. Genes
. Inner nutrition – what we eat and drink
. Exercise
. General health and well-being
. Emotional health, and
. Outer nutrition – how we take care of our skin

While we can’t alter our genes, we can improve our skin by making the necessary adjustments in the areas we can influence. Read on to discover the basic components of a healthy outer nutritional plan for your skin.

If you seriously want great skin the very first thing to do and wear a hat and good quality sunscreen when out in the sunshine. Having said that, let’s move on to understand the next three basic foundations to great skin.

If you want your skin to look and feel great, careful cleansing is very important. This should be done first thing in the morning and last thing at night to remove pore-clogging dirt. Don’t cleanse enough and you could find yourself prone to spots. Cleanse to often and you could be stripping away essential oils and be susceptible to dry skin or even eczema. Understanding your skin type (normal, dry or oily) and using a cleanser to match is the best foundation for great looking skin. Remember to rinse your face with warm water after using a cleanser, as any residue will continue to work on the skin if not completely removed.

Our grandmother’s used soap and water…isn’t that good enough? Soap is not very good at removing makeup because it does not contain enough oils to dissolve the staying power that most cosmetics have today. Remember the ‘tight’ feeling after your have washed your fact with soap? Soap can be very drying on your skin and may wash away essential oils. Another reason not to use soap is that it is not matched to the natural balance of our skin. Soap is generally alkaline, whilst skin is naturally acidic.

The second step to great outer nutrition for your skin is to tone. Toners are designed to remove any last traces of cleanser, while also helping to tighten and refine pores and prevent the build-up of dead skin cells. After toning your skin should fee and look revitalised and refreshed, and ready to be moisturised. Again you will need to apply a toner that matches your skin type.

The third foundation step is to apply moisturiser to help restore the moisture loss caused by the drying effects of sunlight, central heating, wind, cold and pollution. A good daytime moisturiser would contain a sunscreen and will be easily absorbed into the skin. At night you should use a richer, more nourishing cream, as this is when your skin more readily absorbs moisture.

Despite the plethora of products on the market and the myriad of additives…. the most important ingredient of any moisturiser is water! If water is just splashed on the skin it will not say there. Moisturisers are basically oil and water emulsions which contain a humectant (a substance added to another to make it moist), which attracts water and helps ‘fix’ it in the upper layers of the skin.

Moisture that is lost firm the skin needs to be replaced quickly so that the surface of the skin is kept both soft and smooth. The living cells in the layers need water so that they will not shrivel up and die. A moisturiser can protect the skin by providing a varier between the skin and the external environment. It also prevents the loss of moisture from the deeper layers of the skin.

Should people who have oily skin use a moisturiser? Moisturisers are particularly recommended for people with dry skin but everyone can benefit from using a moisturiser. You simply need to ensure that you choose the correct moisturiser for your skin type. People with oily skin should choose a moisturiser that hydrates their skin whilst helping absorb any excess oil.

Acne’s causes go back to hormonal changes at the onset of puberty, with oil glands producing in abundance. These oil glands, known as sebaceous glands, are primarily affected by male hormones known as androgens. Females have androgens as well, though they don’t have as many as males.

A hair shaft inside a sebaceous gland make up what is known as a sebaceous follicle. While going through puberty, the skin cells lining these follicles shed more quickly than in past years. In those who experience acne the cells shed but stick together more than in those who don’t get acne. When these cells stick together this overabundance of sebum (oil) probably will end up plugging the follicle’s opening and because the sebaceous gland doesn’t stop producing its sebum the follicle simply swells up.

What also happens is that a bacterium called P.acnes, that is normal to have in skin, start to quickly multiply in the hair follicle that is clogged. The substances produced by these bacteria are irritating and cause inflammation. The follicle sometimes bursts and then the inflammation spreads to skin surrounding it. This is the way that acne’s lesions – whether pimples, blackheads or nodules – form.

There are several myths about acne that we’d like to dispel. The first is that your poor hygiene causes acne. People who believe this myth ended up scrubbing their faces and other skin parts harshly and too often, which often makes the acne condition even worse. Acne does not happen because your surface skin is covered by dirt or oil. While you don’t want to leave dead skin, dirt or excess oil on your skin you don’t want to vigorously scrub it away either, or you’ll exacerbate the acne problem. What you should do instead is wash your face gently twice each day and then put it dry. You may also want to use an acne treatment – over the counter or prescribed.

The second myth about acne’s cause is that stress brings it on. Ordinary stress is not related to acne at all, although if you suffer from stress that becomes severe enough to warrant the care of a physician and prescribed medications those medications might produce acne. If you’re taking drugs for depression or other stress related symptoms and you have an acne breakout you should see your doctor.

The third myth about acne is that your poor diet choices cause it. Your mother probably told you to avoid chocolate or fried foods or even pizza and it would help your acne. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Food intake doesn’t affect acne. A balance diet is a good choice for your overall health, of course, but it just doesn’t affect acne.

Another myth is that acne is just a cosmetic problem – in other words, not a big issue. People who think this way disregard the effect it can have on the way people – especially teenagers – feel about themselves. The other issue is that it can permanently scar.