Any chance you had, you'd go to the beach or to the lake... living worry free; it was heaven on earth! You looked so good with your deep, dark tan. If you couldn't go to the beach or to the lake, you spread out that king size sheet right in the front yard and slathered yourself with deep tanning oil. That tan you got sure made you feel and look good!

Even if you weren't able to be around water, you were more than likely enamored with the way your skin looked when it was tan -- smoother, slimer, sexier. It was worth every hour spent laying in the front yard or tanning bed to get that golden color.

Or so we thought.

As we get older, we're cleaning up the mess we made. Our skin is not young and smooth anymore; we have uneven color, fine lines, large blemishes (otherwise known as age spots). How dare they! I like to think of those age spots as souveniers from the good 'ole worry free days of my youth.

Sure, your part of the damage cannot be completely repaired -- but it's never too late to love your skin again. Our days click off without our permission, and our skin begins to show all of our 'souveniers'. What we need now is protection and repair; protection from what's coming in the future and repair for what we've already done to our skin.

It is important that you have a good skin care product to help erase the signs of aging, and to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It is also equally important to give your body what it needs --water, vitamins, minerals, protein and carbs. Nutrition is very important to your overall health. The right combination of these essentials can help improve your health and how your skin looks.

Scientists are aware that we can nourish our skin topically or internally; we cannot do one without the other. An unhealthy person can use the best skin care products in the world, following all the directions perfectly and see some improvement in their skin. But, if that same person chooses to nourish their bodies with 'good' foods, then their skin's appearance will improve so much more.

For instance, if you have troubled skin, you also need a supplement that supports the skin from the inside out with key ingredients such as L-Lysine, zinc, as well as vitamins A and B6. You need to drink plenty of water. If you smoke, you should think about quitting.

Getting older isn't an option, but getting wiser is. We know not the lay in the tanning beds now, and being wiser, we know that we don't need a tan to be beautiful. Skin that is well taken care of reflects all the beauty we want -- in any shade.

If we want our skin to be healthy we have to have a healthy body. You know, we are encased in our body's largest organ... our skin! To get rid of dry skin, drink plenty of water, eat your veggies and take vitamins... but not just any vitamins. You need to make sure that they contain ingredients that really work. Luminous skin can be yours again!