The benefits of taking care of your skin are limitless, from achieving a radiant complexion to preventing acne breakouts. With an increasing number of people committing to a skincare regimen, research has uncovered a correlation between skin health and mental wellness.
How can sticking to a consistent skincare routine help boost your mental health? Check out the benefits of healthy skin and tips to start your skincare journey.
How Does Skincare Help Your Mental Health?
At first glance, mental health and skincare seem unrelated. However, an impressive body of research suggests that a mindful skincare practice can help improve your mental state. Check out these benefits if you’re wondering how beauty helps mental health.
1. It’s Stress-Relieving
Like any daily routine, sticking to a skincare practice can help reduce stress, leading to a better mental state. Adopting a healthy habit such as caring for your skin makes life more fruitful and enjoyable.
A mindful skincare routine can differ for everyone. It could mean playing calm music as you massage your face or repeating affirmations to yourself as you remove your makeup. Whatever your practice, having a skincare routine before starting your day and moments before sleeping can help ward off stress.
In this fast-paced world, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. Engaging in a mindful routine can help you gain some control over your life.
2. It Boosts Your Self-Worth
If you struggle with depression or anxiety, chances are you might not engage in self-care practices because you feel like you don’t deserve them. If you can relate, remember that you matter, so it’s important to take care of yourself through skincare.
In fact, taking care of your skin can help improve your self-body image — even as simple as washing your face can bring comfort and structure to your day. Applying skincare products can make you feel confident in your skin.
3. It Provides Joy
Maintaining an effective skincare routine breeds consistency and joy in your skin and life. The thing about committing to a skincare routine is that you have a lot of products to choose from and try out, from a facial massage day to a chemical peel. In fact, looking forward to exciting moments can help boost your mood.
“Anticipation of happy events releases feel-good neurotransmitters in the brain,” said Matt Traube, a licensed therapist specializing in treating skin disorders in Santa Barbara, California.
4. It can Boost Your Social Bonding
When you take good care of your skin, you will glow and people will eventually notice. When you feel good about your skin, it will eventually show through your energy and how you treat people around you. Even better, your friends will want to know more about your secrets. You’ll feel happy because you know that all your efforts are paying off.
5. It’s a Form of Kindness
School or work can be so stressful that lying in bed as soon as you arrive home is tempting. However, if you spend a few minutes removing your makeup and washing it, you’re sending a message to your brain that you care for your skin.
When you show kindness to your skin, it’ll reward you. The same thing goes for when you’re consistent with a skincare routine.
Other Benefits of Healthy Skin
As the largest organ in the body, the skin plays the role of the first line of defense in keeping harmful elements at bay. Here are the other positive impacts of skincare aside from helping your mental health.
It Keeps Skin Healthy
The mental health benefits of skincare are only secondary. Sticking to a routine can help your skin stay in good condition. Every day, humans shed about 600 skin cells, making it essential to keep it moisturized.
It Prevents Skin Problems
Committing to a skincare routine decreases the risk of skin problems. For instance, using sunscreen daily can protect your skin against permanent damage, which can lead to wrinkles and in extreme cases, skin cancer.
While there’s no way to reverse skin aging, you can do something to slow the aging process. For instance, if you regularly use retinol, you provide your skin with a way to encourage new collagen cells, resulting in fewer wrinkles and fine lines in the long run.
Improves Your Skin Tone
Air pollution is one of the many reasons behind common skin diseases, such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and acne, which affects 50 million Americans — 15% of which are adult women. Damage from pollutants can also cause uneven texture and discoloration. With a skincare routine, you can prevent the onset of these skin issues.
How to Improve Skin Health
Now that you know the benefits of healthy skin, it’s time to explore how to achieve it. Here are the tips you should know and act on today.
Eat Healthily
Taking care of your skin starts from within. Eat a balanced diet to maintain skin health. Check out these food options that can help benefit your skin:
- Mango: This fruit is rich in antioxidants that help maintain collagen production.
- Tomato: Consuming tomatoes on a regular basis helps boost protection against sunburn and skin cancer. Lycopene can also protect the skin against UV damage.
- Green tea: Polyphenols, compounds in green tea, can help rejuvenate drying skin cells.
- Kale: This vegetable contains zeaxanthin and lutein that boosts skin protection.
Maintain a Good Circulation
Having a healthy blood supply is essential to keeping your skin healthy. Here are ways you can reap the benefits of healthy skin:
- Avoid smoking: Nicotine content can narrow blood vessels, preventing healthy blood and oxygen circulation needed to keep your skin healthy.
- Exercise daily: Making time for exercise daily can help increase blood flow and circulation, which in turn helps transport nutrients and oxygen to your skin.
Practice Skin Hygiene
Sticking to a skincare routine is all about protection and prevention. Here’s a basic step-by-step guide you can do in the morning:
- Cleanse: Wash your face with water and mild soap to remove grime that’s accumulated overnight.
- Moisturize: Keep your skin hydrated and avoid using products that dry out the skin.
- Sunscreen: This is essential to keep your skin protected from harmful UV rays.
When it comes to using products, less is better. It’s best to use a few products that work for you than try out new ones regularly.
Beauty Beyond the Skin’s Surface-Level
Aside from keeping your skin glowing, beauty practices can also help your mental health. The best thing is it doesn’t have to be complicated. Just follow the above mentioned skincare tips to keep your skin and mind healthy.
Photo by Aiony Haust on Unsplash
This is a collaborative post supporting our Peace In Peace Out initiative.