Want the fountain of youth? While it may not be possible to truly turn back time and become younger, it’s entirely possible to look younger with the right skin care habits. You may already know to avoid time in the sun and use sunscreen. But there are probably plenty of other good skin habits that you’ve never heard of before. Want better skin? Here are some ways to get great skin beyond just slathering your face with sunscreen and hiding in a cave every single day.

Good Skin Starts on the Inside

What you put in your mouth matters. Sugar is in almost everything, and believe it or not, it can impact your skin health. Acne, for instance, is influenced by sugar intake. People who consume high amounts of sugar are more prone to outbreaks and have skin that’s harder to keep looking healthy. By reducing your sugar intake, you can improve the inflammation levels in your body and have beautiful skin as well.

You can use your diet to improve your skin health, including adding healthy amounts of collagen and fat to your diet. Collagen is what makes your skin feel more elastic and look healthier. And healthy fats reduce your inflammatory response and make your skin tone look and feel more even and supple. Additionally, adding vitamin C supplements daily can improve your skin health as well. Good vitamin C levels help your body make new collagen and improve absorption of dietary collagen.

Your Beauty Products May be Harming Your Skin

It’s hard to believe that the shelves at stores would have anything harmful on them. The truth is that not all beauty products are created equally. Since the industry is not heavily regulated, cosmetics manufacturers can put a lot of different ingredients in them. Additionally, these ingredients can come from places that may be contaminated with heavy metals and pesticides. Products that undergo cosmetic testing are often of higher quality, and testing results provide transparency into what’s in your makeup.

Another way that beauty products can harm your skin is that they may be the wrong product for your needs. Some people live in dry climates and need thicker moisturizers. Others are prone to clogs and live in humid climates, and need lotions and products that won’t give them zits. Sometimes the right product for one person is the wrong one for another.

What you Say About Your Skin Matters

There is some evidence that your cells respond to the way you talk about your body. This includes your skin. If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all. By speaking well of your skin, instead of saying things like, “I hate my skin,” or “my skin is so awful,” you can, in fact, help your skin look and feel better.

To get healthier skin, start by thanking your skin. Tell it how much you appreciate the way it protects your body. Instead of saying that it’s terrible, you can say that it’s great and just needs a little more care for it to look better. Saying these things out loud can feel embarrassing, but you’d be amazed at how your skin responds and how it improves your self-esteem.

Get Enough Vitamin D

Many people have forgotten one important fact with so much talk about sunscreen and protecting your skin from UV radiation. Sunshine is necessary for vitamin D production. While you’ve been so focused on keeping your skin healthy, you may have swung the pendulum too far in the other direction. Your skin is healthiest when you get enough vitamin D either through your diet or from going out in the sun. Don’t be afraid of getting a healthy dose of sunshine; just don’t let yourself turn into a lobster if you want optimal skin health.

Skincare Tips you can Try Today.

Getting healthy skin takes more than a day. Using these tips to improve your skin will be a lifelong journey. But when you learn the best products for your skin, take the time to eat better, focus on being kind to your skin, and even get outside every now and then, you’ll find that your efforts are worth it. You may not be able to go back in time, but your skin can look healthier and more youthful.