11 Ways to Achieve Your Skin Goals in 2019

It’s resolution time, and if you’re like us, you’ve made a few over the years. Some are easier to stick to than others. But the one that’s always at the top of our list is taking great care of our skin (obvs). And the best part about this one, it’s totally doable. If you’ve got skin goals, we’ve got some great tips to help you achieve them. Here’s how to get your best skin ever in 2019.

Update Your Regimen

Vivant’s products are multi-tiered meaning once your skin acclimates you can move up to the next level to push your results farther. If you’ve been using your current system for a while, and you want to do more than maintain your results, it’s time to move up. To make it simple, we’ve created complete skin care optimization systems based on skin type, tone, and tolerance. See our regimen update page to unlock your new system.

Be consistent

No matter how amazing your products are, you won’t reap the benefits if you don’t use them consistently. Keeping cell metabolism and collagen production up, doing the work to fade discoloration, and keeping breakouts at bay is a daily affair that begins with cellular turnover and essentially never ends.

Get more sleep

Sleep is the body’s natural repair cycle and one of the best things you can do to protect skin from premature aging. During deep sleep (the REM cycle), antioxidants get a turbo boost to fight free radicals, and the body releases 75% of its human growth hormone (HGH), which is vital to healthy tissue, cell growth, and collagen production. Finally, good quality sleep stimulates the critical enzyme telomerase, which protects DNA against cellular aging. A shortage of sleep means a shortage of repair.

Get Moving

Exercise is great skin therapy. It improves circulation, boosts collagen production, and increases human growth hormone to help keep skin looking younger and firmer.

Pumping up endorphins will also help to reduce stress and its negative effects. Bonus: exercise improves the quality and duration of sleep. Just make sure to shower after exercising to keep sweat, makeup, oil from clogging pores.

H20 Go

It’s not a myth that hydration improves skin tone. Studies confirm that increasing the dietary water intake affects the skin the same way as a topical moisturizer. Not surprising considering water is the main component of cells and tissues and acts as the transportation system for nutrients and the removal of toxins from the body. When you get dehydrated, you deprive cells of essential moisture and nourishment. Drink up.

Cut Sugar

When glucose levels get raised, sugar molecules bond with proteins forming what are known as advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which break down protein fibers and undermine skin’s firmness and structure. Glycation is part of aging, but the inflammation caused by elevated glucose levels accelerates the process. You don’t have to go cold turkey, but try to avoid the worst offenders. Specifically, white sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, which have been shown to increase the rate of glycation ten-fold.

In addition to reducing your sugar consumption, you can disrupt the process of glycation and help control the accumulation of AGEs by using skin care products that stimulate collagen production and offer antioxidant protection. Green tea and vitamin C and E have been shown to be disruptors of glycation. Retinoids (vitamin A) and peptides both stimulate fibroblast production and increase elasticity.

Eat More Omega 3s

Skin cells are housed by a phospholipid bilayer, a double wall of fat that gives skin its plump, healthy appearance. Dietary fats are critical to this structure. Support your skin from the inside out with a diet rich in healthy fats that encourage strong, elastic, and resilient skin. Omega-3 fatty acids have the added benefit of reducing the inflammation that can be the cause of dermatitis, rosacea, and acne flare-ups. Good sources of omega 3 include oily fish, walnuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, soy, and almonds.

Reduce Stress

Stress triggers endocrine and immune system responses in your body, which in turn trigger responses in your skin—everything from increased sebum, inflammation, breakouts, to transepidermal water loss (dry skin). Plus, stress stimulates glucose production causing elevated blood sugar levels and increasing age-accelerating glycation. Resolve to look for ways to keep stress in check in 2019. Whether it’s more exercise, meditation, yoga, a weekly date with a facial mask, or regular massage, you won’t just feel better. You’ll look better.

Use Sunscreen

It’s not just the obvious effects of the sun—age spots and discoloration—that your skin needs protecting from. UV exposure creates oxidative stress that unleashes a cascade of free radicals that damage cells and degrade collagen. It also causes inflammation that exacerbates breakouts and worsens acne scarring. To protect from the ravages of UV and environmental damage, a daily SPF is non-negotiable. You need broad-spectrum protection from both UVA and UVB rays, the ones that age and the ones the burn. And you need it whether you’re going to the beach or to the store. Vivant’s non-greasy, feather-light Day Treatment Lotion SPF 15 is the perfect daily foundational moisturizer and sun protection in one.

Get Green Tea Into Your Life

This one is easy. Sit down every day and have a cup of green tea. Aside from being a stress-reducer, it will provide a whole range of benefits for your skin. Don’t believe us?

Check out this study involving the daily consumption of green tea that showed significant positive effects on skin’s structural characteristics including increased elasticity and density, improved barrier function, a reduction of inflammation, and an increase in blood flow and oxygen delivery to the skin. How’s that? Green tea is loaded with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory flavonoids and phenols. Double-down on the beneficial effects by using it topically as well.

Get a Regular Facial

You cannot match the deep cleaning and rejuvenation that your skin will receive during a professional treatment. The facial massage revs up microcirculation, oxygenates skin, and delivers nutrients to the epidermis. It also has a toning effect on facial muscles, which will leave skin looking firmer. And no one but a professional should be performing extractions on your skin. Plus, the pros have products and knowledge the average consumer does not, so you get higher-level results tailored to your specific needs.

One a month is ideal. If time or budget is an issue, try to get in at least three to four times a year.