We all have a few bad habits that we need to break when it comes to the care of our skin. But we owe it to ourselves give our skin the best care that we can give it, so the first step is admitting that we have a bad habit that is time to nix.

Don’t Skip the Sunscreen

The best prevention for wrinkled skin and age spots is to lather up on sunscreen. Sunscreen is the best defense for your skin no matter what time of year it is (believe it or not, it still matters in the winter). The more you are in the sun, the more often you want to reapply to make sure that your skin is safe against harmful U.V. rays. To save yourself a step in your morning skin-care routine, enlist the help of foundation or moisturizer with an SPF in it, and you can leave the house feeling good about the length you are going to protect your skin.

Go Beyond Your Face

When getting ready to leave the house for the day or getting ready for bed, we clean our face and think we are done. But there are other parts of our body that are just as important as our face that don’t receive the same TLC. Our skin-care routine needs to extend beyond the care of our face to other exposed parts of our body, like our neck are chest, which are just as delicate and sensitive. We need to keep the other parts of our body hydrated and protected from the sun as well. The next time you are going through the process of your cleansing your face, remember clean and moisturize our neck and chest.

Keep Tools Clean

If the tools you use to cleanse your face or apply your make-up aren’t clean, you are not getting the maximum out of your skin-care routine. Just like you wouldn’t touch your face with dirty hands to avoid spreading germs, the same goes for your make-up tools. When you don’t wash your brushes, you end up mixing colors and change the true hue of what they really are. You also run the risk of clogging pores, which will affect the appearance of your skin. If make-up tools are dirty enough, you could cause an infection. About every three weeks or so, take a time out to clean all your make-up brushes. Use a gentle shampoo or product made to clean brushes. Rinse well to get all the dirt and used make-up off, and leave them to dry overnight.

Less Exfoliation the Better

It feels good to exfoliate skin because you know you are getting rid of all the dead skin cells so that pores can breathe, but too much can have a harsh effect on the skin. When you over-exfoliate, you end up disrupting the balance of natural oil production. This will only make skin look worse, which is the exact opposite of what you are trying to achieve. Cut the exfoliation down to no more than once or twice or twice a week.

Lifestyle Changes

It’s true that people really do need their beauty rest. When you don’t get enough sleep, stress can make skin conditions worse. Sleep is when your body has the chance to repair itself from the day.  Ditch the cigarettes if you smoke as it causes wrinkles and ruins skin tone, and will make you look older than you are.  Drinking alcohol can dehydrate your body and raise inflammatory agents in the blood, affecting the appearance of your skin as well. Now you have no more excuses to skip the gym either. When your body is more active, you are stimulating blood flow, which brings color to skin and minimizes stress levels.

Keep it Simple

Take a serious look at the products you use. It’s a habit to have a different product for each skin concern, or you see something new worth trying every few weeks. Stop the spending- you probably don’t need everything you have. Take a look at each product and what they do. You will find that more than one of your products targets the same skin issues. Even worse, you might be using two products that counteract each other. Ingredients can end up canceling each other out and do nothing or have the opposite affect and cause irritation. Look for products that target more than one skin concern and try spreading the use of different products throughout the day instead of all at once. Before you know it, with a little bit of self-restraint from over-buying and a little bit of research, you’ll start having better skin in no time. 

This article was written by the skin care experts at DorMauri.com.

Let’s face it – one of the facts of life is that time passes by without us barely noticing it. To many people, it goes so fast that many times the realization comes a bit late – not too late of course, but late just the same. I’m talking about facial fine lines and wrinkles … the hurting truth about aging. A lot of women – and even men as well, wake up one day and see fine lines where there used to be none. Looking closely in the mirror they see wrinkles, a little here and a little there, in the corner of the eyes (and they are sometimes called “chicken something”; on the side of the nose; in between the eye brows, beside the mouth – smile lines, some people call them, and in the forehead. They simply appear in places they are expected but many times, earlier than expected.

Am I Really Aging Because I Have Fine Lines and Wrinkles?

