Skin Aging: Protect your skin now
Many people think skin aging is a fact of life that can’t be helped. But instead of resigning yourself to a wrinkled face, take these essential steps.
1. Always use sunscreen. Much as we all like the look of a golden glow, the sun is your face’s worst enemy. Whenever you are going out (and even if you know you will be spending a lot of time in a sunlit window), always wear a sunscreen with a sun protection factor of at least 15. The best sunscreens will protect your skin from damage by UVA and UVB radiation.
2. Moisturize at least twice a day. A daytime moisturizer will protect your skin from pollutants in the air that leading to premature skin aging. A nighttime moisturizer will sink deeply into your skin tissues while you sleep so you will wake up looking younger and better. Choose the moisturizers that best fit your budget and that you will use every day.
3. Relax. Stress takes its toll on everyone and especially in the face. Every time you squint, frown, smile or laugh, it lives its mark a little bit deeper around your eyes and your mouth. Of course, we’re not saying you should go around like an expressionless robot the rest of your life, but you need to pay attention to how your face reacts when you are stressed. When you feel your face tightening up, take a deep breath. Hold it for a slow count of ten and then slowly exhale. As you exhale, consciously let go of all the tension in your face. If you do this at least once a day, you will gradually become more aware of how your face changes.
As you try to relax, use natural means, such as getting plenty of sleep. Don’t resort to alcohol, which can lead to many health problems.
4. Give your face a massage. Just as a massage helps your body to relax, a massage helps your face to relax as well. Starting at the base of your neck, gently use your fingers to rub in slow upward circles. (You may want to apply lotion or even a tiny amount of cooking oil to your fingers first.) Work your fingers all the way up, through your chin and cheek areas, around the outer portion of your eyes and up through the forehead. As you work around your lower eye, always work from the outer corner in toward the nose.
5. Drink plenty of water. Dry skin is wrinkled and scaly skin that looks years older than it really is. So drink water frequently. Don’t try to substitute colas, coffee or other caffeinated beverages either. Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it makes people urinate more. Caffeine can make your body dry out faster, thus leading to dry, older looking skin.
6. Stop smoking. Ever notice how people who smoke seem to have more wrinkles, especially around the mouth and eyes? That’s because they pucker their lips much more often than the rest of us. They must also squeeze their eyes shut often in order to avoid smoke in them. Smokers also have more wrinkles because of increased free radicals in the skin because their bodies produce less collagen (a naturally occurring protein that adds flexibility to the skin).
By following these six tips, skin aging can be prevented, or at least slowed considerably.
Start following them today.
No Wrinkles: Overnight
Your Facial Skin Care Routine for Mature Skin
Facial skin care is especially important for mature skin. No one can completely avoid the aging process, but you can easily postpone it or slow it down considerably by following a simple wrinkle treatment program.
1. Clean your face every day. No matter how old you are, every day dirt and pollutants build up on your face and they need to be cleared away, perhaps even twice daily. Use a cleaner made for dry or sensitive skin.
2. Exfoliate. Exfoliation simply means wiping away the dead surface skin cells to make way for fresh new ones so your face looks younger. Look for an exfoliant designed for sensitive skin; these will be gentler so you can use them every day if you feel the need.
3. Wear a moisturizing mask. It’s amazing the difference wearing a mask can make, even if you only wear it for ten minutes every week. Your face will look and feel years younger.
4. Moisturize. As we age, the dermis layer of the skin makes less collagen, so your face loses elasticity. That’s when dryness sets in, along with lines and wrinkles. Apply a moisturizer every day and every night. Good moisturizers will have such ingredients as Vitamin E, alpha hydroxyl acid, retinol and a sunscreen.
5. Eat right. Your body needs whole grains, protein, fruits and vegetables in order to function. If you are eating the right foods, it will show in your skin. Likewise, if you eat the wrong foods. Look especially for foods rich in vitamin A, B-complex vitamins and essential fatty acids.
6. Drink plenty of water. Your skin needs water, especially in your face. Drink at least eight 8 oz glasses every day.
7. Stop smoking. Many studies have proven that smoking accelerates skin aging. Yet another reason to give up the habit.
8. Wear sunscreen. If your daytime moisturizer does not have sunscreen, be sure to apply some every time you go outside. It should have an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 15 to be effective.
9. Relax. Tension shows up in your face as fine lines and wrinkles. When you feel anxious, take a few minutes for yourself. Close your eyes and take several long, slow deep breaths. Say to yourself Relax. Let all the tension release from your forehead, your eyes and your jaw.
10. See a dermatologist. If you have rashes, eczema or other skin conditions, see a dermatologist, so that they can be accurately and thoroughly treated without causing further damage. The dermatologist can create a wrinkle treatment program especially for your needs.
11. Don’t use soap and water. Soap is notoriously drying on your face. If you do get soap on your face, rinse it off thoroughly with warm water. Pat your skin dry, don’t rub it.
Wrinkles are a part of the aging process. Wrinkle treatment thus needs to be part of your everyday hygiene regimen. By taking these easy steps, even if you can’t be younger, you will definitely look younger.
