Although there are obvious causes of premature aging, there are also many ordinary things that are less obvious, which over time can take a toll on the skin and add years to your face. While many of these tips might seem like common sense, following them will help your skin stay younger, for longer. It's never too soon to start looking after your skin.
Wear sun cream
Exposure to the sun is the number one reason for skin aging. Over time it damages the skin, causing wrinkles, loss of elasticity, visible blood vessels, hyperpigmentation and even skin cancer. Even if you aren't sunbathing, you should still protect your skin by wearing sun cream every day.
Not doing so can result in:
- The loss of elasticity in the skin.
- Translucent, thinner looking skin.
- Wrinkles and fine lines.
- Leathery, dryer, rough skin.
- Liver spots on the face, back of hands, arms and body.
- Broken veins and capillaries on the face.
- Skin cancer.
Don't pick your spots!
Given some germs and bacteria that's under the nails and on your hands, it's just not sanitary to touch and pick at your pimples. Picking at them can cause breakouts and even make existing spots worse. You shouldn't pick your spots, ingrown hairs, blackheads or anything else on your face. It can have permanent effects and even leave scars.
Anti-ageing skin care
Cleanse: Gently wash your face both morning and night, but avoid cleansers that have high alcohol content and other drying agents.
Exfoliate: As dead cells accumulate, the complexion becomes dull and uneven. Make sure you exfoliate your skin weekly, using a gentle facial scrub which will keep the skin smooth, healthy and fresh.
Moisturise: Apply moisturizer over your face twice a day, not forgetting to treat the neck and the backs of your hands. Dry, aging skin loses its elasticity, and this is when wrinkles begin to form.
Don't sleep with your make-up on!
It's said that a third of women at least twice a week, go to bed without removing their make-up. Make-up becomes clogged in the pores, making them look larger and resulting in a decline in the collagen, making the skin less supple. Leaving makeup on through the night results in an overgrowth of bacteria on your face, causing acne and giving the skin an unhealthy look.
Do not share makeup
Sharing make-up is a bad idea, as you risk catching infections when sharing someone else's cosmetics. Sharing mascara brushes can pass on eye diseases, and use second-hand lipstick and chap sticks can spread viruses, like cold sores.
Cosmetic clinics offer non-surgical cosmetic treatments for the face. A reputable practitioner knows that the point of a good cosmetic procedure isn't to make you look entirely different, but to make subtle changes, making you look, fresher, giving you clearer, younger looking skin and leaving you feeling confident and happy with your appearance.There are many cosmetic procedures for the face, such as Botox, to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, lip augmentation, and fillers to plump up your lips, laser treatment to remove blemishes, moles and thread veins and chemical peels to smooth the surface of your skin.
The anti-ageing industry has been thrown into turmoil after advertising watchdogs rejected claims made for face creams containing the 'wonder ingredient' retinol.
Claims that this ingredient could turn back the clock by removing fine lines do not stand up to scrutiny, according to the Advertising Standards Authority.
But what many women don't realize is that retinol is another name for vitamin A. This is just one of a number of vitamins and oils found in the foods we eat that can protect against aging.
So with the jury out on certain wrinkle creams, we look at ten alternative ways to keep your skin looking young.
Carrots and tomatoes
Carrots and tomatoes contain beta-carotene - which is the precursor of vitamin A. After the body digests foods that contain beta carotene, it then converts them to vitamin A (retinol).
This chemical stimulates skin cell growth and builds collagen - a structural protein present in the skin which is essential for skin elasticity.
Beta carotene is also a good anti-ageing food because it blocks antioxidants. Antioxidants are our body's defenses against free radicals - highly reactive molecules that may lead to premature aging and disease.
Free radicals are a by-product of the normal usage of oxygen by the body, but they can also arise from pollution, over-exercising, and sunlight exposure.
Citrus fruits
Lemons and limes are good sources of vitamin C which act as an antioxidant, helping to protect the skin against aging. Like vitamin A, vitamin C contained in citrus fruit is essential for the production of collagen in the skin.
Lemon pith is also rich in bioflavonoids - a biologically active compound found in the rinds of citrus fruits. This help strengthens the tiny blood capillaries in the skin and prevents unattractive broken veins.
Hazelnuts and Brazil nuts
Nuts are high in essential fatty acids and when digested act as a support to those essential fatty acids already naturally present in the skin cells. Essential fatty acids help to replenish collagen, naturally, moisturize the skin and help to promote skin firmness. Nuts also contain anti-inflammatory properties which help to ensure that the skin stays smooth and unpimpled.
Avocado
Avocados are rich in the antioxidant vitamin C, contributing to protect the skin against aging. Avocados also contain essential fats, the building blocks of collagen, a structural protein contained in the skin essential for elasticity. You can try applying avocado externally too. Mashed to a pulp, avocado flesh makes a healthy treat for dry, lack-lustre skin.
Give up smoking
There is evidence to show that smokers suffer from more lines and wrinkles than nonsmokers. 'This is because carbon monoxide contained in cigarettes is known to cut off peripheral circulation - the small blood capillaries that feed the skin,' says naturopath Laurence Kirk.
Smoking also stops the body's absorption of vitamin C - an essential ingredient for the growth of new collagen.
Keep out of the sun
A healthy looking tan actually indicates slightly damaged skin. The body has produced melanin, skin pigmentation, in an attempt to protect itself against ultraviolet light. Exposure to ultraviolet light breaks down the structure of collagen. This accelerates wrinkles and aging.
Strawberries
These summer fruits provide a rich source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is essential in building up the tissue of the skin by supporting collagen formation - the scaffolding that supports the skin cells.
Drink plenty of water
As we unconsciously perspire all day, the body loses water vital for the function of our organs. Because of this, an adult should drink at least two liters of water per day. When we are dehydrated, the body diverts the water available to essential organs such as the heart and liver. The skin is not given biological importance. Boosting your intake of water ensures that water, needed for skin cell formation, is diverted to the skin.
Olive oil
The extra virgin olive oil contains healthy antioxidants which protect the skin from pollutants. It also combats the oxidizing effects of the sun on our skin. Oxidation triggers more skin cells to die, leaving skin cells thinner and promoting aging. Applying extra virgin olive oil to the skin after sun exposure may help to protect the skin against damage.
Exercise
Exercise helps with skin renewal because it promotes blood flow and nutrients to the skin's surface. Thanks to blood being pumped around the body, live skin cells lying deep in the skin are pushed up higher to the surface of the skin. This helps to create a fresher, younger appearance because they sit higher up on the skin's surface. See more in our blog at: http://lg365days.com/foods-that-make-you-look-and-feel-younger/
Sources: Mags Whyler and Daily Mail UK
Sources: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-23397/Natural-ways-skin-looking-younger.html
