Skin Aging

I am a hobby sportsperson. I often get asked how do I look so young for my age. Is it just the exercising and sports or I take any other steps to keep the signs of aging away?

To be honest, I haven’t tried anything different, but once I got a chance to discuss this with one of my dermatologist friends. He told me about the skin aging process and how it is connected to our lifestyle. It is true that we often miss taking into account the little steps, we can take every day to keep our skin from sagging, spotting and wrinkling.

I know how I can get depressing to see yourself aging, but I know we all can nurture a more positive outlook towards aging process, by taking control.

You are going to look as young on the outside as you are inside. How well you take care of yourself including your diet, lifestyle and skincare products all contribute to aging of your skin. Here are the 10 ways you can prevent the first signs of aging from appearing:

Protect your skin from the sun

I know everyone is aware of the fact that UV rays in the sunlight can cause deep damage to the collagen in the skin. To prevent aging of your skin start protecting it from the sun in any way you can. Too much exposure to sunlight can not only increase the risk of skin cancers but also damages epidermal tissue. Always wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen lotion that protects your skin from both UVA and UVB rays.

Manage your stress

Stress is a mechanism that puts our bodies into the “fight or flight” mode, releasing hormones that affect us on the cellular level. Many studies have found a direct correlation between aging and stress. It is also found that stress causes skin barrier preventing it to repair itself.

Now we know it is hard to escape stress altogether, but you can do whatever is in your control to relieve stress. Commit to exercising, yoga and meditation to manage stress easily.

Doze for enough hours

All the maintenance work carried out to keep our body in fine tuning is done during the sleep. This repair also includes the skin which is why a good night sleep is also called the “beauty sleep.” Deep sleep is very important because most restorative functions happen during those hours. This is why at least 7-8 hours of stress and uninterrupted sleep is important if you want that glowing and healthy skin.

Don’t drink/smoke too much

Once is a while smoking or drinking is not a problem, but when it becomes a habit it not only deteriorates your health it also takes a serious toll on your skin health. Nicotine present in tobacco is known to starve the skin of oxygen that causes dullness and loses elasticity causing wrinkles. In some studies, it is found that excessive smoking causes wrinkles even at the age of 20!

Alcohol dehydrates the skin and also depletes vitamin A both of which hinder the collagen production. Collagen is a protein that is essential to keep skin firm and strong.

Increase Vitamin A in your diet

As mentioned before, vitamin A is important for collagen production and plays an important role in skin tissue repair. The best source of vitamin A is liver. A serving of beef liver contains around 50,000 IU of vitamin A, so you can have it once a week and you will notice a huge improvement in your skin quality. Milk, eggs, butter and cream are also good sources of vitamin A. If you are one of those women who stick to the vegan diet for vitamin A then bad news for you, 50% of women cannot effectively convert beta-carotene to vitamin A.

Beef up on antioxidants

Free radicals cause too much harm to your skin and you need antioxidants to fight them. These are highly reactive molecules that are generated in our body as a reaction to pollution, UV radiation and smoking. The free radicals are a hidden cause of aging that can damage collagen and elastin fibres. This is why you need to increase the intake of antioxidants such as vitamin C, coffee extracts and ferulic acid. Berries, tomatoes, garlic, red grapes and green tea are all great dietary sources of antioxidants, too.

Human growth hormone

A potent amino acid, HGH or Human Growth Hormone is responsible for the growth and development of our body. As we age the production of HGH declines, causing increased fat accumulation, lower cell regeneration and poor skin health. One highly effective way to deal with the first signs of aging is to keep growth hormone levels under check. Natural HGH supplements can help boost production of growth hormone.

Stick to your skincare regimen

You cannot expect to have healthy skin without pampering it. The largest organ of our body, skin needs proper care routine. I have seen women, using mature skin care products that are too heavy and rich, which is a mistake. During the first signs of aging you do not need to invest into those heavy skin care products, but pick light skincare ingredients like glycerin, antioxidants like astaxanthin, and spirulina algae.

Create a regimen to clean, tone and moisturize your skin depending on the kind (dry, oily or mixed) daily.

Exfoliate a little

Our skin is the largest organ covering our entire body. It sheds dead cells every minute of the day, and if not exfoliated these dead cells can cause uneven skin tone. For that younger looking skin, you need to exfoliate your skin but not too much. The use of gentle chemicals like lactic acid once a week is enough to lower the risk of premature skin aging.

Facial Massage

Massage is an ideal way to relieve the wrinkle-causing muscle tension, not only in your face but your whole body. A good massage also increases blood flow that helps with collagen production giving you a glow in your skin.

This is all folks! Stick to these methods and your skin will so thankful.