Gayla Foster (“Feed Your Face” Reflections March-April 2002, p14) says your face expresses your general health:  when you’re embarrassed, you blush; when you’re angry, you turn red, when you’re frightened, you turn pale, etc.  Also, your skin as a whole regulates temperature, retains body heat, cools you down.  Bad eating habits can age you prematurely.  Your skin can be a window showing you your health inside.  Some people focus on skin creams, but the surface is only half the battle.

Nourish from within.  Dull, dry, scaling or oily skin suggests nutritional problems and reflects food you eat.  Good food supplies nutrition.  Eat fruit and vegetables.  Your skin can start looking supple and youthful again.  One important key is water.  Drinking enough water increases your eyes’ and skin’s beauty and clarity.  Water and fiber combine in your digestive tract to eliminate toxins. 
This helps your body work more efficiently, reduces wear and tear, slows down aging.  Protein keeps muscle tone strong—without it, your face will begin to sag, droop, shriven, wither.  Keep balance in the diet.  Even certain fats—omega-3 and omega-6—help your face.  One tablespoon of flax seed or fish oil a day helps keep skin moist and smooth.  Active people have better skin than lazy people.  Exercise floods your skin with blood, providing oxygen and gives a natural glow.  Exercise also creates internal body heat and stimulates body’s collagen production.
 
To keep skin bags from forming under the eyes:

1.Tea bag treatment (a. steep two large, round teabags in water; b. cool the teabags, let them chill; c. place over eyes and relax for 15 minutes) because tannin in black tea has an anti-inflammatory effect;

2.Learn to sleep on your back.  Smashing your face into a pillow creates  extra wrinkles and creases.  Puffiness and dark circles under your eyes come from sleeping face down because fluid pools in bags under the eyes (she’s not addressing psychological reasons why some people sleep on their back, some on their sides, some face-down);

3.Dark circles under the eyes, and puffiness, also come from dehydration or lack of sleep.
Steam Bath For Your Face (to open pores):  boil water in a pot, add heaping teaspoonful of loose tea, remove from heat, cover head and pot with large towel to catch steam (never steam a dry face—add a little cream except to nose and chin), when vapor stops rising your treatment is over, apply facial mask to cleanse and tighten skin, remove with ice water to close pores—these steps are supposed to give your skin a rush and healthy glow.

Beautifying helpers:

Problem:     Suggestion:
Dry, bumpy or scaly skin and blemishes – Vitamin A—yellow fruits and vegetables
Skin too oily or too dry   - Vitamin B6—bananas and avocados
Sagging skin  – Vitamin C—tomatoes and lemons
No healthy, natural glow  – Vitamin D—sunshine
Liver spots  - Vitamin E—green, leafy vegetables
Pale lips and skin  – Iron—raisins and asparagus
Acne  - Zinc—carrots and spinach

AGE FIGHTERS ARE VITAMINS A, C AND E—THEY SLOW AGING OF TISSUES.