I never had skin issues when I was younger which lead me to taking it for granted and not really paying attention on skin maintenance. As a result, I had really dry skin, large visible pores around my nose and uneven skin color. When I got older, I started getting so conscious about how I look and started to feel scared of wrinkles and lines. I did so many research through reading and consultation with dermatologists in order to prevent my skin from further damage. I still don't have a porcelain perfect skin (working on it XD) but I feel my skin's a lot healthier looking and doesn't reveal much my age LOL! :D

Anyway here are the 10 basic things that you need to know and do to keep your skin healthy.

1. Keep your skin hydrated. Beautiful skin starts from the inside. Drink enough water to keep your skin from becoming dry. Water is very essential not only for cleansing our body but also important in keeping your skin looking tight and moisturized.
2. Extend your daily skin care regimen down to your chest. We all know the basics of skin care - cleanse, tone and moisturize. However, most people neglect the neck down. Forgetting to include your neck and chest to your daily skin care regimen is like putting on fancy eye shadow look without grooming your brows. It defeats the purpose. The skin on the neck is thinner than the face so it requires more TLC. You don't want your neck reveal your true age do you?
3. Exfoliate. As we get older, the skin's capacity to shed dead skin cells become less reliable. Dead skin prevents skin to breathe and makes skin look very dry. Always take time to exfoliate your face and body at least 2 times a month.
4. Put on SPF. Not wearing sunscreen is a sin. It DOES NOT mean when there is no sun, there are no ultraviolet rays damaging your skin. The minimum sun protection factor (SPF) for your skin is 30. Apply sunscreen at least 20 minutes before exposure. Re-apply every 2 hours if you are directly under the sun or outdoors for a longer period of time.
5. Remove traces of makeup, dirt and sweat before you sleep. Skin regenerates during sleep and lack of proper cleansing clogs pores and impedes surfacing of new cells causing skin to breakout.
6. Refrain popping acne. Popping acne can give you a temporary solution to make the pimple less visible but it will leave permanent scars on your skin.
7. STOP making unnecessary facial expressions. These are one of the reasons for the lines that appear on your face. Always keep your face relaxed and prevent yourself from making faces, lifting your brows, and squinting your eyes. On the side note, if you can skip drinking with the straw, do it. This causes lines to appear on top of your lips and it gets more visible as you get older.
8. Sleep on your back. When you sleep on your side, you tend to put pressure on one side of your face causing it to sag and develop wrinkles. When you are lying on your back, gravity pulls back your skin giving your face a natural lift :)
9. Keep your hands off your eyes. Rubbing your eyes tugs delicate areas around your eyes. This part has very thin layer of skin and also very sensitive so it is a lot faster to develop lines. Religiously apply eye cream to make up for all the years of rubbing you did.
10. Skip the makeup when you do your workout. I know some people cannot live with going all bare with their skin outside their homes. No matter how some makeup products claim that they are non comedogenic (does not clog pores) doesn't mean they are OK to use when working out. You sweat a lot when you work out so using makeup can cause blackheads and breakouts.

Getting a young and healthy looking skin doesn't need to be very expensive. Proper maintenance is the only key and taking time to care for your skin will save you money from expensive treatments. Prevention is the key so start early and do not wait until you start seeing signs of aging before you start doing something about it. :)