Sadly, none of us are immortal, which means that our bodies and skin will begin to show signs of ageing as the years go by. The natural ageing process where fine lines appear on the skin and it becomes thinner and dryer is called intrinsic ageing, and we have no control over this process.
We are, however, able to influence the extrinsic ageing of our skin by controlling what we eat, the products and skincare techniques that we use, as well as how much we expose our skin to harmful things. By effectively taking care of our skin, we can slow down the extrinsic ageing process.
The Secret to Long-Lasting Youthfulness
The journey toward youthful skin begins with what you put inside your body. When you consistently feed your body with nutritious foods, what’s on the inside will eventually become noticeable on the outside. Certain foods contribute to maintaining healthy skin while others do the exact opposite. Let’s start with the food, drinks and habits that you should avoid.
Alcohol tops the list of things that you should avoid, or consume less of the more you age. Alcohol is known to dehydrate the body which acts as a catalyst to ageing skin. Smoking is another deterrent. Smoking can be an incredibly difficult habit to quit, but consider the health risks associated with smoking as one more reason to nip this habit in the bud.
You should also avoid food and drinks that are high in sugar. Instead, increase or maintain a healthy intake of protein and fruit that contains vitamin C. Cooked tomatoes is said to be a natural antioxidant that you can consume to fight off sun damage. If eating right is a challenge for you, perhaps you can try drinking supplements that contain ingredients like Omega-3 and flaxseed oil as these offer great benefits for the skin too.
5 Tips to Keep Your Skin Looking Radiant
We’ve combined a few skincare methods and products and developed this 5-step guide to help you take care of your skin on an everyday basis.
Use a Gentle Face Wash
Using exfoliating face scrubs and thick face masks is great when you’re in your 20s and 30s because that might be what your skin needs then. But as you grow older, your skin changes and the products you use will have to shift with this change.
Swapping your dense face scrubs for a gentle face cleanser is a good start.
As you age, your skin becomes less oily and more sensitive. A face wash that includes ingredients like green tea and fatty acids is great for feeding your skin the hydration that it needs during this stage.
Use an SPF Based Face Cream
Our bodies naturally generate vitamin D whenever we are exposed to direct sunlight. And while vitamin D has its uses, too much sun exposure can be harmful to the skin, especially ageing skin. Discolouration and dark spots on the skin's surface are direct signs of sun damage to the skin.
You can prevent this from happening by applying sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. Also, opt for rich creams that contain vitamin E and antioxidants to help your skin produce collagen. This should also improve the overall elasticity of your skin. For extra care, apply all your face creams using your fingertips by going in a circular motion. It’s also advisable to apply night or day creams on the neck in an upwards direction.
Rest Your Face on Clean Linen
Our next anti-ageing skincare tip is perhaps most surprising. But did you know sleeping on dirty or make-up stained pillows and bedding can clog your pores? It may even cause breakouts and fast track wrinkles and saggy skin. Beauty specialists suggest that you swap out your pillowcases every few days to prevent any irritation to the skin.
Include Exercise in Your Everyday Routine
Exercise has many benefits, and healthy skin is one of them. One of the functions of blood is to carry oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, skin included. By exercising, you naturally increase blood flow to vital skin cells, but you also assist the body in flushing out waste which ages the skin.
Aesthetic Chemical Procedures
Cosmetological care is one way of ensuring that your skin stays as youthful as can be. This is a slightly more drastic and expensive approach, but it offers much quicker, targeted results. There’s a wide range of invasive and non-invasive chemical procedures that you can try. Your options include chemical peels, injectable treatments, augmentation and contouring, plastic surgery and more.
Written by Robin Kelmovitz.
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