7 Hot Tips for Supple Summer Skin

The key to healthy skin lies beyond which soap you use. It depends on what you eat, whether you exercise, how much stress you are under and even the kind of environment in which you live and work. Summer is particularly harsh on skin so consider these seven tips for helping your skin survive the harsh rays of summer:

1. Take advantage of all the summer fruits and vegetables and eat a varied and nutritious diet. Studies show that diets high in saturated fat, including meat, butter and full-fat dairy, as well as soft drinks, cakes and pastries increased the likelihood of skin wrinkling. Follow a diet high in vitamin A, E and C and essential fatty acids.

2. Don't forget to wash down your nutritious foods with a big glass of water. In fact, aim for at least eight to 10 glasses of water a day for optimum skin results.

3. Get out in the warm weather and exercise! Exercise flushes impurities out of your skin and promotes production of sebum, or oil, you skin's natural moisturizer and enhances blood flow to the skin.

4. Here's another reason to stop smoking...smoking constricts blood vessels, reducing blood flow to the skin. It also depletes levels of valuable antioxidant vitamins like vitamin A, increasing damage to the elasticity of the skin.

5. Of course, the greatest damage to your skin occurs from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. When it comes to sunscreen, the higher the SPF, the better. Few people use sunscreen the right way — apply a full ounce every couple of hours, more if you've been swimming or sweating.

6. Think a tanning bed is safer than a beach tan? Think again. The reality is there's no safe thing as a safe tan. UVA rays in tanning booths not only inflict damage similar to sunlight, but they are up to 20 times more intense than natural sunlight.

7. There's a very strong mind/body connection that exists between our emotions and our skin health. The stress in your life turns up on your face. Relaxation techniques, biofeedback and breathing training can help you cope better with life stresses and reduce their effects on your skin.

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