Our skin is our largest organ. It’s living and breathing and it protects your internal organs from the invasive and dangerous elements of life: viruses, bacteria, pollutants, and harsh weather, including the sun. Many people don’t understand or fully appreciate the role that our skin plays on our overall health and well being. Most of us focus on the end result, which is how our skin looks, rather than the process of reaching and maintaining that appearance through healthy choices. This results in the most commonly made mistakes with skin care: Not realizing that what you put into your body shows on the outside. By not maintaining a well-balanced diet of foods and liquids rich in vitamins, minerals, and proteins, and by poisoning your system with too many harmful substances such as an overabundance of alcohol or cigarettes, you harm your skin. Too much alcohol can dehydrate your skin and cigarettes deprive it of the oxygen it requires. Supplement your diet with Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) like cod-liver oil or borage, flax & coconut if you’re vegan. And PLEASE drink plenty of water! Add a slice of orange or sprig of mint to spruce up your water drinking experience. Neglecting your skin when it's young. The sun and the wind can damage your skin. This damage might not show when you're young, but just like your favorite leather coat, the wrinkles and cracking will show with age. If you treat your leather coat with moisturizers when it's new and continue treating it throughout the years, you can wear that jacket for a very long time without it showing its age. The same goes for your skin. Moisturize it before it shows signs of needing the moisture and it will stay healthier as it ages. Use a heavier crиme at night to re-hydrate your skin & assist with repairing cellular degeneration. Using skin care products that promise instant results. Most skin products that are manufactured and full of 'instant improvement' guarantees are just full of chemicals and broken promises. And, if you listen carefully most of their marketing campaigns state that they will give you healthy-looking skin, which is a far cry from having skin that's healthy. Use all-natural creams and cleansers when taking care of your skin. Avoid ingredients like mineral oil, alcohol, lanolin & parabens (preservatives).