Skin Tip of the Week: Protect yourself from the sun

Protect yourself from the sun

The most important way to take care of your skin is to protect it from the sun. A lifetime of sun exposure can cause wrinkles, freckles, age spots and rough, dry skin. Sun exposure can also cause more-serious problems, such as skin cancer. For the most complete sun protection:

• Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. This is when the sun's rays are the strongest.
• Wear protective clothing. Cover your skin with tightly woven long-sleeved shirts, long pants and wide-brimmed hats. You might also opt for special sun-protective clothing, which is specifically designed to block ultraviolet rays while keeping you cool and comfortable.
• Use sunscreen when you're in the sun. Apply generous amounts of broad-spectrum sunscreen 30 minutes before going outdoors and reapply every two hours, after heavy sweating or after being in water.

Skin Tip of the Week: Drink More Water

Did you know that 50 to 60 per cent of our total body weight is water? Water is our life force. Common complaints like headaches, lack of energy, tired and lethargic sensations, injuries, hot flashes and achy joints and muscles have seen to be associated with dehydration. If most women would commit to drinking eight glasses of water every day they would notice a great improvement in their overall health and energy.

Think of it this way: Every tissue, cell, organ and system is composed of water and functions optimally only in the presence of adequate water levels. Degeneration associated with aging will occur at a quicker rate if you are dehydrated. And you can't use thirst to help you determine when you should be drinking water, because as you age your thirst mechanism does not function as well as it should.