Your skin is the largest single organ in your body. It protects your delicate anatomy from the outside world. Taking care of your skin is not just an aesthetic exercise, healthy skin contributes to your overall health and can even extend your life. In this article you can find some great tips for treating your skin better.

To keep your skin healthy, check the ingredients on the makeups you use. Makeups that use emollient formulas can clog pores. You might want to look into trying mineral-based makeups instead. These are not as bad about clogging pores. On the contrary, they sometimes offer helpful benefits like UV protection.

If you are having skin problems, try to avoid eating foods that come from cans, such as canned tomato sauce. Cans can contain trace amounts of aluminum and other metals that can flow through your bloodstream and be secreted out of your pores while you sweat. These metals sometimes get stuck in your pores as you try to sweat them out, causing blockages.

Everyone wants smooth, clear radiant skin, but learning which skin care tips are myths may be the best way to attain that goal. While all of these suggestions claim to improve the condition of your skin, many of them are actually harmful to it. For example, washing your face with soap is often touted as a means to fight acne. However, soap can remove essential oils from your skin, resulting in dryness and rashes. Microdermabrasion is supposed to smooth your skin and unclog pores, but leading dermatologists assert that it is a useless procedure and quote a study that found that it could cause acne. Many people use tanning booths that don't include UVB rays, believing that they are safe. However, the UVA rays to which they are exposing themselves can also cause premature aging and skin cancer. Use caution when using any skin care product or technique. Talk to your doctor or a dermatologist to find out which methods really work.

Simple, natural products are far better for your skin and your pocketbook than expensive cosmetics and products. Simply cleansing your face with pure water and a gentle natural soap once a day, refreshing your skin with witch hazel, and moisturizing with pure aloe vera gel will keep your skin fresh and young!

Reduce your alcohol consumption for great skin. While a drink or two per day is acceptable (and some studies say even beneficial), any more than this can cause more harm than good. Excess alcohol consumption can lead to your skin producing too much oil, as well as cause enlarged pores.

A frequently overlooked skin care tip is the recommendation that moisturizing products be changed with the seasons. In the summertime, water-based products will likely suffice, but in the colder months, oil-based product will provide enhanced protection of the skin's surface. It is important for wintertime moisturizers to be made with oils such as mineral oil, almond oil or other types of oils that do not clog pores.

There is little vanity involved in good skin care. It is true that well-tended skin looks more appealing, but there are much better reasons to take care of your skin than aesthetics. Using ideas like the ones presented above can keep your skin healthy, and healthy skin is your first line of defense against the dangers of the outside world.