One fact that most people would readily admit is that they do not want to grow old.
We all want to keep tapping from the fountain of youth and avoid those wrinkles and saggy skin.
And then you go out and see other people within your age bracket and you wonder he they are able to pull off great hair, pore-free complexion, or flawless teeth?
Summarily, that ageless look is what you are after and while you might have noble ambitions, do you know how to get it?
Well, this article basically covers and exposes certain anti-aging secrets that you probably never knew about. Come along on this journey of discovery.
1. Get Rid of Sugar From Your Diet
Sugar is highly inflammatory and inflammation would bring about faster aging.
Sugar intake consequently results in wrinkles, hardening of the skin as well as a blotchy or sallow look. When you're on a diet that includes simple sugars and a lot of highly processed food, your skin begins to appear very tired and stressed.
However, avoiding sugar doesn't mean that you cannot still enjoy sweets without your youth being at stake, provided they are taken in the form of fresh fruit, then you are good.
Highly processed stuff like cereals, cookies that contain high-fructose corn syrup, or candy would have you looking aged soon enough. But abstinence from refined sugar would have your skin looking a lot healthier in no time.
2. Get Those Hours of Sleep Because You Need Them!
Apart from the rest that your mind requires during your 8 hours of beauty sleep, your skin also makes use of this period to recover from all the not-so-great conditions that it experienced all day.
It can almost be likened to a spa getaway which is, of course, something else that is great for your skin.
At night, the level of cortisol which is the stress hormone goes down and the growth hormones rise in its place. This allows for cellular growth as well as repair of worn-out cells which is one of the major requirements for great skin.
Before going to sleep, you should typically wipe off all makeup alongside all the grime and other substances that have accumulated on your skin throughout the day.
Sleeping with makeup on would only result in more damage.
3. Fasting
Fasting is one of the most effective ways of maintaining a healthy skin tone.
As a matter of fact, it is a better regulator of energy and metabolism when compared to sleep and this, of course, enables the skin to work on repairing itself.
A 12 to 14-hour fast every day works just fine, of these hours, you spend eight asleep and then two to three hours on either side of that.
Similarly, avoiding late-night snacking doesn't just help in size reduction over time, it also serves to improve the efficiency of your skin's efforts at barrier repair and all of the other processes that it carries out.
This type of intermittent fasting helps your skin age better. Similarly, it is well hydrated, firmer and can better withstand damage by UV rays and pollution.
4. Antioxidants Are The Real Deal
Antioxidants are very powerful whether ingested or applied to the skin, especially when you look at them using an anti-aging focus.
Antioxidants are great at helping your skin fight against its enemies including pollution, UV rays, stress as well as the simple sugars that you consume sometimes.
Foods with a high component of antioxidants such as tomatoes, blueberries, beans, and spinach should be consumed in very large quantities.
In addition to this, you can apply an antioxidant cream or serum in the mornings and at night. To take it up a notch, you can consider applying a blend of different antioxidants. Also, including a supplement in your routine is advised.
5. Sunscreen
Since the sun plays a major role in the aging process, protecting yourself from it is one sure way to maintain your skin.
Enter sunscreen!
When applying sunscreen, minimum SPF should be around 30 but typically, the higher you go, the better.
This is because higher SPF 's guarantee you more protection and although the percentage difference is only very minimal, it would still make a significant difference.
Therefore, using SPFs as high as 100 isn't such a bad idea after all. Similarly, apart from these SPFs, some sunscreens come with DNA-repair enzymes and skin-protective antioxidants that help in the battle against UV damage.
Tips for Using Sunscreen
- And just so you know that you are sure that you're getting sufficient protection, one way to go is applying a dime-size on your neck, another dime-size on your face and for your chest, apply in two layers.
- If you are using any age-defying cream, apply them first before using the sunscreen.
- After doing this, leave it to dry and then reapply it following the same pattern so that you can be certain that you are getting enough.
- Also, when applying sunscreen on your face, begin from the edges of your face and then move on towards the center of your face. This is because while you may get more to cover your upper lip and nose, you may not go back to cover the front of your ears and the skin along your hairline.
- Furthermore, the chest and neck shouldn't be neglected and you should include the back and the sides of your neck because, in spite of long hair, that area undergoes aging too.
- As a final tip, try to cover your hands as much as possible to prevent the direct impact of the sun.
Conclusion
Aging is one process that many have come to dread.
But it doesn't have to be like the horrific picture that you've got in your mind provided you treat your skin well.
These tips are one way to go and they are most certainly very effective.
