One of the first things agencies look at when considering a new model is his or her skin. Skin, the largest organ in the human body, is the foundation of beauty. And while skin is the blank canvas for a beautiful face or body, you also want your skin to be beautiful on its own. For some, good genetics lend a helping hand. For others, beautiful skin is something you’ll have to work for.

A lot of flaws can mar the skin, especially the thin, delicate skin of the face. These include dryness, flaccidity, pimples, wrinkles, enlarged pores, age spots, and general unevenness. Quite a list, isn’t it?

Fortunately, there are many ways to improve the tone and texture of your skin. And while you may never have ideal skin --some skin traits are genetic, after all-- you can always improve on nature. Below you’ll find some of the best ways to improve your skin tone.

Hydration

One of the main things that lead to an uneven skin tone is dryness. The recommended two liters of water isn’t random, and isn’t just something bottled water companies use just to sell their products. Hydrating your skin will help to combat dryness and redness. It can also have an effect on your pores; you may find that, when hydrated, your skin will plump slightly, making enlarged pores less visible.

Exfoliation

Do you ever wonder how Hollywood stars get that glowing, youthful skin tone? Exfoliation. If you want to have smooth, glowing movie-star skin, exfoliation is key. No matter how well you wash your skin, if you do not exfoliate, dead skin cells will build up. When this happens, your skin will appear duller, dryer, older, less pretty. Those nasty dead skin cells will also block your pores, resulting in blackheads, pimples, and stretched, enlarged pores.

So get exfoliating. There are a couple of main ways to exfoliate your skin. One is manual exfoliation. This is when a comparatively rough surface is used to buff dead skin and impurities away. Manual exfoliation can consist of microdermabrasion, exfoliating cloths, brushes, scrubs, etc. Just be sure not to use rough, hard edged brushes or scrubs, and they can irritate your skin, just making your problems worse.

Another even easier way to exfoliate is by chemical exfoliation. Chemical exfoliation is the use of chemicals that strip away dead skin for you. These are usually in the form of fruit acids, acid peels/masks, and alpha or beta hydroxy lotions. These are intended to get right down into the pores, cleaning them from the inside out. While chemical exfoliation is one of the best things you can do for your skin tone (it’s great combined with occasional manual exfoliation), it’s important to be careful. Start with gentle products, and use them only occasionally at first-- even so, they may cause dryness and peeling. Also, be sure to research any products you buy; many over-the-counter beta or alpha hydroxy exfoliants are not the correct pH to be truly effective.

The truth is, it’s impossible for a person over the age of ten to have perfect skin. As you age, hormones and time have their effect on your body and it will begin to show on your skin. There’s no preventing it. And there’s no need to feel hopeless. Just remember, even those Hollywood stars aren’t perfect. Take away the products, the professionally-applied make-up, the lighting, and the airbrushing, and Jennifer Lopez’s skin probably looks a lot like yours.