Healthy, beautiful skin starts from within.
Here are some timeless secrets to younger looking skin, no matter what your age.
Wrinkles, altered pigmentation, loss of skin tone…. we all associate these changes with skin ageing. Age –related skin change are the result of genetically programmed change (intrinsic factors) and environmental wear and tear on the skin (extrinsic factors). While both influence the skin’ structure and function, extrinsic factors cause more changes. Every day of our lives our bodies slough off and regenerate new cells. The speed at which that process takes place when we are children is vastly different, as we get older. We are living longer as a whole. Singularly, that can be a curse or a blessing, depending on your perspective.
The best route to natural beauty and healthy skin is to take care of what you have. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? The truth is that your skin takes a beating from the environment every single day. Here are some of our favourite beauty tips for keeping your skin fresh and healthy:
1: Estimates state that 80-99% of what we see on our skin, as adults are the result of exposure to sunlight, which is referred to as photoaging. Protect your skin from harmful ultra violet (UV) rays. We all love the sun. We love being in it and we love having a beautiful tan. The truth is you can damage your skin with too much sunshine. UV rays cause skin cancer and if that isn’t bad enough it causes your skin to age faster than it should, contributing to unsightly wrinkles. If you must play in the sun, make certain you are using an adequate sunscreen. We recommends SPF 50, don’t leave home without wearing it!
2: Stay hydrated and drink plenty of water! That does not mean soda, caffeine, tea or any other type of liquid; even if it is low calories Soda (even diet soda) has a high concentration of sodium. Sodium retains fluids. You need fluid that will hydrate and flush your body free of toxins. Make sure you are drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day!
3: Use a good and rights skin care for your skin. A good skin care routine can help fight the sign of ageing. All those skin care products exist for a reason, right? A no frills routine with a cleanser, serum, moisturiser morning and night will do massive for your skin. And don’t forget to do exfoliations once or twice a week. Exfoliating helps keep your skin looking young and hydrates by shedding dead skin cells and stimulates the productions of hyaluronic acids, can also minimise the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles over time.
4: If you smoke, stop. Smoking greatly speeds up how quickly skin ages. It causes wrinkles and a dull, sallow complexion. Also if you drink alcohol, stop or drink less alcohol. Alcohol is rough on the skin. It dehydrates the skin, and in time, damages the skin. This can make us look older.
5: Eat healthy and well- balanced diet. Knowing how and what to eat, can make a huge difference in how you feel. Improper eating habits can cause depression, weight gain, illness and an overall lethargy. Weight gain causes your skin to stretch. As you get older, it loses its elasticity and you’re left with sagging skin. The best solution to this is to maintain a proper weight.
A rule of thumb for eating habits are…doesn’t eat more calories than you need to consume. Don’t go one single day without doing something extra and physical for at least 30 minutes per day. This can be 10 minutes runs or 30 minutes of vigorous aerobics, or 12 minutes of weight lifting and 18 minutes of walking.
6: Make sure you have enough sleep at least 7 hours a night. Lack of sleep, especially chronic sleep loss, can increase the likelihood of age-related disease and impacts skin function and increased signs of intrinsic ageing such as lower skin barrier function. Also your skin gets stressed out too and that means more breakouts ahead. Establishing a routine pattern of going to bed and waking up around the same time each day is the most important thing you can do to establish good sleep habits.
7: Don’t worry, be happy. A happy outlook appears to trigger the release of endorphins. Endorphins relax the cardiovascular system and cytokines, which alert the immune system to pay attention in detecting abnormalities like cancer cells. Listen carefully to yourself. If you have put yourself down since childhood, over a lifetime, negative subliminal messages can take their toll by turning you into a pessimist. Spend one week writing down the phrases you use in yourself talk. Chances are you will find that you repeat a dozen or so phrases over and over again that reinforce that negative image. If you know about them, you can change them. Outer beauty and inner joy go hand in hand.
Here are a few quick tips for increasing joy, hope and optimism that will work no matter what your age:
*Make a list of at least 10 great things that happen to you every day.
*Laugh a lot. You’ll heal your body and your mind.
*Discover a new challenge each month.
*Try meditating for just 10 minutes each day.
Is beauty really skin deep?
The answer is yes and no. It’s a paradox, isn’t it? True beauty begins from the inside out. Don’t you wish there was some way to wriggle your nose and regain that soft skin you had as a child? Well, until someone comes up with the true Fountain of Youth we are stuck with what we have.
Just remember that getting older doesn’t have to mean you have to look old.