1. Protect yourself from the sun

One of the most important ways to take care of your skin is to protect it from the sun. A lifetime of sun exposure can cause wrinkles, age spots, and other skin problems. It also can raise the risk of skin cancer.

For the most complete sun protection:

• Use sunscreen. Use a palm-sized amount of broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. Put on more sunscreen every two hours or more often if you swim or sweat.
• Seek shade. Try to stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. That's when the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays are strongest.
• Wear protective clothing. Cover your skin with tightly woven long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and wide-brimmed hats. Clothes with dark colors tend to give more protection than do those with light colors. Some sun-protective clothing is made to block UV rays. You also can use laundry additives that give clothing an extra layer of UV protection for a certain number of washings.