Amanda Ngudle

Amanda Ngudle

Good skin is not made, it is earned. The more effort you put into maintaining it, the better your skin will look, but bear in mind that maintaining your skin requires never-ending endeavour.

Dietician Mandisa Ngidi said that alcohol and other drinks can damage the skin.

"People usually indulge in toxin-filled consumables around the festive season and the results can last forever if left untreated. They can build up and worsen every year," she said.

We also drink coffee to get rid of the babalas.

"And coffee is terrible for the skin. In fact, in some countries, the caffeine [in coffee and cola drinks] is used to turn animal skins into leather. So you can imagine how terrible coffee and Coke are for your skin," she said.

Alcohol dehydrates the drinker, robbing the skin of fluids. Ngidi advised having a glass of water after every glass of an alcoholic drink.

Sleepless nights also ravage the skin's appearance.

Dermatologist Dawie Odendaal said: "Sleep is when the body rests, rejuvenates, replenishes and regenerates - particularly in the second stage of sleep, when cell repair takes place.

"Damage that has been done to the skin that could contribute to premature ageing is repaired during this stage of sleep."

Smoking is another culprit because it reduces the body's use of vitamin C, which is brilliant for maintaining a bright complexion.

Stress is another bad factor and so is junk food.

To increase the chance of your skin breathing properly this is what you should do:

l Drink green tea: it has even more antioxidant properties than vitamins A, C and E;

l Exercise: when your heart pumps faster, your lungs take in more oxygen and your skin sweats, opening your pores;

lHave a facial or an exfoliation: this improves blood circulation, making your skin more radiant;

lDetox: this improves the metabolism and accelerates circulation of blood so that fresh blood gets to the skin;

l Drink lots of water: this flushes the system from the inside so that whatever you do from the list above works faster. Water also helps to prevent dehydration.