Ways to Preserve Your Skin Part 2

Ooppsss, sorry for the delay.  I totally forgot that I still owe the second part of "Ways to Preserve Your Skin". If you've missed the first part, click here: Ways to Preserve Your Skin Part 1

So here's more of the tips taken from the book: The Change Before the Change : Everything You Need to Know to Stay Healthy in the Decade Before Menopause by Laura E. Corio, M.D. 

5. Give your skin — and –yourself– a workout. If you've ever had a good facial, you know the massage can also loosen muscles under the skin. In addition, facial massage stimulates blood flow, restoring skin health and complexion. Exercise benefits the skin for the same reason–when your skin flushes, it's a sign that oxygen-rich blood is pumping vigorously through all those capillaries close to the surface.
 
6. Rest- As we all know, a good night's sleep can do wonders for the skin (once the designs from the pillow have worn off). Sleep affects your metabolic functions, and not getting enough can cause premature aging throughout your body.
 
7.Keep hydrated- One of the best prescriptions for maintaining healthy-looking-skin and your health in general- is to drink at least two quarts of water a day. That's eight 8-ounce glasses. Fruit juice counts; coffee tea and soda do not. The reason as far as skin is concerned is that as we age our sweat glands shrink and work less effectively. Our skin, therefore, receives less hydration, which contributes to its thinning dryness, and loss of sheen. Drinking lots of water forces those glands to keep active, pumping sweat through the layers of the skin and lubricating the surface.
 
8. Lubricate your skin- Make moisturizing a part of daily routine. Wash with moisturizing soap, add moisturizing gel to your bath water, and apply moisturizer liberally to your skin immediately after bathing or showering, when your pores are open. Moisturize your face both in the morning and before bed. Your daytime cream or lotion should contain suncreen; for nightime, you may consider one of the many replenishing creams, as they tend to provide heavier moisturizing. Just as eating fat is good for your skin, putting fat directly on your skin is also beneficial. So look for products that say they contain essential fatty acids. And don't feel you have to go for the most expensive product on the market, particularly if the high cost will induce you to skimp.
 
9. Take your vitamins. Vitamin C stimulates the growth of new collagen, so it is one of the most important vitamins you can take for your skin. Be sure to get at least 1,000 mg. daily. Both vitamin C and vitamin E are antioxidants, which pick up free radicals that can damage your skin cells. Vitamin E seems to help prevent wrinkles and smooth fine lines. Take 400 to 800 IU natural vitamin E a day.