Every day we shed dead skin cells while new ones are made to take their place. Each minute we lose around 30,000-40,000 dead skin cells. That’s almost 4kg every year!
Taking care of our skin is an important step in keeping ourselves healthy, but how do we do this?
Protection from the Sun
Protect your skin from the sun by:
- Limiting time in the sun during high UV hours.
- Wear sun protection any time the UV Index is at 3 or above.
- Follow the slip, slop, slap, seek, slide guide.
- You should wear face sunscreen every day, regardless of the weather, to protect against early aging and minor skin damage.
Know your Skin Type
Understanding what type of skin you have is essential in determining how to keep your face healthy. The main four types are:
- Normal: usually well balanced, not too dry or oily. Normal skin still requires a skincare routine.
- Dry: your skin produces less oil causing dryness which typically worsens with changes in the weather. Dry skin requires more intense hydration than normal or oily skin types.
- Oily: your skin produces too much oil, often causing redness and pimples. Oily skin requires oil free skincare.
- Combination: both dry and oily areas of your skin. For example, some areas don’t produce enough oil and other areas produce too much. Skin care requires multiple products to treat different areas.
Caring for your skin works best when you use cleansers and moisturisers that are made for your skin type. Maintaining your skin barrier helps to keep your face healthy and glowing.
Hydration
Water is used to keep the skin strong, stretchy and healthy. Dehydration can lead to dull, wrinkly and itchy skin. Keep your skin hydrated by:
- Drinking plenty of water.
- Avoiding lots of hot water or steam.
- Using gentle skin products.
Monitoring your Skin
Regularly check your skin for changes which could be a sign of serious damage or skin cancer. These signs could include:
- Development of new spots.
- Change in appearance of existing spots such as change in colour, size, shape, elevation, itching or bleeding.
- If these changes occur or you have any concerns, visit your doctor or a cancer clinic.
Find more of our health tips here.
Book a Chiropractic, Massage or Naturopathy appointment here or call us on 9651 5559.
Sources:
Cancer Council. 2021. Melanoma. https://www.cancer.org.au/cancer-information/types-of-cancer/melanoma
Neutrogena. N.D. Different skin types explained. https://www.neutrogena.com.au/beauty-and-skin-care-tips/managing-all-skin-types/different-skin-types-explained
Watson, S. 2021. Dos and don’ts of skin hydration. https://www.webmd.com/beauty/features/skin-hydration