What is the largest organ of the human body? Believe it or not, it’s your skin. For an average adult, we carry 8 pounds of skin, which is the equivalent of a whopping 22 square feet. Protecting our skin is important all year round, but most especially in the summer months, when UV indexes climb to dangerous heights. Be sure to skin screen! In Canada, it is estimated that 6800 Canadians will be diagnosed with Melanoma in 2015. And Canadians born in the 1990’s have two to three times a higher lifetime risk of getting skin cancer (1 in 6) as opposed to those born in the 1960’s (1 in 20).  Using Sunscreen is one of the best defenses against the harmful UV rays, but sunscreen isn’t the only thing we can do to keep our 22 square feet of real estate from being as healthy as it can be!

• When in the sun, seek shade and wear protective clothing – Most of us are guilty of this… once those weathers climb, especially after a harsh winter, all we want to do is throw on a pair of shorts and enjoy the sunlight. However, it’s recommended lightweight long sleeve shirts and pants along with a wide brimmed hat is the safer way to go. If you just can’t bring yourself to cover up that much when outside, there is sun-protective clothing available which blocks the UV rays. Pair that up with some sunblock that has, at a minimum, 45 SPF and you’re well on your way to good skin care.
• Don’t smoke – Smoking makes your skin look older and also contributes to wrinkles. This happens because smoking narrows the tiny blood vessels in the outermost layers of the skin, which decreases blood flow. This depletes the skin of oxygen and nutrients which are important to its health. Smoking also damages the collagen and elastin.
• Be gentle with your skin – Daily cleansing and shaving can take its toll. To help this, limit your bath and shower time. (Hot water removes oils from your skin), avoid strong soaps, shave carefully (use shaving cream or lotion and shave in the direction of hair growth, not against it), pat your skin dry and moisturize moisturize moisturize!
• Eat a healthy diet – Plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins is just what the (Skin) dr. ordered!
• Manage Stress – Whew, is there anything that stress DOESN’T affect?! Uncontrolled stress can make your skin more sensitive and trigger acne breakouts and other skin problems. To help regulate stress, scale back your to-do list, set reasonable limits, and make time to do the things that you enjoy.

Give it a try; you might be amazed at the results!   Image courtesy of marcolm/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Source Url: http://gobelmont.ca/skin-screen/