I want to share the best skin care and lifestyle tips I've learned over the years that will help you improve your overall skin condition during your skin care journey!
- First and foremost, skin care is a journey of progression of trial and error and not perfection. Because perfection does not exist. With any new product or lifestyle change patience is key to experience any visible change or improvement. Any new lifestyle habit or product should be applied as per product guideline for minimum 5/6 weeks before hoping to see any visible result. A lifestyle or product should only be discarded/discontinued from use if adverse continuous negative reaction is observed within the first 3 weeks of use and then should be consulted with an expert for advice on next action.
- Every human should get a minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep every night between 8pm to 7am (the natural circadian rhythm timing of day and night). A good sleep during these hours is much more beneficial for the human body to heal and regenerate and help metabolism compared to sleeping during daytime or sleeping very late at night.
- A daily healthy food habit and water intake habit is crucial. Which includes minimum 2 litres/8(per glass 250 ml) glasses of water everyday. A proper daily diet consisting of 1 heavy meal during the whole day (lunch or dinner) and 2 medium to light meals(breakfast and lunch or breakfast and dinner). Meals should be taken in time, for example "breakfast" should be consumed between 8am to 9am, followed by some fruits around 12pm and then lunch by 2pm to 3pm, followed by a light snack that’s low in carbs and calories but high in vitamins, fibre and antioxidants. Dinner should be consumed between 7:30pm to 8pm (dinner should be taken 1-1.5 hours before going to sleep). Meals should be high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibre (vegetables preferably mostly green and other vegetables that are low in starch and calories and carbs. vegetables should be only blanched or boiled for maximum 10 mins in boiling water and not over-boiled. Fruits, nuts, fish and meat for vitamin, fibre and minerals) and protein (egg, dairy, fish, meat). For carbs and calories only daily recommended portion should be consumed (rice, any flour based food like roti, paratha, bread, biscuits etc, potato and other foods high in carbs and calories, sugar). Avoid consuming sugar, soft drinks, soda, deep fried food, junk food, bakery foods like cakes, pastries and other desserts high in sugar and fat as much as possible (I know it’s easier said than done cause I myself love them but conscious consumption should be put into practice). Green tea and matcha tea is good for health as they are high in antioxidants, normal milk tea, coffee, chocolates should be taken in moderation only. Dark chocolate is better than milk chocolate and white chocolate as dark chocolate has less sugar.
- Woman should try to include daily multivitamin, mineral and collagen supplements from the age of 24+, if not done earlier. As we woman tend to have a lot of health, joint, hormonal and healthy tissue regeneration issues due to important vitamin, mineral and collagen deficiency as we grow older. Supplements are like a helping hand for your body’s immune system and metabolism(just like food) which benefit us in the long run to stay stronger and healthier and avoid a lot of disease and fatigue that we experience with age.
- The most important skin care tip and routine is doing regular “BASIC SKIN-CARE” before treating any specific skin concerns like acne, dark spots, sun spots, dark circles, melasma, bumps, textured skin etc. Because all these other more complex skin concerns require us to use products with actives. And using products with active ingredients on a barrier damaged skin may have a negative effect on our skin instead of improving it. Skin barrier is damaged due to not taking care if it at all or in the right way for many years. So first skin barrier needs to be repaired and stay at a consistent healthy, bouncy and supple state for 3-5 months before you start using any product with active ingredient to target specific skin concerns. And to repair skin barrier we need to do basic skin care first for 3-5 months minimum or longer(how fast your skin repairs will depend on your skin type, skin condition like how badly damaged your skin barrier is, your lifestyle and if you're using the correct products for your skin type daily and consistently as per instructions). Basic skin care includes cleansing once in the morning with a foaming cleanser, moisturising on 50% damp skin and then applying a SPF 50+++ UVA and UVB broad spectrum sunscreen(even if indoors) and re-applying the sunscreen every 2-2.5 hours between 9am to 4pm. Then when the day ends at evening/night cleanse again with a oil based cleanser for minimum 2-4 minutes in circular motion, followed by double cleansing with a foaming cleanser, moisturise again on 50% damp skin. Do all this atleast 1 hour before going to bed so your skin gets enough time to absorb all the moisturiser. Once your skin barrier has been repaired and is in a stable state you can start adding products with active ingredients in your routine to treat specific skin issues after consulting with a dermatologist.
- Even if you don’t exercise regularly we should try our best to include 30 mins of brisk walking 7 day’s a week or 1 hour of brisk walking 4 days a week. Also basic stretching exercise for 30 mins 4-5 day’s a week. This will help our body with proper blood circulation, muscle and joint pain relief which will help improve overall health including skin.
I know with our busy lives its hard and a lot to maintain and remember on a regular basis (I myself struggle too most of time, but I don’t stop trying to maintain as much as I possibly can). But if you can incorporate these habits in your daily routine and maintain them, your skin and health will thank you in the long run.
Content Courtesy: Sumratul Nurain