Ishinoy

I have been skincare-crazy ever since my mom let me indulge in an entire skin care regiment at a high-end department store for my 20th birthday.  After a few years of cleansing and protecting my skin on a regular basis, I now swear by three key elements: a cleanser, sunscreen, and a moisturizer.  We only get one body – we should do all we can to take care of as soon as we realize we’re in charge of how it changes throughout our lifetime: caring for it internally by eating right and exercising regularly, and caring for it externally by protecting our skin.  Then I came across this the other day and it got me really thinking:

Protection is key.  We watch for good posture, stretch, and exercise to keep our muscles and other key parts in shape, taking extra care to watch for our heart and joints.  As long as it’s daytime, regardless of what the weather is like outside, we need to be wearing sunscreen that protects against UVA and UVB rays – and not just on our faces, but all over.  This guards against excessive damage and, more importantly, serves as our main defense against skin cancer.  And as long as you have skin, a moisturizer is important – your skin is waterproof, which means water doesn’t leave your body willy-nilly.  This also means that water in the atmosphere doesn’t enter your body willy-nilly, either.  Our bodies are losing moisture constantly – drinking water helps the skin you can’t see.  But the skin you can see is what’s on the front lines of battle with the environment every day and it needs the most help – a moisturizer does that for you.

Although we don’t have any major longitudinal studies to demonstrate how effective these preventative measures are yet, we can act as our own studies.  Ladies (and gentlemen, I’m addressing you as well), we are the first generation to both appreciate a good tan and benefit from the knowledge of how important skin protection is.  My mom loved slathering on the cocoa butter and soaking up the rays in the ’70s.  Now she says she’d trade her glorious 20- and 30-something tan for healthier skin any day.  She’s not just talking about the signs of aging – aging is natural – but there’s the fear that there may be damage below the surface that we have no way of fighting: the beginnings of skin cancer.   In today’s world, we can have our beloved bronze and not have to sacrifice or risk our health to get it.  The teens and 20-somethings who jump on the skincare bandwagon now will be the 50-70 year olds later who can boast a reduced risk of skin cancer, minimal fine lines, limited age spots, and improved collagen compared to the generation before them – and all naturally through prevention.

Two weeks ago, I launched a Mary Kay business, mostly so that I could use MK’s phenomenal skin care line at half price.  I figured since I was going to be using their unbelievably fantastic products anyway, I might as well save a bundle of money while I’m at it.  Investing in my skin today is probably one of the things I’ll appreciate most when I’m 65…75…85…

What have you done for your skin lately?