subject: What Does Make Your Skin Happy? [print this page] Happy skin is beautiful skinHappy skin is beautiful skin. Keep your skin happy by avoiding these damaging habits and it will keep you happy in return.
Sun damage is the primary cause of premature aging, uneven skin pigmentation, and even skin cancer. What looks like a fashionable tan is actually the skin's response to damaging ultraviolet rays. Nor is the sun the only culprit; tanning beds also bombard skin with ultraviolet light. Even a short session on the tanning bed or beside the pool puts unprotected skin at risk. Use a broad spectrum sunscreen that offers protection from both UVA and UVB radiation on exposed skin every day and your skin will love you for it.
If you wear makeup, remove it thoroughly at the end of the day. Makeup is meant to beautify, but there's nothing pretty about clogged pores and the pimples that come with them. Oil-free makeup removers do a good job of readying your face for cleansing.
Unhappy skin shows its displeasure with breakouts and blemishes. Although blemishes aren't always caused by dirt alone, dirt almost always causes blemishes. Keep your skin scrupulously clean to avoid breakouts. Cleansing once or twice a day and after strenuous activity is plenty; overzealous cleansing can leave even oily complexions feeling dry and irritated. The skin on your face is thinner and more delicate than the skin elsewhere on your body, so treat it gently with a cleanser specifically designed for the face.
If you do get a blemish, resist the urge to pop or pick at it. Squeezing a pimple may make it less obvious at the time, but it can also spread bacteria to surrounding skin and lead to bigger breakouts. Picking at blemishes may even leave permanent scars, pits, or discoloration. If you have troubled skin on a regular basis, try changing up the products you use; you might just be using a product that doesn't get along with your skin. A visit to a dermatologist can also provide relief for more serious acne.
You may like the occasional drink, but your skin doesn't. Alcohol causes the tiny capillaries in your skin to dilate, leaving you looking flushed and blotchy. While a few parties won't harm your skin, heavy alcohol consumption can make those dilated capillaries burst. Splashing cool water on your face is a quick morning-after fix, but your skin will look healthier if you adopt a long-term strategy of moderation.
Your skin isn't so temperamental as to get unhappy from a few special-occasion glasses of champagne or makeup that stays on too long once in a while, but don't make a habit of neglecting your skin. Treat your skin well and it will love you for a lifetime.
