Skincare

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Being the largest organ in (or rather, on) the human body our skin care regimes are vitally important. In order to decide what is best for you skin, you need to firstly determine what kind of skin type you are. In order to do this, you just need to wash your face with regular warm water and wait for an hour or two. Once this is done, grab a tissue and press it against 4 areas, namely your chin, cheeks, nose and forehead. If the tissue comes away with oily residue on it from all the areas, you have an oily skin, if it only comes away with oil in some areas you’ll have a combination skin and if it comes away with flakes of skin on the tissue or there are flakes of skin on your face, then you have a dry skin.

skincare

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Regardless of your age or skin type you should always cleanse, moisturise and apply sunscreen. If you are fair skinned, sun screen is even more important for your skin and you should even wear at least an SPF 15 when just going out in the day and a higher SPF if going to the beach or into the sun for longer periods.

All skin care products usually state on the bottle whether they are for dry, oily or combination skin and directions come on the bottle. If you have a sensitive skin, avoid scented products or products with additives and try going with established brands as they are generally better researched.

In order to maintain good looking skin it is important to follow a few simple steps apart from regular cleansing:

Avoid smoking and drinking as this ages skin prematurely and causes deep wrinkles around your mouth.
It is important to always wear sunscreen. Not only does sunscreen help curb skin cancer, it also acts as a moisturiser.
Exercise regularly as this increases blood flow to your skin and thus circulation.
If you wear makeup, remember to take it off at night as it can clog pores and can irritate your skin and eyes.
Eating a healthy diet is an obvious plus to healthy skin and body, however it is said that drinking plenty of water actually has no effect on skin as your outer skin is actually dead cells. Drinking plenty of fluids is to keep your inside healthy and happy.
Make sure you get plenty of rest. This does not necessarily mean only getting 8 hours of sleep but getting to bed at a reasonable hour as well.

About the author:

Tracey Potgieter has completed her BA degree with a double major of Communication Science and Psychology in 2009. And is now a Postgraduate Psychology student aiming to do her Masters in Clinical Psychology.