Keep it clean

Washing your skin, especially your hands, is very important for keeping it healthy. Hand washing keeps you from spreading germs to other parts of your body. It also keeps you from spreading germs that could give others a cold or the flu. To help keep your skin from getting dry, use water that’s comfortably warm, not too hot, when you take a bath or shower. If your skin is dry or itchy, try a moisturizing cream or lotion.

Enjoy being in the sun—but protect your skin

Your skin produces vitamin D when it is exposed to sunshine. Vitamin D helps keep your bones and other body systems healthy. However, too much sun can damage your skin and increase your risk for skin cancer. It may make your skin look old years too soon and can make it less able to fight off infections. Whenever you’re outside, use a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or above. Apply it evenly, and have a friend or parent help you with the hard-to-reach spots. Follow the directions that tell you how often to reapply it—one application won’t last all day!

What about tanning beds?

Tanning beds don’t offer a safe alternative to natural sunlight. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) (uhl-truh-VYE-uh-lit) radiation damages your skin, whether the exposure comes from tanning beds or natural sunlight.

This damage increases the risk of skin cancer and premature skin aging just like too much sun. In fact, most tanning beds emit mainly UVA rays, which may increase the risk of melanoma (MEH-luh-NOH-muh), the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Physical activity

Being physically active is good for your skin! It increases the flow of blood to the surface of your skin and brings oxygen and nutrients to your whole body. Sweating helps to flush out impurities from your skin. Get 1 hour or more of physical activity every day. This will be good for your skin as well as your heart, lungs, muscles, and other parts of your body. Be sure to drink enough water to replace the fluids you lose when you sweat. If you have any concerns about your health, talk to your doctor or a physical therapist to find out what kinds of activities are right for you.

A healthy diet

You really don’t need a special diet to keep your skin in good health. Eating a balanced diet will help you maintain a healthy weight and provide a variety of nutrients for your skin and your overall health. A balanced diet:

• Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt.
• Includes protein from lean meats, poultry, seafood, beans, eggs, and nuts.
• Is low in solid fats, saturated fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), added sugars, and refined grains.
• Is as low as possible in trans fats.
• Balances calories taken in through food with calories burned in physical activity to help maintain a healthy weight.