Have you ever woken up one morning to find yourself looking in the mirror and thinking how your face looks like it has aged, with wrinkles becoming more prominent? With the busy lives that we lead these days, it is hard to keep up with our own routines at times. Here are some ideas that may help to decrease the visibility of wrinkles.
But first of all what are they?
Wrinkles are folds, creases or lines that can appear on the forehead, neck, face and hands. They can be deep depressions in the skin that are caused when the skin has lost it’s elasticity. The skin is made up of three layers:
The EPIDERMIS, the outermost layer that everyone can see. This layer acts as a barrier to the elements of the outside environment.
The DERMIS, which contains the structural elements of the skin is the middle layer. This is the connective tissue.
The SUBCUTANEOUS, the most inner layer contains fat cells. They help to make the skim look plump or full.
Collagen, a protein in the dermis layer, is what helps prevent wrinkles. Fibres called elastin have an elastic quality which also help. Over time the collagen and fibres deteriorate which makes the skin become thinner. When this occurs not enough moisture can get to the epidermis. As we humans age, natural oils in our skin become less and the number of sweat glands decrease and this leads to our skin drying out.
Some ways that we can decrease this effect is-
1/ Protect our skin from the sun. Wear sunscreen with a SPF of 30+ or higher. Hats, long sleeve shirt and pants to cover the skin. Remember that the UV is usually very extreme on cloudy days, so cover up.
2/ Keeping your skin hydrated is a must. Drink plenty of water, at least 6-8 glasses is a good amount to have.
3/ Moisturise every morning with a good moisturiser or sun block. Doesn’t have to be the most expensive, something that you are comfortable with, perhaps not too oily.
4/ Don’t smoke. Smoking will draw out all the moisture from the skin and dehydration will happen more rapidly. This will then make the skin look a lot older and make appears seem older earlier than it should.
5/ Facial massages will help to stimulate the muscles and tone them up quicker.
6/ Diet is essential to keeping wrinkles at bay. Eat plenty of vegetables and reduce the intake of fats. Eat high antioxidant foods, they will help build up collagen and rebuild elasticity in the skin.
7/ Good skin care: Exfoliating and cleansing to clear dead skin cells. Hydration of the skin with moisturiser as explained in step 3.
8/ Drinking Green Tea is also very helpful as it contains many antioxidants, so can be very beneficial.
9/ Another good skincare idea that I have heard of is using honey and vitamin E. Mix a capsule of vitamin E with some honey and rub it onto the face, leave for about 10 to 15 minutes and wash off with warm soapy water. Honey helps to moisten and vitamin E is good for repairing skin damage.
10/ Get plenty of rest. You need this to help your skin rejuvenate.
Getting old Is something that we will all face one day, it is inevitable. But getting there at a much slower pace is what we are all looking for. Here’s to your success in beating the aging process.
