Though we would love to stay young and beautiful forever, aging and growing old is a part of life. To tap this growing market there are a number of companies that manufacture anti aging skin care products. These products are easily available and they promise to reverse the signs of aging and give you a younger looking face.
Though some of these anti aging products help you look younger, it is important to understand the factors that contribute to unhealthy aging skin that could make you look older than you are.
Exposing your skin to sun is a major contributing factor towards premature ageing of the skin. The sun’s UV rays generates free radicals on the skins surface which causes sagging skin, wrinkles and damage to elastin and collagen. Elastin makes the skin firm and tight and losing elastin results in wrinkles
On a positive note, skin damage due to sun exposure can be prevented. To avoid your skin from aging while you are out in the sun, it is important that you use a good sun screen that protects against UVA and UVB rays. Choose sunscreens with SPF 15 or higher. It is important to use the sunscreen all round the years even on cloudy days as clouds do not protect you from ultra violet ray exposure.
It is important to apply sunscreens on your neck and back of your hand along with your face as these areas are also widely exposed to the sun rays.
Exercise is important for the body’s overall health. The benefit of regular exercise directly shows on your face. Exercise helps to tone your muscles and increases the proper blood flow in the body. A person who leads a sedentary lifestyle is prone to skin aging faster.
Smoking is one of the important cause that often get overlooked. Smoking causes biochemical changes in our body that accelerates aging. Whether you are a smoker or passive smoker the effects of smoking are the same. Cigarette smoke depletes the body of vitamin C which is important for the overall skin health.
These signs can be avoided by ceasing to smoke. Even heavy smokers show less facial wrinkling and improved skin when they quit smoking.
Consuming too much alcohol causes small blood vessels in the skin to become dilated and increases too much blood flow to the skins surface. With the passage of time, the blood vessels in the skin become permanently damaged which results in broken vessels on the skins surface making the skin look dull.
Too much stress is not good for the body’s health and can cause skin to age faster. This is because when our body is under any form of stress, it causes hormonal changes in your body. This leads to changes in the cells and organs of the body. Skin is the largest organ in our body and hence it reflects the changes the most.
Meditation, yoga and other relaxation programs will help you keep a check on your stress levels and will make you feel and look younger.
It is recommended to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Sleep is important for every individual as stress hormone drops to normal levels at night giving cells time to repair and rejuvenate. Sleep deprivation shows up on the face with sagging skin, dark circles, and bags under the eye.
It is important to maintain a sleep routine which includes sleeping at the same time every night to have a younger looking skin
- Going to bed without removing your makeup
You may find it very tempting to fall into bed after a late night party or after a busy day in the office but it is very important to clean your face and remove your make up before going to bed. During the day dirt and pollution can build up on your skin and invade the pores. It is important to cleanse your face to remove all the dirt before going to bed to have a clear complexion and prevent the skin from aging.
While some signs of aging skin are unavoidable, you can make healthy lifestyle changes to look your best at any age. Taking good care of yourself is important to keep your skin younger looking for a long time.
