Flattered

It was a surprise when a friend complimented that I have a good fair skin. I said I was just gutsy to wear short pants inspite of a scar on my knee. I got it from my carelessness hopping up on a tricycle days ago. Then minutes later in the same meeting another friend told me I have nice facial skin. She asked me if I use the famous brand to fight the 7 signs of ageing cause she said I don't have wrinkles and my pores are tight. I told her I don't because that's too expensive for me. I was flattered since I don't even notice it. It tells that I don't have ample time (or just lazy) to examine my face. Or maybe I'm just gifted with a problem-free skin. I'm thankful that I don't need to go to a facial and I haven't gone to eversince. Maybe it's also because I seldom go out to catch the sun and pollution outside. I'm not an expert on this topic but I want to share some basics that I know for having a younger-looking skin. Some of these I always need to remind myself of.

Stay away from the sun from 8am to 5pm. Most of the skin problems are caused by the sun. Use an umbrella or anything for shade even when it's cloudy. Use a sunblock cream preferably with SPF 15 and up if you need to stay under the sun.

Cleanse. Never sleep with your make-up on. Cosmetic ingredients may clog your pores and cause breakouts. Use a mild cleanser or toner that you can wash or tissue-off. If breakouts appear, don't pop it. I personally recommend a dab of tea tree oil. It heals faster and doesn't leave a dark scar.

Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Dryness causes damage so we need to moisturize our skin. You may feel like you can fry egg on your face but it's helpful to prevent (and I'm sure you hate this) wrinkles. I use the one that has a matte finish so it's not shiny after you put it on. It's also a combination of sunscreen and lightening ingredient vitamins B3 and B6 all in one. But if you feel like you need to use sunblock separately, try out what works for your skin. After bathing, I use lotion on my body to bring back moisture that was washed away by soap and water.

Exfoliate. But only once a week. You don't need to scrub your face everyday because it will damage your skin and wash away it's natural moisture. I exfoliate once or twice a month only since I'm seldomly exposed to dirt and pollution.

Avoid harmful chemicals. Toners and astringents are good to tighten pores but it has strong ingredients which can irritate your skin so use these products only if you need to. Wear gloves when using detergent soaps and bleaches. This one I have to practice since I need to wash pooped cloth diapers. Moisturize immediately after washing.

Eat right. Foods rich in vitamins A,C, and E are good anti-oxidants. These anti-oxidants avoid the speed up of ageing. Some are tomatoes, apples, pears, grapes, oranges, carrots and squash.

Sleep tight. Sleep plays an important role for our skin. We should have enough sleep around 6 to 10 hours a day. Studies say that by 11PM a person should already be in a deep sleep state to help in the detoxification process of the body. This process rids the body of harmful radicals to regenerate impaired cells and tissues.

Stop smoking and excessive alcohol. Smoking hinders oxygen from getting to your skin cells and can cause premature ageing and you don't want those lines around your mouth either. Drinking takes away important nutrients from the skin and causes facial blood vessels to dilate or worse could result to spider veins.

De-stress. Stress is one of the worst enemies to a healthy skin. Spend some time to relax and set aside worries. Do deep breathing techniques or take a walk to help release stress from the body.

Between Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids
I have been intrigued since I heard these AHA and BHA ingredients present in moisturizers, toners, cleansers, exfoliants, and facial masks. AHA is derived from fruit such as sugar cane, which produces glycolic acid and milk sugars produce lactic acid. There is only one BHA - salicylic acid. No wonder bathing in milk did wonders for Cleopatra. The main difference between the two is that AHA is water soluble while BHA is oil soluble. AHA and BHA penetrate deep inside the pores to "unglue" or slough off dead skin cells and allow new cells to grow. Since AHA is water soluble, it is best used for thickened and sun-damaged skin wherein breakouts are not a problem. While BHA is best used for oily skin with blackheads and whiteheads. It is recommended to use a moisturizer with hydroxy acid since HA needs to be absorbed by the skin for it to work. Then choose another skin care product which doesn't have HA to prevent the chances of skin irritation.

There's nothing to loose since we're taking care of the largest part of our body. They say that frowning uses more muscles than smiling. So smile more often and live happy!