Everyone wants to have great looking skin. While some things are out of our control there are many things we can do to help keep our skin looking young.

We can't do anything about genetics. Some races age better than others, some skin types and skin shades age slower and some people just have naturally good skin. Let's take a look at the things we do have control of that can make a huge difference in how our skin looks.

First off, the old saying that beauty is only skin deep is a lie. Beauty starts on the inside with proper nutrition and hydration. Eating good healthy foods will go a long way to giving you healthier looking skin. Avoid greasy fast food that will do nothing but cause skin care problems. Drink plenty of water to keep your body and your skin properly hydrated and DON'T smoke! If you do smoke, quit. Smoking will age your skin very fast.

Another thing you must do is limit exposure to the sun. Some people seem to be able to take sun exposure better than others, but as a rule sun damages your skin. A tan is your body's response to damage, just like callous forms when you do heavy manual work with your hands or on the feet of dancers. So wear a hat and a good sunscreen when you are outdoors.

Another big step that many people ignore is to clean your skin daily. This should be one of the very first things that you do in the morning and the last thing before going to bed at night. This will keep your pore from clogging and remove dirt and excess oils. Use a good quality cleanser, not just soap and water.

Another thing you will want to do is apply a toner after washing to remove any leftover cleanser, tighten your pores and prepare your skin for moisturizer. Just as with cleansers and moisturizers you want to choose one that matches your skin type.

For a daytime moisturizer you may want to choose one with a built in sunscreen while at night you may want to apply a richer and thicker moisturizing cream so that your skin receives the most benefit while you sleep.