Tanning, Sun Exposure, and Celebrity Skin Care Regrets

The fallacy of youth is believing you’re going to be young and healthy forever. Self-care, being healthier every day, and things like daily skin care become more and more important as one gets older, more aware of mortality, and generally wiser. However, starting younger and sooner when it comes taking care of yourself and curbing any bad habits is always for the better.

Good or bad, your older self will reap the results of the life decisions you make in your youth. Things like going to the doctor or consulting a health-related professionals regularly or when there’s an issue and addressing it immediately or before it’s a bigger problem are obviously important but far too easy to ignore. Consistent action and care do wonders for your health when you finally get older. Good habits beget good results.

So what are things most of us, even those who are generally healthy and look good for our age, wish we had taken more care of to prevent bad skin when we we younger?

Diet

What you eat obviously has a big effect how how your body works. Depending on consumption, our diet impacts the skin greatly. Things like sugar and alcohol, especially in excess, can wreak havoc on your skin building up over time and get worse as you age. Foods rich in nutrients (especially antioxidants) like fruits, veggies, grains, and lean proteins are your true friend.

Education

When we’re young and in good health, it’s tougher to be motivated to learn about our bodies and health. A consistent regret as we age is wishing we had taken the time to educate ourselves on the best ways to take care of our bodies. So take the time to learn about your own healthy and wellness however you can and empower yourself to make your best health decisions.

Makeup

Always make sure to use the best makeup for your skin (and less of it if possible), keep your application tools clean (don’t share them!), and remove it all carefully before going to bed.

Sleep

Going without regular sleep can catch up to you as you get older. Resting up can make you younger longer. It powers, refuels, and de-stresses your entire mind and body. Also, if you can, avoid sleeping on your face to prevent lines and wrinkles.

Sun Exposure

Monitoring your exposure to the sun prevents the accumulation of wrinkles, sun damage, and age spots. Sustained exposure to the sun unprotected over time can really unnecessarily age the skin, never mind the increased risk of skin cancer. Remember, hats and long clothing for limiting your exposure to the sun. Obviously, the sun is essential to life and the source energy, but make sure to avoid over exposure.

Sunscreen

Middle-aged folks and older, whether they are glamorous or not, consistently say they wished they had started used daily skin protection and sunscreen every day earlier. When sun exposure is unavoidable or desired, some good SPF protection can nicely help prevent unwanted repercussions for your skin.

Tanning

Just don’t do it. That temporary bronze glow accelerates the skin’s aging process and can lead to skin cancer. Your older self will pay a price for looking good young.

Famous Faces

There seems to be a common theme when successful women in entertainment, whose appearance are a part of their business, are asked about their biggest skin care regrets:

My biggest beauty regret is the amount of sunbathing I used to do without sunscreen. I mean, baby oil? What was I thinking? […] I loved being brown — I loved it, I loved it, I loved it. […] Why didn’t someone make me wear sunscreen?

– Friends actress Jennifer Aniston

So do I have regrets? Yes, a lot. If I could go back with the knowledge I have now, I would do so much differently. Now I use sun protection on my face and chest every day […] and I don’t lie out in the sun.

– Danish fashion model Helena Christensen

I think I wore too much makeup when I was too young. Too much bronzer.

– Pretty Little Liars actress Lucy Hale

My greatest regret from when I was younger was that I didn’t protect my skin from the sun—even though I think I look better with a tan.

– Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson

Sometimes I forget to take my makeup off if I’m really tired, but I am trying to stop that.

– Reality star Kylie Jenner

Taking Care

When you survey things people wished they had taken more care of earlier in their lives when it comes to their skin, just being smart and doing every day things like cleansing, washing, and just generally protecting their skin top the list.

Building good habits like daily skin care can do wonders, especially when you start young. Avoiding other such bad habits such as alcohol consumption, smoking, caffeine, or becoming dehydrated will also help.

Being smart about your skin’s health is doable at any age and you can save your older self a lot of hassle, headache, and back work if you make smart decisions earlier. There are no cure-alls.  Things like eating better, avoid excess consumption of bad items, exercise, and basic skin care.

Source: My Beauty Bunny