A few years ago, Bill and I made a spur-of-the moment getaway to the Florida Keys and stayed for a few nights at a quaint, off-the-beaten-path bungalow at a small marina in Marathon. Each evening around sunset, we would saunter down to the tiki bar and join those who lived full-time on the boats there for some snacks and maybe an adult beverage or two.

Anyone who has vacationed in the tropics knows the out-of-place feeling that comes with being an obvious northerner trying to assimilate with a group of locals, but this time felt different, and more welcoming.

That group included some real “Keys Characters” and hanging out with them each night turned out to be the highlight of our trip; so much so that we’ve kept in touch with them to this day.

As one might imagine, they were different from us in so many ways, but none more obvious than in the color and constituency of our skins. We surely looked like aliens to them, our soft, mid-winter paleness contrasting sharply with their weathered, dark brown appearance.

After we got to know them, the women in the group became obsessed with my skin, of all things, and proceeded to inquire for what seemed like hours about my skincare routine.

I was initially surprised by all this attention, but it made more sense once we learned that our new friends were quite a bit younger than we were, despite our appearance-based assumption that they were decades older. This was a revelation to me, and marked the point in which I began to understand just how important skincare can be – not only to our appearance but to our overall health.

To be clear, skincare applies every bit as much to men as it does to women, if not more so. To my male readers scoffing at the title of this article, either begin following this advice now or pay the price later. It’s your call.

Suffice it to say that skincare is a major contributor to your ability to age gracefully and needs to be a primary focus of your health and wellness endeavors.

You CAN Judge a Book by its Cover

Just how important a role does our skin play in our overall health and well-being? Consider these facts.

The skin is the largest single organ in our bodies and makes up about 15% of our body weight. It helps regulate our body’s temperature, guards against injury, prevents loss of moisture, protects against the sun, and acts as our primary sensory organ.

It is also one of our most accurate indicators of overall health and well-being; the proverbial canary in the coal mine when it comes to our health.

People who have a “healthy and youthful” appearance are more likely to be healthy and youthful. That’s a simple fact, and it has much to do with the quality of their skin.

There’s also a self-confidence aspect to this discussion. The better our skin looks the better we feel about ourselves, and the better we feel about ourselves the better care we take of ourselves. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, much like what happens when we consistently exercise and eat well.

So exactly how should we take care of our skin? Turns out, most of the actions we can take to ensure healthy skin are the same actions we should be taking to ensure overall health and wellbeing. Here’s how I think about it, in approximate order of importance.

Hydration

Water keeps your body hydrated and refreshed and helps maintain your skin’s suppleness and elasticity. Staying hydrated is the best way to prevent scars, wrinkles, and soft lines from giving your skin that aged appearance.

Hydration is key to almost every aspect of wellness, especially as we get older. It’s impact on the skin is no exception.

Stay hydrated. Always. Period.

Proper Diet

Modern science has proven that an imbalance in nutrition and poor eating habits are important causes of skin aging. As it turns out – no surprise here – the best diet for your skin is also the best diet for your overall health.

Protein intake is always at the top of the list. Protein is essential for building and repairing skin tissue and for regulating the physiological functions of the skin.

Trace elements like Copper, Zinc, Iron and Selenium, sourced via a proper whole food diet, are needed for a variety of cellular activities required by the skin.

Vitamins A, B, C, D and E are all necessary ingredients, as well.

Food that negatively impact our skin include trans fats, sugar, simple carbohydrates, alcohol, and processed foods.

I know I shouldn’t have to say it to this crowd, but tobacco use is a serious no-no for the skin, as it can lead to premature aging, skin cancer and other conditions.

If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is. There’s no need to complicate any of this. Begin eating a truly healthy diet and your skin will slowly but surely improve. Eat clean for a longer term and the improvements in your skin can be life changing.

Moderate your Sun Exposure

This is a tricky topic, one that has become quite contentious within the health and wellness community.

On one hand, human beings evolved living in the sun, and our bodies know how to adapt to sun exposure, as evidenced by pigmentation change (tanning). The sun is a critical source of Vitamin D, one of the most important substances in our bodies, and controls our circadian rhythm, which more and more studies are showing drives important physiological functions and may have a greater impact on our long-term health than previously thought.

On the other hand, sun exposure is directly, scientifically, and inarguably linked to premature aging and a variety of skin problems, including cancers. One would be hard pressed to find a dermatologist who does not fervently preach limiting one’s sun exposure.

