is protection. The skin protects your body from external agents like chemicals, and germs and also helps in controlling the body temperature.
Read Also; 7 Layers Of Skin: Everything You Need To Know
Different skin types
Before knowing how to maintain good skin, it is important to know your skin type. Your skin type can be influenced by agents such as genetics, health troubles, diet, age, and even ethnicity, although it can change over time.
a. Dry skin
Dry skin occurs due to the skin being free from or lacking moisture or does not get the oil it needs to preserve itself. Environmental agents such as low air, terrible weather, and also health factors like acne, dehydration, or eczema can instigate dry skin.
How to care for your dry skin
- Take at least 5-7 minutes of shower twice each day
- Make use of water at normal temperature rather than hot
- Quit using harsh product soaps with offensive smells
- Avoid using rough scrubs and bath sponges that can cause harm to your skin
- Dab your skin attentively with a neat towel after a bath
- Apply moisturizer immediately to enable your skin to soak up the moisture, lotion, ointment, etc
- Preferably, use ointment and not lotion to reduce skin irritation
- Ignore the urge to scratch your skin with your finger when they itch, rather, use cold compresses to control it
- Avoid wearing clothes that enable itchiness and irritation. Silk should be worn underneath clothes made of wool
- Do not go near a heat source or fireplaces that can further dry your skin.
b. Oily skin
Oily skin occurs when your sebaceous gland produces excessive sebum. Sebum is a waxy and oily material that helps in hydrating and protecting the skin and hair.
Oily skin is excellent and normal, there is no cause for alarm as everyone’s skin generates oil, plus oily skin tends to be thicker with lesser wrinkles.
However, oily skin clogs pores which can result in an immense increase in acne outbreaks. It is most noticeable in adolescents and people below the age of thirty.
c. Normal skin
Normal skin is neither too oily nor dry, it has a regular consistency, zero flaws, and a fine appearance that does not demand special maintenance. If you are of normal skin type, you have to consider yourself blessed as it is said to be the rarest form of skin.
It is deemed appropriate to be called “balance skin” as it strikes a balance between having excess oil and retaining your skin’s organic wetness. In addition, most often than not, people with normal skin tend not to be prone to having breakouts, and flakiness neither do they feel tight nor greasy.
d. Combination skin
This skin type is known for constituting both oily and dry skin since the allocation of sweat and sebaceous glands is not homogeneous. It refers to when there is a presence of oily skin in some parts of the face and dry skin in other parts.
Basically, the T-zone is used to categorize the parts (Forehead, nose, and chin) which consist of major oils, and the dry skin parts(cheeks and jaw) which can be normal skin and most times dry.
e. Sensitive skin
Sensitive skin is not a condition that medical personnel can diagnose you with, it is a term that is not a medical diagnosis. It is a name used to report skin with slight tolerance and more reactive than usual, as it often reacts to stimuli to which normal skin does not react against.
Sensitive skin happens due to genetic differences in the normal shielding skin barricade. As It has no protective function, it enables the ability of microorganisms and reactants to pass through it, hence increasing the possibility of contracting infection. It is a unique skin that needs more attention to help fight against roughness, dryness, etc.
Other kinds of the skin include,
- Red spots
- Scaly skin
- Skin moles
- Atopic skin.
How to maintain good skin
I understand that you are eager and determined to learn how to maintain good skin. Bear in mind that the act of maintaining your skin which will help it retain its fitness is a continual process. According to Kelsea Ballerini~ “Healthy skin is not an overnight process.”
So back to the topic “How to maintain good skin” here are a few ways and things you should do differently to maintain your skin which will help in keeping it flawless.
a. Healthy diet
Just as the products you put on your skin, what you eat plays a vital role in improving your skin from inner to outward parts. Skincare products and moisturizers do more only skin-deep, while aging occurs at an even deeper level, hence the need to eat a healthy diet for skin improvement can not be overstated.
These foods I compiled have been acknowledged by research to be of great benefit to the skin:
- Mangoes
- Tomatoes
- Cocoa
- Olive oil
- Green tea
- Soy
- Omega-3
b. Reduce stress level
(The mind-skin connection.)
When you are stressed out, your skin reflects it, as your sympathetic nervous system releases stress hormonal fluids such as adrenaline and cortisol.
The cortisol increases the production of oil in your skin glands which can cause clogged pores and acne outbreaks. Stress can incite changes in your skin’s proteins and limit their elasticity which can encourage the formation of wrinkles, it can also lead to itchy skin, hand rashes, profuse sweating, hair loss, etc.
c. Quit smoking to maintain good skin
The skin can absorb nicotine from cigarettes and by doing so, causes adverse effects such as early aging, late healing of wounds, skin looseness/sagging, wrinkles, uneven skin tone/pigment, infection, skin cancer, eczema, acne, etc.
Smoking diminishes the blood vessels found in the external part of the skin, so by quitting smoking, the body will release and restore collagen production. Furthermore, an improvement in circulation and reduced carbon monoxide in the blood can result in a visible change like smooth and clear skin.
d. Moisturizing your skin
Moisturizing processes can come off as a chore and so tiring to some people, but then, you can not pick an interest in knowing how to maintain good skin with the plans of totally sidelining the moisturizing process.
The moisturizer contains humectants, occlusive agents, and emollients which play an important role in maintaining moisture in the skin. Other roles include:
- reducing the possibility of skin problems occurring
- Limit the appearance of blemish
- Helps the skin stay healthy and young
- Helps fight wrinkles
e. How to maintain good skin by taking a nap
Napping, they say, is a raw form of strengthening and improving your skin. In addition, the skin corrects itself when we are asleep and the body sends more blood to the skin while we doze, which is to say, we wake up to even more healthy skin after each nap. Snoozing helps tightens the skin and makes you have fewer wrinkles.
Recommend: The Best Skin Care Routine For Beginners In 2023
Summary
A lot of people find flawless skin attractive and unkept skin a turn-off. Other than its attractive pros, having good skin keeps your body at a standard temperature level and enables you to react better to changes.
Additionally, It is imperative to clarify that learning how to maintain good skin is not gender recognized, as everyone aims for good skin and also you can’t get it right at a goal, but by repeating the process every day and getting familiar with it/them, you are a step closer to perfection.
Did you learn something new from this article? If yes, what did you learn? Would you try it out? Share your thoughts with me.