What’s the best way to keep your skin soft, smooth, and supple? By staying out of the sun, of course. But that’s not all there is to it. Take our quiz and find out what it takes to save your face.
1. The skin on your face ages faster than the rest of you because:
a. It’s exposed to the sun more often
b. You use it to communicate your feelings
c. It’s exposed to cigarette smoke more often
d. All of the above
2. Twenty-year-old skin is naturally softer, moister, and more supple than 40-year-old skin. True or false?
True
False
3. Which of the following is not linked to cigarettes?
a. Decreased blood flow to the face
b. Vertical lines around the lips and eyes
c. Loss of vitamin E
d. The production of free radicals, oxygen molecules that can damage skin cells
4. Using a sunscreen with SPF 30 will protect me from sun damage for twice as long as one with SPF 15. True or false?
True
False
5. Washing my face often with soap and water is the best way to keep my skin clean and healthy. True or false?
True
False
6. Stress and hormones can make acne as much a problem at 40 as it is at 14. True or false?
True
False
Your Results
1. The skin on your face ages faster than the rest of you because
The correct answer is: d. All of the above
While sunshine is the leading cause of wrinkles and age spots, smoke can also take a toll on your face, and so can your emotions. Unlike most of the muscles in your body, the ones in your face attach directly to the skin so that you can flash a smile or furrow your brow on command. After a lifetime of grinning, ogling, and frowning, the skin on your face can get stretched out of shape.
2. Twenty-year-old skin is naturally softer, moister, and more supple than 40-year-old skin. True or false?
The correct answer is: False
If you were somehow confined indoors all your life, away from sunshine and cigarettes, your skin would look only mildly different at 40 than it did at 20. If you’re a woman, your skin would only start to become drier and thinner with the approach of menopause as your natural estrogen levels start to fall.
3. Which of the following is not linked to cigarettes?
The correct answer is: c. Loss of Vitamin E
Smoking limits the supply of blood to the face, robbing the underlying layers of important nutrients; makes you pucker and squint over and over, etching fine lines around the mouth and eyes; and produces highly reactive oxygen molecules called free radicals that are harmful to healthy skin cells. But there’s no evidence that smoking reduces levels of vitamin E.
4. Using a sunscreen with SPF 30 will protect me from sun damage for twice as long as one with SPF 15. True or false?
The correct answer is: False
SPF 30 protects only slightly better than 15, and no matter how high the number, you still have to reapply sunscreen every two hours while you’re in the sun (or after you’ve been in the water). Remember to start greasing up about 20 minutes before you head outdoors, since it takes that long for the chemicals to start working.
5. Washing my face often with soap and water is the best way to keep my skin clean and healthy. True or false?
The correct answer is: False
The only thing worse than frequently washing your face is frequently washing it with soap. Even mild soap can dry and irritate your skin, although the damage may not show until years later. Instead, wash your face just once a day with warm water using a gentle, soap-free cleanser.
6. Stress and hormones can make acne as much a problem at 40 as it is at 14. True or false?
The correct answer is: True
Pimples don’t stop at puberty, and stress and fluctuating hormones are still the likely culprits even after your 21st birthday. Drugstore products may help teens battle blemishes, but they are usually not strong enough for post-adolescent acne. To control adult break-outs, dermatologists can prescribe low dosages of oral antibiotics, topical skin creams, or birth-control pills. For severe cases, you can take the drug Accutane, though it causes birth defects and should not be taken if you plan to be or are pregnant.
References
Interview with Albert Kligman, professor of dermatology at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
American Academy of Dermatology
Mary Roach. Give Your Skin a Break. April 1997. Health.
U. S. Food and Drug Administration. Isotretinoin (marketed as Accutane) Capsule Information. March 2006.
© HealthDay