how to have better skin

                  

Better than what? Better than what it is now.

But first a disclaimer

This is about having beautiful skin without having botox, fillers, or face surgery. I have wrinkles and some sunspots. It is impossible to live in New Zealand and not eventually have some sun damage. No matter how careful one has been (talking about myself here).

The sad truth about skin

• we get older. And the effects of our life start to show. Yep, they really do. People today have access to so much info and products to protect the skin: use them to prevent and delay the ole sun damage.
• the environment affects our skin. This is really annoying. And so true. If, like me, one third of your life was around heavy smokers, it does affect our skin. Just as it does for smokers. Smoking is fantastic for getting tough, leathery skin, and wrinkles.
• what we eat affects our skin. Sugar is about the worst. Makes us puffy and saggy. Which is bad news for us sugar lovers. And, this is just an observation, greasy food - eeks, it wrecks our skin. This is disturbing, if, like me, you love good old fish and chips. And processed food? With added chemicals? Don't even think about it. Those added unpronounceable bits and pieces, and mysterious additives which have sneaky numbers so that you don't really know what they are? Think of them as instant toxins which age you. Not just your skin, but the whole body. 
• what we drink affects our skin. Too much cafe lattes do not seem to create lovely skin. Which is, of course, unfair. And lets not forget alcohol. Which I always do. Forget it, that is, as I have always been a non-drinker. Alcohol does not seem to have a good effect on skin. 
• our state of health affects our skin. Another unfair thing. I have a blood disorder, and I can tell you that it really does affect my skin. Most adversely. When I have lots of blood and iron, I have lovely olive skin and seem to have fewer wrinkles. When aforesaid blood and iron are low, I look really pale, pasty and wrinkly. Not a good look.

I think that I have to stop here, as it is all getting a tad depressing. 

What can we do to get better skin?

Quite a bit, actually. And none of it is rocket science.

• increase our vitality. I don't mean the ability to rush around, or be extremely extroverted. Or passionately emotional. Vitality is something else: it shines from within. Like an energy. We could call it life-force. Yogis would call it prana. 
• emotions can lower our vitality. When we are troubled, our life-force gets depleted, and it shows. When we are happy, or calm, our life-force can flow more easily. And crabby people are most unattractive, even if they have beautiful features. (I was going to say that being a horrible person makes them ugly, but that could be a bit mean) 
• exercise thickens the skin, and we get less wrinkles. Oh, and increases our vitality. 
• fresh food has more life force than food with nasty bits added
• protein slows down sagging
• vitamin d. The sun is a great source of life-force. It doesn't have to be high noon sun. Going for a promenade early morning or later in the afternoon is perfect.
• foods which create good skin are oils like nuts and seeds, avocados. And eating colourful foods like greens and yellows and orange and purple colours, make our skin glow. Some even help with a natural form of sun protection. Not complete protection, no, but some.
• "our skin is like a flower, it needs watering": Jerry Hall

What can we do on the outside?

Other than inject stuff into ourselves until we end up looking really weird and scary.

Have a good skin care routine. It does not have to cost a lot of money. It just has to be consistent and relevant to you and your skin. In the morning, if you do nothing else, at least put on sunscreen. In the evening, take off any gunk, like lovely make-up, and if you don't wear make-up, there will be environmental gunk on your face, so it does need cleansing. For most of my life I just let my skin breathe overnight. Unadorned. It worked for years. And then it didn't. Because I got older, and needed some form of overnight TLC. 

So, that's it: be a nice person; do some exercise; drink water; eat fresh food; have a basic skin care routine. All easy peasy.