Perfect Skin

 

Ever wanted perfect skin? My bottom has fabulous skin…

… not a wrinkle, not a blemish – a lovely complexion. If I’ve had a stressful day you’d never know it from looking at my bottom. My face, however, tells a different story. It’s a great shame that the bit of skin we show the world is so high profile. One bad day and little worry bags appear under my eyes. Two bad days and my cheeks have lost their rosiness. A week of bad days and the idea of wearing a paper bag with little holes to see from is very appealing.

The two immutable facts of having good skin…

…are avoiding sun damage and inheriting good genes. If you were unable to pick your parents, at least wear a hat.

Oil and water

The miracle of water

A thousand super models can’t be wrong. Drink more water. (Take one prune, add a cup of water and leave over night. Next morning you’ll have a plumped-up prune, not a pruney wrinkle in sight.) Witness the miracle of water. Two litres of water a day is ideal, but if you find that difficult, try to drink at least 1.2 lt (that’s two of those little water bottles). As tea, coffee and alcohol are diuretic (you lose water from the body), your water quota is on top of these beverages. Purified or spring water is best, but you will get the same benefits for your skin from tap water.

The good oils — fatty acids are vital for good skin

In our pursuit for thinness many women have dropped fat completely from the diet, causing their skin to become dry. I’m not suggesting a diet of burgers and fries, but there are good fats for the skin. The ‘good’ fat (omega 6 and omega 3) containing foods include fish (sardines are great), nuts and seeds, olive oil and avocadoes. Many people comment on how good their skin looks when they are taking evening primrose oil capsules. This is due to the omega 6 fatty acids.

Diet

I have seen it happen (and it’s really annoying), but it’s hard to have flawless skin without fruit and vegetables in your diet. A couple of pieces of fruit a day, and salad and vegetables. If you want to go a step further, drink a carrot juice daily spiked with celery and wheat grass.

Stress

Like me, a lot of people find stress affects their skin. So stop it! Or find ways to deal with the stress in your life, like yoga, exercise, meditation or counselling. Herbal kava is good too. When stressed we tend to drop our healthy habits, so make it a priority to keep drinking water, eating good food and exercise even during the stressful times.

The recipe for perfect skin

Stay out of the sun, drink water religiously, eat fruit and vegetables and ‘good’ fat foods andde-stress.