Conventionally yes, when fine lines and wrinkles appear, it is a sign that the person is aging. However, when they appear or the time they appear, whether the person is in his or her late 30’s, 40’s, or 50’s, differs from individual to individual, and there is a good explanation for this. Health and beauty experts suggest that how people look physically, and we’re specifically talking about facial skin condition, is greatly affected by two factors: genes and lifestyle.

Genes – Some people are just blessed and lucky to have good genes. They are born with clean, clear skin, and they “got it” from their parents who also have clean, clear skin. Some studies show that there are certain groups of people, like many African-Americans who, because of their genes, appears to age slower than others in terms of skin texture, laxity, and tone. Their skins are simply flawless and because of this, most of them look younger than their age.   

Lifestyle – A lot of people age early because of lifestyle practices. This is a fact. When people do not eat healthy food, smoke a lot, drink alcoholic beverages, sleep late and sleep too little, does not practice good hygiene, as sure as the sun rises every morning these people will look old fast! And not only will they look old fast, they will look not-as-good too because of their unhealthy lifestyle. Some people also go to the extremes in their want to look “better”, not knowing that some of the beauty practices they are doing are actually causing them more harm than good. A good example for this is the excessive use of tanning beds and excessive sun bathing. There are people who value so much a nice tan that they set aside their foreknowledge that excessive sun exposure is dangerous as it can cause premature skin aging and skin cancer.

What Can I Do Now?

Blessed be the health and beauty experts, for they have come up with some suggestions on how to deal with skin issues brought about by aging and poor lifestyle practices. So here are some of the recommendations from the experts:

Eat healthy foods. This means avoid fatty foods, load up with fresh fruits and vegetables, and go easy on grease and processed food. Exercise regularly as this keeps your skin supple and flexible. Avoid excessive exposure to the sun and if you can help it, go slow on the tanning equipment. Drink plenty of water, at least 8 glasses per day is ideal. Sleep early as many nights as you can and as many hours as you can. Use sunscreen, preferably with SPF 15 or higher. Apply sunscreen in the morning after your morning beauty routine and before you get out of the house. Lastly, avoid tobacco, alcohol, and drugs like a plague as they do not only make you look ugly, they will kill you eventually because they can cause illnesses.

This guest post is by Siena Lombardi, an expert writer from Edrugstore.MD. Visit Edrugstore.MD and find out more about the dangers of counterfeit medications.

You may not have time to sort and analyze the food that you eat. Surveys have revealed that most people today are choosing the food that they eat based on the taste, and not on the nutrients that it contains. Does it mean that if the food tastes good, it is equally good? Well, no! Even though you must have believed that some foods are particularly healthy, they are not so in reality. Here are three such foods such have been cleverly marketed as healthy. However, the truth is just the opposite.

• Glossy Granola – Most probably you think that granola bars are good, because they are always featured in the movies and advertisements as a mountaineer’s choice of snack. However, granola bars are dipped in sugary syrups, accompanied by some nuts and artificial ingredients. Apart from that, there is nothing in terms of nutrients that you can get from granola bars.

• Quickie tea – Tea is of course good, but is instant tea as good? You gain a lot of antioxidants when drinking brewed tea; however, instant tea is not the same as brewed tea. Instant tea contains added sugar. Research suggests that instant tea or bottled tea contains fewer antioxidants than brewed tea.

• Fruity promises – You might think that fruit flavored snacks are healthy because they contain fruits. You might see on the label that it contains vitals vitamins—but this is just as far as the advertisements propagate. You can see that the first ingredient listed is a fruit; however, this is only boiled down juices that are concentrated with sugar and lacks the nutrients that a real fruit contains. Furthermore, flavored snacks contain a lot of artificial additives and preservatives that can be harmful to your health.

Try and avoid these to the extent you can. Keep your food simple and try going in for natural stuff that are actually as good as they appear to be! Real fruits and veggies are the best options in terms of the healthy quotient. Never give them up for any of these popular foods.

Starvation is a common problem that nags a number of people at the present age. Have you always thought that starvation would rarely be a possibility with you? Well, you would not be more wrong. Here is a brief glance into the symptoms and reasons that bring about starvation.

