"What are the secrets to beautiful skin? Here are the top 10 tips to keeping your skin smooth, beautiful and youthful ... whatever your age"

Number 10: Don't smoke or drink alcohol excessively

If you smoke, I doubt that having your skin look significantly better is enough incentive to encourage you to stop. The reasons to quit smoking are many and I am sure that you have heard them all before. I was a smoker and one of the most dramatic differences I experienced from quitting was how much better I looked. Hard alcohol is also very hard on the skin. If you do smoke and/or enjoy the occasional drink, consider a nutritional supplement for you skin such as Nature's Basin ... which is excellent for anyone's skin.

I know it sounds too simple, but stick with me here. This is easily added to your morning and evening cleansing routine and can make a significant difference in the appearance of your facial skin. Did you know that often a double chin is not from fat but from clogged lymph glands and a build up of fluid?

It is important to know "how" to touch your face, whether you are massaging or just applying cleanser or skin moisturizer. Always move from the center outward and upward without stretching the skin when you touch your face. This is especially critical around the eye. Never touch the skin above the eye in an inward direction (move outward toward your temples) or the skin under the eye in an outward direction (move gently from the outward corner of your eye toward your nose) and use an especially light touch around the eyes . Think about moving your hands along your face in the direction you want the skin to go - up and out, smoothing out the lines. Massage is wonderful for your face. Massage is key for stimulating circulation. It raises the temperature of the skin, releasing the oils from your pores. This is key as you cleanse your facial skin.

Facial massage is a great way to de-stress too. Place your fingertips at the center of your forehead and draw them firmly to your temples, while you are there, press the point between the brows firmly for a couple of minutes for deep relaxation and relief of stress. The other important point on the brow are the "Oh, My Goodness" points about two inches above the center of each eyebrow.

There is a wonderful (and detailed), downloadable ebook on using facial acupressure to both achieve a more youthful appearance and to reduce stress called Facial Rejuvenation ... worth checking out if you want to really utilize a natural method for beauty.

To relieve stress or to calm yourself, press here with your middle fingers for a few moments. Breathe deeply, expanding and raising your chest as you inhale slowly. As you exhale slowly, tighten your belly button to your spine at the end of the exhale. A simple and easy way to learn more about the power of breathing deeply and focused, check out Breathing Health

If you are interested a comprehensive approach to looking younger with just the power of natural facial massage and exercise, check out Facial Gymnastics ... a testament to power of touch and facial exercise to maintain a youthful appearance.

Using those massage techniques, apply your favorite cleanser with the upward and outward motion. Massage your face lightly until all the make-up is removed. Use a toner or astringent applied with the same motion until there is no residue on your cloth or tissues. It is vital that you remove everything before you put on any other nighttime treatment for that matter. The toner finalizes the cleansing, hydrates and restores pH balance to the skin. There are wonderful products on the market.

Last, apply a good quality moisturizer ... one that is capable of working while you are asleep reducing inflammation and has anti-oxidants into the dermis. Imagine, eliminating wrinkles while you sleep!

You can find good quality cleansers, toners and moisturizers online (at great prices) at The Skin Store Online ... Lovely Skin ... and Skin Botanica. Also, take so time to look into Cleopatra's Choice, Natural Products, a source for very natural products.

We all got excited about glycolic acid, fruit acids, alpha-hydroxy acids. Initially, they give us a nice fresh glow, but now there is some serious research indicating that for the long term, these may not be the best products for our skin. Be careful not to use exfoliants too often. Normal to oily skin can usually be exfoliated with a granular scrub once a week and alpha hydroxy acids more often, but if you have dry, sensitive skin, I would recommend seeing a dermatologist or using products that are specifically formulated for sensitive skin. A good place to find products for specialized skin needs are The DermStore and Skin Care RX The research I've seen indicates that the use of these chemicals increases our skin's sensitivity and puts us at greater risk of ultraviolet damage from the sun. Moderation is the key. Dermatologist are saying the problem stems from consumer misuse or abuse. Improper use, too frequent use and use by those with sensitive skin, this is where you see the damage.

Have you ever noticed how angry faces and faces full of stress look so much older ... right down to the skin? Find resolution to conflicts and finding peace of mind really makes a difference. Wearing anger and stress on your face is not pretty! I staff empowerment weekends with a women's organization and it is amazing to see how different women look after they have been through the weekend processes. Much of the work centers around letting go of anger and resentment and forgiving the people who we feel have hurt and harmed us. The good news is that there are so many resources available to us when we are ready to look within and let go of toxic anger and resentment. One of the practices I use is very simple. While thinking about the person or the situation that has me upset or resentful, I silently ask myself three questions. Pause after asking each one and notice your answer. There is no right or wrong answer. Just notice. Continue to ask yourself the same three questions, pausing and noticing your answer, until the answer is a clear and strong "yes". I find this very effective. Here are the three questions:

Could I let go?
Would I let go?
When?

