How to Improve Your Skin in the New Year and all Year Round

Talk about impressionable and that is exactly what skin is: impressionable. The products you use on your skin can have a big affect on the condition of your skin. Did you know that air quality, medications and even certain foods can affect the condition of your skin? They can influence the skin for better or worse. Your skin reflects what is being put into and onto your body on a daily basis. So make the best impression on your skin by doing some or all of the following to ensure you will have some improvement for the coming year.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. To reduce red or blotchiness in your complexion, drink green tea. Green tea has an anti-inflammatory property that can be soothing to this skin condition. Iced green tea is best to drink because hot beverages can worsen redness and other symptoms of rosacea. Green tea also helps to prevent wrinkles along with sun-induced damage to the skin. Switch that morning cup of joe to green tea.

2. Air quality is very important too. Avoid environments that are smoky. Smoke releases free radicals that damage skin and hasten aging. Maybe you should think about quitting smoking as the number one resolution for the upcoming New Year. Change the air filter in your home furnace/air conditioner regularly. Even cooking oil can be bad if you don't use the fan over the cook stove, use the fan when cooking to reduce the oil from getting into the air which will settle onto your skin. Run a humidifier in your bedroom to reduce the dry indoor air.

3. Flavored toothpaste can affect the condition of your skin. Tartar-control ingredients and added flavors such as cinnamon may cause a condition known as perioral dermatitis. What is perioral dermatitis and what does it look like? It looks like pimples, redness, and scaling around the mouth. If this happens to you, switch to plain toothpaste. See tips below.

Tips & Warnings

• If you suffer from perioral dermatitis, see a dermatologist for antibiotics to clear it up.