Morning Beauty Tips

Get your skin going and glowing with our expert's a.m. skin care suggestions. By Linda Formichelli

If your morning skin care habits are strictly wash-and-go, you need to step up to a daily regimen that will help fight off free radicals, protect your skin from the sun's rays, bring moisture to dehydrated skin, and more. While the sun is shining, your skin will be glowing --thanks to these daytime skin care tips from Marianna Blyumin, MD, a cosmetic dermatologist in Hollywood, Fla.

Get Moving. Exercise isn't just for your muscles, so get off the couch and get moving."Exercise lowers stress hormones, the physiological stress indicators that cause damage to all of our body -- including our skin," says Blyumin. Cardiovascular exercise works best for keeping stress hormones at bay, so try 30 to 45 minutes per day of walking, biking, swimming, or even martial arts.

Exfoliate. Give your skin a wake-up call in the shower."Exfoliating your body speeds up skin cell turnover and therefore gets rid of damaged superficial skin and lets fresher skin shine through," says Blyumin.

How often you should exfoliate and how harsh a scrub you should use depends on your skin type: If you're desert-dry, look for a mild moisturizing scrub and exfoliate monthly. Normal skin can handle weekly exfoliation with a body cleanser containing fine beads. Oily skin? Scrub three times a week with any body cleanser containing exfoliating beads or a loofah, and afterward be sure to slather on a barrier repair moisturizer; these creams contain ingredients such as ceramide, a lipid that not only prevents water loss but helps rebuild the skin.

Lighten Up. Leave the heavy face creams for nighttime, and instead go for a light moisturizer; lightweight products don't leave your skin feeling greasy during the day. Blyumin recommends a moisturizer with antioxidants such as green tea, soy, coenzyme Q10, or vitamins A, C, and E, which counteract free radicals that age your skin and can contribute to skin cancer.

Hydrate. You're already hydrating your skin from the outside, but you need to quench your skin's thirst from the inside, too."When we're dehydrated, our skin begins to look dull and dry," says Blyumin."So it's important to hydrate the skin from the inside by drinking plenty of water."

Solar Power Top your daily skin care strategies with a sun protection plan, say experts.

Cover up. Help prevent skin cancer and premature aging with an SPF of at least 30. Choose a physical sunblock (with ingredients like titanium dioxide or zinc oxide) rather than a chemical sunblock (with ingredients like avobenzone) because it's less likely to irritate your skin. Even better, most physical sunblocks protect against both UVA and UVB rays.

Lip service. When you protect your face from the sun, don't leave out your pout."Skin cancers on the lips are more dangerous than other skin cancers because they're more likely to spread to the inside of our body," says Marianna Blyumin, MD. So select a lip balm with at least a 30 SPF.

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