If you want some help in this area, a collection of experts on stress and stress reduction have put together a material at Crush Stress And Anxiety. Sometimes letting go of anger and resentment allows you the opportunity to embrace peace and pursue a positive future.

I use facial acupressure (go back to #9 for the "Oh, my goodness" pressure points de-stressing exercise), diet, meditation, and yoga to keep the stress down in my life. There are supplements that are important as well. A good place to find quality nutritional supplements are The Vitamin Shop ... Puritan Products ... and House Of Nutrition. Overall, I believe most of us do not take the time to pamper ourselves and some pampering and taking care of ourselves goes along way to reduce stress. I know it is hard to make time for ourselves with busy lives taking care of work, kids and family. The more I take care of myself, the more I have to offer my work and my family.

One excellent way to reduce stress and get your life moving in the right direction is to work with a "life coach". This is a person who can help you identify your true goals in life and start moving towards those goals. We set up a Life Coach Chat page to assist you in finding a skilled, affordable Life Coach, should this be of interest to you.

What we eat affects our skin - for better or worse. I believe the best diet for the skin is also the healthiest for me in general. Lots of fruits and vegetables, red meat less than once a week, no refined sugar (I use maple syrup or rice bran syrup for sweetening drinks or in place of sugar in recipes. These are natural low glycemic alternatives to sugar. Aspartame and other sugar substitutes are proving to be more harmful than sugar and still trigger sugar cravings in the body. More information is available at HolisticMed.com), no hydrogenated fats or processed foods. I feel and look great when I follow a low glycemic diet, like what Dr. Perricone recommends in his book The Perricone Prescription. By the way, I love Dr. Perricone's information. He is absolutely right about the effects of salmon on the skin. I try to eat fish, salmon in particular, at least 3 times a week. His advise is very sound and gives me the promised results.

Probably the only thing worse for our skin than smoking is the sun. I cringe when I think back on how as a teenager, I used to cover myself with baby oil and tanning lotions and lay in the sun. These days, think hats, coverups and lots of sunscreen (don't forget your hands). What to look for in a sunscreen? Naturally, I am fond of natural, effective ingredients. There is also a new chemical additive called Parsol 1789, which is becoming more widely available as an ingredient in sunscreens, blocks UVA rays, the kind of ultraviolet light that reaches deeper into the skin's layers. UVA rays, which contribute to tanning, are most associated with aging the skin. Exposure can promote wrinkling, age spots, and loss of elasticity.

Any of these three ingredients on a label - Parsol 1789 (also known as Avobenzone), zinc oxide, and titanium dioxide - signal that the sunscreen offers wide protection from UV radiation. But broad spectrum or not, don't expect any sunscreen to give you a broad license to stay in the sun all day, warn dermatologists. Even with sunscreen, sun exposure can add up and damage skin. Sunscreens don't give 100% protection. Bare minimum, use SPF15 which screens about 92% of UVB radiation. For more information on sunscreens and to learn how much protection you do get from the various SPF ratings from WebMD.

BIG TIP on sunscreens: Make sure you check the expiration date on the sunscreen container! Sunscreens STOP working well after a certain period of time. They have a "shelf life". For more information, take a look at this article Sunscreens Have Shelf Life.

For a high quality, environmentally friendly sunscreen it is worth checking out KINeSYS Sunscreens. They offer excellent products, selection. If you are comfortable with traditional sunscreen products, great, you have a lot to choose from. But, whatever you do, if you are going to be in the sun for a prolonged period time, use some sort of sunscreen.

Filtered, quality water and lots of it. What I have learned is a big part of skin care (and overall good health) is internal and water is one of the top ingredients for good health and great skin. I try for 16+ glasses a day, yes that's 128 ozs! When I do it, my body loves it and my skin shows it. For me the easiest way to make sure this happens is to follow these rules:
Always have a bottle of water with me when I am out.
Always have a glass of water with me at my desk.

Drink it all down. Sipping doesn't get it done. Drink it down, get another one and it's ready when your ready to drink it all down again.

Another trick I use: Get a 25.3 oz. bottle and put six rubber bands on it, take one off every time you empty it and refill it, when the rubber bands are gone, you're done for the day! If you want a larger bottle, no problem, do the math and put the appropriate number of rubber bands on the bottle.

Just in case I have not made my point about drinking plenty of water, take a moment to read Top 11 Benefits of Drinking Water

Would you drinks dirty water? How about eating spoiled or unhealthy foods? Well then, it is not any different when you apply cosmetics or any sort of skin treatment! Use only quality products you obtain from quality companies and those experts in the field who know what is best for skin, hair and your body in general... and goes right down to the soaps you use. Getting some professional help with beauty questions is why we set up Beauty Chat. And, Skin Care Chat where you can ask dermatologists and skincare experts for professional advice. We have given you a good start towards more healthy, beautiful skin ... and hopefully a more healthy, beautiful you.

Thanks For Stopping By... We hope these 10 tips to healthier, more beautiful skin benefit YOU!

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