How to Get Beautiful Skin

You don’t need to spend a fortune on potions and formulas to get beautiful skin. In fact, all you have to do to get glowing skin is to tweak a few lifestyle choices. Here’s how to work toward a better complexion.

Start with a healthy diet. The old saying “You are what you eat” couldn’t be more true — and choosing foods wisely can help ensure that you develop beautiful skin. Base your diet on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats, and limit your intake of oily, fatty foods, caffeine, and alcohol, which may aggravate acne and speed the aging of your skin. In addition, take a multivitamin that includes a full day’s allowance of vitamins C and E, antioxidants that can help your skin fight the signs of aging.

Slather on sunscreen every day. Dermatologists swear by sunscreen as an essential part of any skin care regimen. The sun’s ultraviolet rays can quickly damage the skin, causing freckles and spots, speeding aging, and even causing cancer. Be sure you apply a full-spectrum sunscreen (one that protects against both UVA and UVB rays) with an SPF of at least 15 every day — even if it’s cloudy or you’re spending most of the day indoors.

Quit smoking now. Not only does smoking wreak havoc on your lungs and other vital organs but it causes serious damage to your skin as well. Studies have shown that smoking, which causes sallow, dry skin, can make you prone to wrinkles around the mouth and the eyes. You’ll avoid numerous health problems (and ensure that you can achieve beautiful skin) by quitting today.

Sleep well. Your body uses the time you spend sleeping to repair and renew itself — and that goes for your skin too. Get at least eight hours of sleep each night for a better body and more beautiful skin.

Exercise regularly. An active lifestyle has numerous health benefits — especially for your skin. Sweating helps you release toxins from your body, and increased circulation brings vital nutrients to the outer layers of your skin.

Get your fill of water. Try to drink at least eight glasses of water or fruit juice a day to ensure that your body (and your skin) receives the moisture it needs. Dehydration can result in dry, sallow-looking skin.

Wear sunglasses. Sunglasses not only protect the delicate skin around your eyes from the sun's harmful UVA and UVB rays but keep you from squinting in bright sunlight, which can help stave off wrinkles.

Create a top-notch skin care regimen. Choose products that fit your skin type (oily, dry, or combination skin) and use them as directed to develop beautiful skin. You should cleanse your skin twice a day, and apply a light cream at night before you go to bed.