Healthy Skin

What Is Healthy Skin?

• Looks and feels smooth without breaks in the surface
• Feels warm (not hot or cold) 
• Is not red or patchy
• Is neither dry & flaky, nor moist and wrinkled​​

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Why Is Healthy Skin Important? 
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• It is our largest vital organ - covering approximately 3000 square inches of the average adult

• It has several important functions
  • Protection - Through a thick, acidic and waterproof outer layer, the skin helps protect against bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeast, radiation, and chemical attack. Melanin helps protect against ultra violet rays.
  • Sensation - Skin helps detect changes in the environment such as heat, cold, touch, pressure and pain.
  • Heat Regulation - Skin helps to keep the body at a constant temperature of 37℃ by dilation (widening) and constriction (narrowing) of blood vessels. Sweat also helps keep the body cool while a fat layer within the skin and raising of hair on the skin's surface help insulate and keep the body warm.
  • Absorption - Having pores and hair channels through which the skin can absorb chemicals (good and bad) into small blood vessels in the skin.
  • Secretion - Of sebum (oil) to keep skin lubricated and has acidic properties.
  • Excretion - Of waste products such as lactic acid, urea, and salts through perspiration.
  • Vitamin D Production - Through a reaction of sunlight on the skin producing a chemical reaction that ultimately increases vitamin D in the body. ​​

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​11 Great Habits For Healthy, Youthful Skin?​

• ​​Hydration - 2 litres for women and 3 litres for men.
• Eating a Healthy & Balanced Diet - The gut is more important than we thought in terms of contributing to our immune system and health hormones for mood and skin health. Good food in helps achieve a healthy glow to your skin. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. 
• Regular Exercise - helps to stimulate the lymphatic system, which keeps everything moving, dilates blood vessels which in turn helps nutrition & oxygen to feed new cells.
• Daily Sun Protection - Daily SPF 30 to protect against damaging UVA (aging) and UVB (cancer causing) rays that inflame and dry our skin.
• Optimized Skincare - Check out our Alastin products
  • ​Remember to wash your face twice daily with a gentle cleanser.
  • Start your day with an antioxidant (e.g. vitamin C serum or Alastin's  Restorative Skin Complex) and moisturizer with SPF - If outside don't forget to reapply your SPF every 2-3 hours.
  • In the evening, after washing, add a retinol (start low potency and twice 
    weekly to prevent dry and flaky skin); Alastin has a moisturizing retinol so two in one product.
  • Moisturize to restore your skin overnight.
  • Exfoliate once or twice weekly to help get rid of dead skin that limits how much of your skincare products actually get absorbed to where they are needed.
• Shave Carefully - Shaving can injure the skin and hair follicles if not properly lubricated before AND after.  Go in the direction of hair growth...or better yet, consider waxing, sugaring, or laser hair removal.
• Quit Smoking - Because your skin is worth it! Smoking narrows blood vessels in the skin which depletes the skin of oxygen, nutrients and vitamin C (an antioxidant that aids in reducing inflammation), and accelerates the rate at which collagen and elastin are broken down.
• Limit Alcohol Intake - A systematic review research study (a reliable evidence source) linked a dose-dependent intake of alcohol and risk for non-melanoma type skin cancers (basal and squamous cell skin cancers).
• Keep Stress In Check - Research suggests that stress can impact the quantity of sebum (oil) produced and this can lead to breakouts. While the study focused on teenagers, it may also translate to other age groups as well.
• Get Sufficient Sleep - Aim for 7 hours a night. Sleep is a time for skin restoration and studies link those with poor sleep time with increased signs of skin aging and poorer barrier function. This results in more wrinkles and lines, darkness under the eyes, and duller complexion.
• Change Your Mask Regularly - As we continue with pandemic precautions, face masks (cloth, paper, and other components) are a daily experience. Remember that you need to change it at minimum daily! Oils, makeup and bacteria collect on masks which can contribute to breakouts, rashes, and skin infections.

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​50 is FABULOUS!
​Love the skin you're in by investing in quality skincare and visiting your medical aesthetics practitioner regularly.