So how are we to reconcile this? Here’s my personal take on it.

I believe there does exist such a thing as relatively safe sun exposure. This would mimic the exposure experienced by human beings throughout most of our evolution, which would mean consistent daily exposure throughout much of the year, with an emphasis on the times of day in which our ancestors would have been most active, specifically early mornings and late afternoons. Our skin is adapted nicely to handle this type of gradual, consistent exposure, especially if it’s otherwise healthy.

The problem is that our modern lifestyles do not allow this kind of metered sun exposure. Instead, we spend most of our days indoors, and spend time in direct sunlight comparably infrequently. Our skin never gets a chance to adapt, and thus burns easily. This cycle of burning and healing has long term complications, and that’s where the problems arise.

There are also certain medicines that can increase photosensitivity and thus allow the skin to burn more easily. Usually, such medicines will have that indicated on the packaging, but not always, so make a habit of researching your prescriptions and over-the-counter elixirs. Just so you’re aware, many antibiotics, decongestants, antihistamines, NSAIDs (aspirin and ibuprofen) and oral contraceptives can cause you to burn faster.

So, if you happen to live on the beach in Southern California and “hang ten” before and after work year-round, then you should probably worry more about shark attacks than sun exposure. The rest of us need to be very careful about the impact the sun can have on our skin.

For me, this means limiting my direct exposure to early and late in the day, making copious use of a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher, and choosing skincare products that contain SPF formulas. This combination has worked extremely well for me over the years, and despite what some very loud people are saying to the contrary, will remain my go-to approach.

Sorry to say it, but for most of us, a youthful-looking tan is best achieved via a spray bottle.

Cleansing, Moisturizing, and Exfoliating

For my men out there, if you’ve made it this far, please keep reading! Your friends are not watching, and I promise not to tell anyone you’ve read this.

While I could write a book on the topic of skincare products (maybe someday?) let’s keep it very simple here and call out 5 deliberate steps that should be taken each day to keep the skin in tip-top shape. These steps only add a minute or two to your daily routine but make a huge difference. And, yes, this is especially important for men.

Here’s your super simple 5-step daily routine:

1. Wash your face morning and night, using lukewarm water and a gentle facial cleanser suitable to your skin type.
2. Avoid using hot water in your shower, which can strip your skin of natural oils. Use lukewarm water instead. If you have dry skin, use a moisturizing body wash with natural oils, such as almond, coconut or olive oil.
3. After a lukewarm shower, gently pat your skin dry with a towel, leaving your skin slightly damp so that it can absorb the extra moisture and re-hydrate itself.
4. While your skin is skill damp, apply a facial moisturizer to your face and a body moisturizer or body butter to the rest of you. Choose a facial moisturizer that contains SPF to protect against the sun. Note that ALL types of skin benefit from a moisturizer, including oily! Just be sure to choose a product designed for your skin type.
5. Exfoliate once a week to remove dead skin cells. For those unfamiliar, this involves using a specific exfoliating scrub applied by either a loofah or a special exfoliating sponge. Generally, you’ll want to choose a gentler exfoliant on your face than the rest of your body. You can do this in the shower. Simply scrub it on, then rinse it off. Follow up with a moisturizer. For those who have never done this, you’ll be amazed at how much better your skin looks and feels afterwards.

A Dip in the Ocean

Ever since childhood, I’ve believed that the ocean can heal, and I’ve thought this especially true of skin issues. Maybe it’s partly psycho-sematic, but a swim in the ocean has always seemed to resolve everything from acne to bug bites to scrapes and abrasions, and it’s always left my skin feeling better.

I hear this from lots of people, and it’s backed by science, too.  The minerals in seawater, such as magnesium, potassium, and calcium, are known to help the skin, and the salt has been shown to have antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, as well.

Is it any surprise that salt facials are becoming all the rage for combating aging and problematic skin?

Be Diligent with your Dermatologist

As with most things in life, catching skin problems early is the key to successful outcomes. Most serious issues like carcinomas and melanomas can be dealt with much more successfully if found and removed in the very early pre-cancerous stages.

While any spot on the skin that is new or changing in size, shape or color should be checked by your dermatologist, you SHOULD NOT wait for something to occur. The truth is that most skin cancers result from abnormalities that went unnoticed by the patient.

See your dermatologist each year for a full-body scan. Don’t find an excuse to put it off. This is a small inconvenience on just one day each year that could save you lots of aggravation down the road – or maybe even your life.