When does starvation occur?

Starvation occurs when the body lacks the nutrients it needs for maintaining life. When you are starving, the body actually suffers. This alone explains why you can’t do heavy work whenever you are starving. In case you are starving, the body has no choice but to use its stored glucose and fat to gain energy. It eventually metabolizes your muscle and organs in order to get the needed nutrients. However, with your body using up the nutrients from even your muscles, you eventually feel weaker.

Why can’t you exercise if you starve?

It is obvious that you cannot simply exercise if your body is weak. Exercising would need energy. Given that your body is starving and the essential nutrients from the muscles are being used up, can you maintain your exercise routine? You would get tired within the first few minutes of even hitting the gym. In case you experience any of the symptoms for starvation outlined below, stop exercising and go in for a diet that incorporates energy boosters like oatmeal, crackers made from wheat and the like. Eating these in the right measure will help you regain the energy required for exercising.

Symptoms indicating starvation

There are several symptoms that indicate your body is starving that include dizziness, weight loss and an inefficient immune system. If you are suffering from either of these, it is advised that you consult your doctor.

Reasons for starvation

Starvation may occur because of an eating disorder called anorexia nervosa. People who have anorexia nervosa (usually women) are paranoid about getting fat. You might feel that you are hungry, but if you have anorexia nervosa, you might simply restrain from eating – merely to avoid getting fat.

An end note

One thing to bear in mind is that you can never maintain an effective exercise routine if you are starving. If you do not take proper meals your gymming schedule is bound to get upset. Starvation may also cause you to be irritable. Be on guard and keep taking healthy food at intervals. This is the easiest way to avoid chances of starvation.

Gastric bypass surgery helps you lose excess weight by reducing the body’s ability to absorb calories. With the body being unable to absorb many nutrients and also with your reduced food intake you may suffer from protein deficiency. You need adequate amount of protein after the surgery to avoid losing lean muscle. Your body will require 60-80 grams of protein per day and you must eat food sources rich in protein to meet the daily requirement. The five protein-rich foods that you should consume are:

1. Meat

Meat like chicken, red meat, turkey, beef and pork are rich in protein. A single serving of these food items contains almost 21 grams of protein. These food sources are often difficult to digest, especially after you have had the gastric surgery, in that case you can prepare them by mincing them, creating a broth out of them or cooking them very well, to make them tender and easy to digest.

2. Fish

Fish is also a rich source for proteins. You can eat fish like salmon and tilapia to fulfill your daily protein requirement. You shouldn’t however eat all kinds of fish. There are certain fish like shrimp, shellfish and a variety dry fish that will be difficult for you to digest.

3. Egg

Egg is a very good way to ensure that you have a regular protein intake. Your one serving of egg must include one whole egg, two portions of egg white or a quarter of an egg substitute. Reduce the intake of fat while eating egg by using non-stick spray to cook the egg. Eat egg with onions, spinach, meat or cheese for a complete meal rich in nutrients.

4. Peas And Beans

If you consume a cup of dried peas and beans you will be taking care of 16 grams of your daily protein intake. Add beans to your soup, broth and rice. You can also mix kidney beans with salsa and have it with rice. You can eat these sources of protein if you are vegetarian. Other sources of protein rich vegetarian food include tofu, soy burgers and peanut butter.

5. Milk Products

Dairy products provide you with both calcium and protein. It is better if you have the non fat version so that you do not consume too much fat after the surgery. Non-fat milk with sugar free, yoghurt and low fat cheese will provide you with almost 10 grams of protein. You can have skim milk with fruits for breakfast, which will be a meal high in protein; you can also have potato with cottage cheese. These foods are low in calories but you will be able to acquire sufficient amount of protein from them.

These five kinds of protein rich food items must be a part of your daily diet. Although these foods will surely help in making up for your body’s protein requirement before and after the gastric bypass surgery but taking just these foods are usually not enough. You may want to consult your physician and switch to bariatric supplements to fulfill these essential protein needs of your body.