Your complexion can be a fickle thing. One day your skin may be clear and smooth, and the next it may not. Worse still, after a lifetime of ideal skin, you could find yourself in the middle of an uphill battle trying to get back what you have lost! Don’t lose heart! Here are some tips to improve and keep your skin looking its best!

If you have a serious skin care issue, don’t hesitate to speak to a doctor. Your skin requires care, just like the rest of your body. If you are suffering from serious acne, uncomfortably dry skin or other issues that don’t resolve with over-the-counter treatments, your doctor may have prescription medications that can help you.

Try to avoid roughly drying your face with a towel. Your facial skin is very delicate and this can also strip away any mositure that it obtained through bathing. You need to dry your face gently. Do this by taking your towel and dabbing it gently on your face to help it retain some post-bath moisture.

Protect your skin from the sun. Too much sun exposure is one of the prime causes of premature wrinkles, freckles as well as age spots and even dry skin. In addition to these cosmetic problems, the sun can also seriously increase your risk of developing skin cancer. Always wear sun screen, especially between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. as this is when the sun’s rays are the strongest.

Using a sunscreen every day will help reduce skin damage caused by the sun. Most people will consider using sunscreen only if they are playing golf or visiting a beach. However, it is important to apply a SPF 15 sunscreen every day to protect your skin while doing anything outdoors and even on cloudy days.

A great skin care tip is to avoid leaving on wet socks or gloves for a long period of time. Keeping wet socks or gloves on can bother your skin, and even cause sores. When you get home, immediately take your wet socks and gloves off so you can maintain healthy skin.

Use a vitamin B3 enriched cream to deal with red, uneven skin. Vitamin B3 is known to hold in moisture while protecting your skin from things that could irritate it. When you use these products for a week or two, you will notice how much healthier and better hydrated your skin will appear.

Learn to find creative outlets for your stress and control your stress levels. The stress you undertake will increase your production of cortisol that is pumped through your circulatory system. This will cause any existing skin condition such as acne, eczema, or psoriasis to flare up. If you can improve your stress management, then you can improve your skin.

Oatmeal can be used as an inexpensive exfoliate for your face and body. Make an oatmeal mask by simply combining ¾ cup oatmeal and ½ cup water and cooking it for a few minutes. After it cools, apply to your face and allow to sit for 10 to 20 minutes. To use the oatmeal with your entire body, simply place a few scoops into your bath water and let it soak before climbing in.

Exposure to sunlight breaks down the collagen in the skin of your hands, so make sure that you take special care to use sun block on your hands to prevent this damage. You can help to repair this damage by using creams with alphahydroxy acids and peptides to rebuild collagen and thicken skin over time.

If you are going to be headed for a beach for the weekend it would be wise to take sunscreen with you. This isn’t just because the short term sunburn. Repeated exposure to solar radiation can lead to skin cancer, premature aging, and an immune system with reduced efficacy. So make sure to put on your SPF30 sun cream!

There are two obvious factors that are detrimental to the healthiness of the facial skin. A lack of sleep will quickly take its toll leaving the skin tired and with black circles under the eyes, so ensure that you get at least seven hours sleep per day. Secondly, an over-abundance of alcohol drinking will also drain the skin of its luster and produce enlarged pores. Try to limit alcohol intake to no more than one drink per night.

Find natural products to use on your skin. The chemicals that are in many skin care products can aggravate acne-prone skin and cause even more breakouts. If you dry your skin out with chemicals, the skin will produce more oil to replace what you are stripping from it and cause more acne.

Now that you have the intel on how to fight the battle for ideal skin, apply what you know. Skin care all comes down to proper maintenance and good daily habits. Keep that up, and not only will your skin’s condition improve, it will stay that way!

Everything You Should Know About Skin Care was originally published on Spring