As the clock strikes midnight in Spain and Portugal, revelers eat 12 grapes—one at each stroke of the clock—to bring good luck for the next 12 months. What a wonderful treat for your skin. Grapes contain vitamins A and K and their seeds are an excellent source of antioxidants, which can help protect skin from pollutants and other toxins.
In North America, many people celebrate by popping open a bottle of bubbly. Last year, Americans drank almost 360 million glasses of sparkling wine during the holiday season. While one glass is perfectly fine, overindulging can dehydrate your skin, interrupt your sleep cycle and destroy your body’s supply of vitamin A. For the sake of your skin and your health, enjoy in moderation and limit yourself to no more than one drink per day.
Revelers in China celebrate the start of the Lunar New Year by wearing new clothes from head to toe, which symbolizes that they will have more than enough clothes and material items in the year ahead. While this fashionable tradition doesn’t directly impact your complexion, there definitely is truth in the adage, “When you look good, you feel good,” which is why we give this tradition two thumbs up.
Whether you’re ringing in the New Year at a party, in your home or celebrating in the streets of your city, here’s to wishing you and yours good health, much happiness— and, of course, great skin.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kathy Fields