Improve your complexion from the inside out

There's nothing more appealing than a person who has fresh-looking, healthy skin. When you have healthy skin, you appear to be much healthier overall, cleaner, and just generally happier. Of course, most of us aren't lucky enough to have a naturally healthy complexion without a little bit of intervention. Everything we do, everything we breathe, everything we come in contact with, and everything we eat has an impact on the appearance, feel, and health of our skin…sounds kind of overwhelming at first, doesn't it? Well, don't worry; there are lots of things you can do to improve your complexion and ensure that fresh, clean glow of healthy skin.

There are three things that are considered, by dermatologists and other skin experts, to be the most damaging to the overall health and appearance of your skin. These should be considered the arch enemies of your skin, and should be avoided whenever possible. These things are:

• Getting too much direct sunlight
  
• Breathing tobacco smoke
  
• Eating badly
  

It shouldn't be news to you that the sun's ultra-violet radiation is an extremely destructive force on your skin. This has been a common enough issue on the news, in magazines, and even in conversations among friends and acquaintances, that you know that the sun is tough on skin. But do you know why? It both kills and scars skin cells, causing it to be unhealthy, unpleasant to the touch and to age much faster through the loss of elasticity than it would if properly protected. So the first step to improving your complexion is to cover-up and prevent even more damage than you've already subjected your skin to. Sunscreen and proper cover-up (such as hats and long sleeves) are among the best steps that you can take to prevent sun damaged skin - so don't forget proper sun protection! It's never too late to take this critical step.

Smoking is also extremely dangerous for the skin - among other parts of your body - as it causes vasoconstriction. In English, that means that your skin becomes starved of the nutrients it requires form your blood. This happens both from your own cigarette, and that of someone else's. As long as you're breathing tobacco smoke, you're damaging your skin. It causes your skin to take on a leathery feel and look…not to mention the way your lungs must look! So step two in the battle to improve your complexion is to avoid tobacco smoke.

Ever hear the expression "you are what you eat"? Nothing could be more true than when describing the impact that the food you eat will have on the condition of your skin. For example, fatty fast-foods will rapidly take away from your skin. Fresh fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, have a wider range of flavours, and they are rich in nutrients to keep your skin happy and healthy. Step 3 - proper nutrition that supplies your skin with the vital nutrients you need is critical in improving your complexion.

Then again, healthy skin isn't always as simple as just eating a couple of carrots, and drinking a glass of water every day. There are many fantastic ways that you can alter your diet to ensure the healthiest, most attractive looking skin; and that's exactly what series of articles is about to provide for you.

Why Water is Important for Healthy Skin

Good question. New studies, research, products, and "expert" advice are becoming more readily available than ever before. But with all this information, it's difficult to choose what is right for improving, protecting, and nourishing your skin. Everybody seems to have their own techniques, suggestions, and "miracle" cures. It's about time we come up with something a bit more realistic, practical, and effective. A good skin care strategy should begin with a look at your lifestyle; most importantly, at your diet and the types of foods that you are consuming - check out the Skin Care Recipes website for delectable snacks and meals that will help you improve your complexion.

If you've heard this once, you've heard it a million times - drink a lot of water! It's a fact that most people are dehydrated. This is not only hard on your skin, but also on your kidneys and urinary tract. Your skin becomes more leathery, less flexible and less healthy overall when you're dehydrated, so make sure that you keep your water levels up.

When you're dehydrated, your skin is the first organ of the body that suffers. Yes, you can combat dehydration by drinking something other than water. But did you know that caffeine (a major ingredient in coffee and carbonated drinks) is a diuretic? That means that it actually dehydrates you even further. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you can drink 10 cups of coffee a day and magically have a healthy glowing skin. You need water, pure and simple.

Drinking at least 8 glasses of water every day is the simplest and easiest way to start improving your complexion.

In the next instalment, we'll take a look at some of the critical nutrition ingredients that you need for a healthy, baby-soft skin.