Moisturisers are great, but beautiful, healthy skin doesn’t come in a jar. Here are five tips to help you maintain glowing skin…

Secrets of healthy skin

Healthy skin never goes out of fashion. As with our mannerisms, our skin can say a lot about us. Unhealthy skin can be one the first indicators of stress and poor health.

“The modern lifestyle can often bring with it an array of refined and processed foods, longer hours in traffic and at the office, and the many other responsibilities overseen by the modern working individual, such as family and community commitments,” explains Byron Kennedy, nutrition and sports science expert at USN, “Leisure and exercise opportunities may be limited when considering such tight schedules, and as a result valuable time spent on health and wellness may be lost.”

So how do we ensure we have great skin?

Read on for Kennedy’s expert advice on protecting and maintaining beautiful skin.

1. Sun protection

One of the most important ways to take care of your skin is to protect it from the sun.

A lifetime of sun exposure can cause wrinkles, age spots and increase the probability of developing skin cancer. In addition, we are exposed to environmental pollution and increased oxidative stress which adds to the damage of our skin daily. For those suffering from skin damage, the correct care and regimes can greatly assist with improving skin.

2. Avoid smoking

Smoking cause narrowing of the tiny blood vessels in the outermost layers of the skin while decreasing blood flow. It furthermore damages collagen and elastin: fibres that give your skin strength and elasticity. As a result, wrinkles form and you have skin that looks older than it should.

When quitting smoking, you could take a supplement that assists in repairing the damaged collagen and elastin.

USN recently launched COLLAGEN + CLA, a delicious drink that includes 10g Peptan Type-I Hydrolyzed Collagen, the collagen that makes up our moveable joints and provides help to form the connective tissue of skin, tendons, cartilage, ligaments and bones, as well as 2.1g Tonalin Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA). Collagen comprises approximately 25 percent of all the protein found in the body, making it an important dietary option for youthfulness and anti-ageing benefits.

3. Be gentle

Daily cleansing with chemical products, and shaving can take a toll on your skin. We tend to wash more, use scented soaps, thinking that we are keeping our skin healthy and beautiful, but rather having the opposite effect.

• Limit bath time: Hot water, long showers and baths remove necessary oils from your skin. It is better to limit your bath and shower time, and to use warm rather than hot water.
• Avoid strong soaps: Strong soaps and detergents can strip oil from your skin. Use mild, natural cleansers instead.
• Shave carefully: To protect and lubricate your skin, apply shaving cream or lotion before shaving.
• Pat dry: After washing, gently pat your skin dry with a towel, so that some moisture remains on your skin. It is important to make sure that you moisturise your skin.

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