A visit to any beauty department or store would offer you thousands of options that greet you
with the possibility of making your skin look more youthful, brighter and clearer. But the health of
your skin is not solely dependent on what you put on it. In fact, it is what you put in it that will help
you put your best face forward, literally.

One of the most pocket-friendly ways of doing so is to consume products with high nutritional
value, like milk. Various medical journals and reports such as the Skin Wrinkles and Blemishes, In-
Depth Patient Education Report from the University of Maryland Medical Centre have suggested that
milk contains lactic acid. This type of acid belongs to a class of natural chemical compounds called
Alpha hydroxyl acids (AHAs) known to promote the rate at which we shed our skin cells and may
even stimulate collagen and elastin growth. Milk also contains enzymes that aid in creating clear
and possibly glowing skin. Moreover, it is a rich source of protein – a nutrient essential for the
maintenance of many tissues including boosting your skin’s elasticity by offering collagen and
elastin. In order for you to enjoy all those benefits of this nutrient-laden beverage, here’s the catch:
You’ve got to drink fresh.

How Is The Freshness of Milk Linked To Your Skin?

Like your skin, milk is delicate and requires your care and concern. While it is pasteurized to
make it safe to drink, it remains a fresh produce. This means that once the seal of a carton of milk
has been broken, it is immediately exposed to oxidation, loses its quality and begins to lose
freshness rapidly. According to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), it is
recommended that milk when opened should be consumed within two to three days.

When you put milk that is not fresh into your body, you run the risk of ingesting unhealthy and
sometimes even harmful organisms. This can cause an imbalance of the good and bad bacteria,
interference of digestion and the production of toxins in your digestive system; and in turn affect the
health of your skin. With all this stress that your internal organs undergoes can at times, be reflected
in the complexion of your skin with changes in its colour, texture as well as hydration levels. This is
why it is important to store milk properly both before and after it has been opened, and consume it
within the recommended duration by AVA; so that your skin can reap the full benefits from fresh
milk.

Ways To Ensure Freshness of Milk

1. Keep It Chilled From Supermarket to Home
Proper storage of milk starts from the time you pick it up from the supermarket and not when you
put it into your refrigerator. This helps to preserve the cold chain that takes milk from the time it is
pasteurized to being transported in cold cargo containers and stocked in the supermarkets. Any time
this cold chain is broken, the freshness of milk can be compromised.

Here are some easy habits to cultivate to keep that cold chain going:
• Pick up milk and other dairy products last so they don’t warm up while you’re shopping for other items
• Check that isn’t past the expiration date
• Best to refrigerate milk immediately upon reaching home
• Store it between temperatures 2°C and 4°C

2. Consume Milk Within 3 Days
In addition to storing milk properly, milk should be consumed within two to three days of
opening as stated by AVA.

So what’s the use of an expiration date?

Expiration dates on food products only play a partial role on food safety. These dates tend to be
misinterpreted as ‘how long you can keep your food for even when they have been opened’. However, what an expiration date is only an indication of how long an unopened product will retain its freshness and quality. Whereas once a product packaging has been unsealed, the expiration date no longer applies. In the case of fresh milk, three days is the mark where it begins to deteriorate quickly and potentially lose its freshness and full nutritional benefits.

With increasingly hectic schedules and small family units, having to finishup a carton milk in such a short period of time can be quite a challenge. So instead of struggling to consume a 2-litre bottle of milk in three days, get two 1-litre cartons of fresh milk. This makes it more manageable finish the milk the in time and it also allows you drink up the second carton at its freshest. If and when you do still have some leftover, have a go at these two DIY mask hacks that will do your skin good!

Easy-to-make DIY beauty masks

When combined with oatmeal and honey, milk makes a wonderful exfoliator because of its lactic acid content that eases the breaking down of dead skin cells. Hence, softening them for removal. The mild, abrasive texture of oatmeal sloughs off dead cells and removes excess sebum in your pores while honey gently exfoliates and moisturizes.

What you will need:

• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon ground oatmeal
• Small mixing bowl
• Clean towel

Directions:

• Combine all milk, honey and oatmeal thoroughly into mixing bowl
• Apply paste onto a clean face using fingertips in a gentle circular motion
• Allow to penetrate deep into pores for 10 minutes
• Rinse mask off with tepid water and pat dry with a clean towel

Turmeric is widely used as a skin exfoliant and to improve the texture of skin. When both turmeric and milk are applied, the skin is nourished with antioxidants thatslowdown cell damage and protein, which provides collagen and elasticity respectively.

What you will need:

• 2 tablespoons flour (regular or rice flour; ground oats skin is dry)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 3 tablespoons milk
• A few drops of honey
• Medium-sized bowl

Directions:

• Mix all flour, turmeric, milk and honey to make a paste into bowl
• Apply a thin layer of paste onto a clean body
• Allow to dry for 20 minutes
• Rinse off with tepid water, scrubbing gently to remove
• Apply body moisturizer