11 Habits of People With Flawless

Skin
You don’t have to live at the spa, spend money on expensive products, or change
everything about your beauty routine in order to have a glowing, healthy
complexion. Here, dermatologists share the simple secrets to
achieving perfect skin.

They clock at least 7 hours of sleep.

Beauty sleep is real: Unless you have a team of makeup artists waiting in your
bathroom every morning, it’s hard to look gorgeous and youthful when you’re
skimping on Zzs. If you’ve ever woken up with dark circles under your eyes, you
already know what research has shown —that a lack of sleep can contribute to
periorbital hyperpigmentation, a.k.a. “raccoon eyes.” And a 2010 study from
researchers in Sweden showed that a group of participants were rated as more
attractive after eight hours of shut-eye compared to when they were sleep deprived.

They protect their skin from sunlight.

Sunlight is the cause of at least 80 percent of the signs of visible aging, such as
freckling, skin thinning, wrinkles and some facial lines, and can contribute to the
development of skin cancer. Protect your skin daily using “broad-spectrum”
sunscreens that block both UVB and UVA light, advises Roger S. Ho, M.D., of the
NYU Medical Center. Reapply every two hours that you’re in the sun, Ho says.
And try to avoid direct sunlight during the hours when UV rays are the strongest
(usually between 10 am and 4 pm), and supplement sunscreen with shade,
protective clothing and sunglasses. Remember, too, that just because it’s cold
outside (or a cloudy day) doesn’t mean you’re exempt from slathering on the SPF—
sun damage can still happen.
They know how to relax.

It is important to find your inner Zen zone. Chronic tension and physical stress
causes surges of cortisol in the body, a hormone that can break down collagen and
elastin, ultimately leading to wrinkles, says Mona Gohara, M.D., associate clinical
professor at the Yale Department of Dermatology. Stress can also worsen certain
skin conditions, like psoriasis or rosacea, according to the American Academy of
Dermatology.

They moisturize regularly.

Maintaining the water content of the skin is crucial for healthy skin. Moisturizers
slow down water loss through the superficial layers of the skin and strengthen your
skin barrier, Ho says. If you have sensitive skin, look for products with
“ceramides,” one of the three types of lipids or fats in the skin. When the air is dry
in the winter, people with flawless skin know to ramp up their moisturizer use on
their entire bodies. Then, when the air is more humid in warmer months, they can
ease up. “People with perfect skin are in touch with how dry their skin may be and
how important it is to keep skin moist,” says David J. Leffell, M.D., professor of
dermatology at the Yale School of Medicine.

They lay off the excess sugar.

That daily candy habit isn’t just damaging your waistline; it could be aging your
face. Foods with a high glycemic index (think sugary sweets and white carbs)
create an increase in cortisol through a process called “glycosylation,” where
sugars bind to collagen and weaken it, Gohara says. Create beautiful skin from the
inside out by making sure your diet includes healthy fats (like ol ive oil), omega 3s
(found in walnuts and salmon), antioxidants (greens), and vitamin C (berries and
citrus fruits). Try fixing up a kale salad and salmon for dinner, with a berry
mixture for dessert—it’s a great recipe for healthy skin, Gohara says.
They’re gentle with their skin.

If you’re still scrubbing your face raw to get it clean, you might want to stop that
habit tonight. “One of the biggest hidden culprits of skin trouble is working too
hard on it,” says Jessica Krant, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in private
practice in NYC and assistant clinical professor of dermatology at SUNY
Downstate Medical Center. Using too many products, harshly scrubbing, or over -
exfoliating all lead to increased microscopic inflammation that can actually swell
the surface of the skin, clogging pores and increasing blemishes and redness.
Always treat your skin gently, and limit exfoliating to once a week —enough to
help buff the old cells out to make way for the new skin cells, Leffell says.

They never pick.

If you haven’t popped a pimple since high school, congratulations on your self -
restraint. As for the rest of you, it’s time to find a safer way to treat zits. Picking at
blemishes to the point that the epidermis is disrupted and there’s a little bleeding
means you’ve just created a permanent scar, Krant says. Always treat blemishes
gently, steaming them or minimally applying medication to avoid burns or
permanent damage. If the pimple is too stubborn, you can see a dermatologist, who
may give you a tiny diluted cortisone injection to help the deep inflammation
resolve, she says.

They don’t smoke.

As if the carcinogenic effects of nicotine on your health weren’t terrifying enough,

here’s one more reason to quit smoking for good. Remember great Aunt Ida who
had a chain-smoking habit since the 30s? Chances are, her face had fine lines
around her mouth and she had grayish-looking skin, as well as yellow stained teeth
and nails. “Nicotine destroys skin substructures leaving it saggy and listless,”
Gohara says.
They don’t try every fad product.

People with healthy, flawless skin know that the right routine matters more than
the latest hot product. If it sounds too good to be true or fails the common sense
test, it probably won’t work, Leffell says. “People with flawless ski n save their
money for products that work: moisturizers, sun protection, [and] medications that
have been proven to eliminate fine lines and wrinkles, like retinols,” he says.

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