Here are steps to gain healthy, attractive skin
BY BRAVETTA HASSELL World Scene Writer
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
1/01/13 at 5:24 AM
Maybe you're recuperating from a rocking New Year's Eve.
Perhaps you just want some surefire beauty fixes for those late nights at work, early Saturday morning coffees or ill-timed breakouts that have erupted after a decadent, delicious holiday.
Whatever your reason, Paula Begoun of Paula's Choice offers tips on addressing common issues, such as puffy eyes, irritated skin, surly wrinkles and more.
Puffy, tired-looking eyes
Culprits: Salty foods, alcohol and late-night holiday parties.
We all know it's important to moderate your intake of alcohol, sodium, soda and processed foods, but you also can mitigate the effects of overindulging by adding lots of "anti-inflammatory" foods to your diet, such as fruits, vegetables, salmon and dry roasted nuts, and by drinking plenty of plain water.
Around your eyes, apply an extra dose of a well-formulated moisturizer loaded with antioxidants to combat dryness. Dryness contributes to swelling and makes your eye area appear more wrinkled and tired.
Just remember: There's no need to purchase a product labeled "eye cream." Slather on a brilliant, state-of-the-art moisturizer, and you will see the difference overnight.
Sleep with your head slightly elevated to help prevent fluid retention in the eye area. In the morning, follow up with a soft fingertip massage around the puffy areas to help relieve this kind of swelling.
Use a gentle makeup remover at night to remove all traces of eye makeup. Makeup left on overnight can cause irritation, almost guaranteeing that you will wake up with puffy eyes.
Breakouts
Culprits: Inflammation, hormones and neglecting your normal skin-care routine.
Gentle cleansing is a vital first step. Use a mild, water-soluble cleanser to reduce oily skin and acne without making your skin feel dry and tight.
Exfoliate with beta hydroxy acid (BHA). BHA not only has potent anti-inflammatory properties to reduce redness, but also kills acne-causing bacteria and exfoliates, removing built-up dead skin cells on the surface of the skin, as well as inside the pore. The clearer your pores, the less likely you are to break out.
Eliminate acne-causing bacteria with benzoyl peroxide, considered the most effective over-the-counter choice for killing acne-causing bacteria. It penetrates into the pore to do its job of preventing inflammation and future breakouts.
Wrinkles
Culprits: Sun damage, stress, late nights, drinking and sweets.
Start with sunscreen. Just because it's winter doesn't mean there isn't sunlight, and sunlight damages your skin if you're not wearing sunscreen.
The best defense against wrinkles is daily use of an effective, well-formulated sunscreen rated SPF 15 or higher, and higher is better.
Shed built-up layers of skin with a well-formulated AHA or BHA to truly improve the appearance of wrinkles, even out your skin tone, reduce brown spots and create smoother skin overnight.
Be gentle with skin. The more you tug and pull at your skin, the more you break down its essential support structures, which can lead to increased wrinkling and sagging.
Moisturize. A well-formulated, state-of-the-art moisturizer (serum, liquid or gel textures if you have normal-to-oily or blemish-prone skin; creamy lotions and creams for drier skin) can go a long way toward improving your skin's texture, enhancing its radiance and creating a smoother, more supple surface.
Red, irritated skin
Culprit: Smooching with "Santa" (or anyone else with a beard), cold weather, sleeping in makeup or using skin-care products that you don't know what's in them.
Ask your kissing partner to shave. Unbeknownst to your significant other, stubble or a rough beard can cause a great deal of friction and irritation when it comes in contact with your skin. If he wants to meet up under the mistletoe, insist that he give up the scruff and shave.
When faced with redness, it's important to load up on gentle yet effective ingredients, including antioxidants, skin-repairing ingredients and soothing agents.
Don't use new skin-care products unless you've checked out expert reviews. Visit Beautypedia on CosmeticsCop.com to make sure you aren't hurting your skin with badly formulated products.
Original Print Headline: Tips can help achieve healthy, attractive skin
Bravetta Hassell 918-581-8316
bravetta.hassell@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Cucumbers may reduce the appearance of puffy eyes, but you can avoid the issue completely by sleeping with your head slightly elevated and using a well-formulated moisturizer. CHRISTOPHER SMITH / Tulsa World
Soothe redness with a gentle yet effective moisturizer. STEPHEN PINGRY / Tulsa World file
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