As people age, it’s normal for their skin to get thinner and drier and for wrinkles and other signs of ageing to worsen. But sometimes, the environment and people’s lives can make the skin age faster than it should.
You don’t need magic to have beautiful skin; you need to be consistent and follow the right tips. There are some things that everyone should do to keep their skin healthy, whether they want to slow down the ageing process, get rid of breakouts, or stop flare-ups. A good skincare routine doesn’t have to be a chore. Instead, it can be a chance to treat yourself to relaxing treatments daily.
Even though you can’t stop your skin from ageing, you can stop it from ageing too quickly by following the simple steps below.
Eat healthily
While everyone has their go-to facial treatment, radiant skin truly begins from the inside out. Because of the continual shedding and replacement of older skin cells, a constant supply of nutrients is necessary to sustain this rapid turnover. If you pay attention to your diet, you can help your skin stay healthy and beautiful.
Maintaining soft, supple, and spotless skin with nutrition alone is impossible, but a good diet can offer your body the nutrients needed for cell growth.
If you want to know what foods are best for your skin, the general rule of thumb is to adopt more of a Mediterranean diet. Antioxidant-rich foods are a staple of the Mediterranean diet, which means that it’s full of other good stuff that can help keep skin cells healthy. Skin can benefit from consuming water-rich foods like the fruits and vegetables common in the Mediterranean diet. Also, Greek yoghurt, rich in probiotic bacteria, can help maintain a healthy digestive system, promoting glowing skin.
You can also add real mushroom extract to your diet. Mushrooms are known to have antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that can aid in preserving youthful and healthy skin. They have anti-inflammatory qualities that help calm irritated skin and support the regeneration of skin cells. As a natural skin protector, their high selenium level fights oxidative stress and prevents premature aging. Mushrooms include vitamins D and B, keeping skin radiant and supple. Incorporate mushrooms in your diet and achieve healthy glowing skin.
Control Your Salt Intake
Sodium is a vital part of a healthy diet. However, according to the NHS, most people in the UK consume too much salt, which can affect many different parts of the body. For example, taking too much sodium in your diet can negatively affect your skin, causing you to look and feel less than your best.
When you eat too much sodium, your skin also feels the effects. Too much salt in your diet can result in water retention, making your face look puffy and bloated. You may also get bags under your eyes. When the skin doesn’t get enough water, it can dry and crack, or the oil glands might make too much oil to compensate for the lack of water. This can cause spots on the skin.
Instead of salt, try fresh or dried herbs, lemon juice, oil, balsamic vinegar, or pepper to flavour your food. Don’t eat foods that have been processed or packaged. Instead, make as many meals as you can from whole foods. Don’t drink sodas and energy drinks because they often have a lot of sodium and are a sneaky way to get salt.
Minimise Stress
Your skin requires a balance of sebum production—too little results in dry skin, while too much, as in the case of oily skin, can clog pores and worsen acne. Acne sufferers may find that their condition worsens when their stress hormone cortisol levels are high. Because exercise lowers cortisol, it may help you look more refreshed.
High amounts of stress hormones have been linked to elevated blood sugar. Glycation, a process triggered by this, can be harmful to collagen. Damaged collagen cannot provide the same structural support for the skin, resulting in a loss of elasticity, the development of wrinkles, and the appearance of saggy patches. Glycation can be mitigated by maintaining a healthy level of stress hormones through regular exercise and limiting sugar intake. Remember that exposure to ultraviolet light (UVR) is also associated with glycation; therefore, apply sunscreen liberally.
Stress can also bring on a flare-up of a chronic skin condition like psoriasis or atopic dermatitis. Exercise not only makes you feel less stressed but also makes your body make more endorphins. Endorphins work with receptors in the brain to make you feel good and make you feel less pain.
Exercise
In reality, skin that doesn’t break out and looks younger depends on what you eat, how you deal with stress, and how much you exercise. Physical activity is often thought of in terms of helping to maintain a healthy weight and heart, but it also plays an integral part in maintaining healthy skin.
In order to transport more blood to various parts of the body, the blood vessels expand while you engage in physical exercise. Your hard-working muscles benefit from the increased oxygen and nutrients they receive, thanks to the increased blood flow.
You’ll get that “post-exercise glow” since your skin will be better nourished and free of free radicals because your blood flow will increase after a workout, thanks to your enhanced circulation. Even though you might not like the idea of sweating, it’s essential for keeping your body temperature stable. Sweat evaporates, lowering your skin temperature and preventing overheating. The intense activity also causes sweating, which flushes impurities from your pores.
Stop Smoking
When you smoke, your skin ages in several ways, many of which you and others can see.
Tobacco’s chemicals can impede blood flow in the body. This causes cigarette smokers to have reduced blood flow to the face, depriving their skin of oxygen and nutrients. Smoking may also interfere with collagen formation. The presence of this protein ensures that the skin remains elastic, firm, and healthy. The loss of collagen production that comes with ageing is responsible for the sagging and wrinkling skin that comes with it. Premature ageing due to smoking is a known effect of tobacco use.
If you want a more youthful glow on your face, quitting smoking is the first step. You might see an improvement in your skin’s complexion if it begins receiving a sufficient amount of oxygen and nutrients.
Unfortunately, skin damage can’t be fixed by giving up smoking. The good news is that it can stop people from getting older faster. Remember that your skin will naturally sag and wrinkle as you age. Quitting smoking won’t prevent this from happening, but it can slow it down.
Use A Moisturiser
Moisturising is one of the most essential and basic steps for good skin care. And it’s not just a matter of putting lotion or cream on. To get the most out of the moisturiser, ensure it meets your skin’s needs and has the right ingredients. Primarily, it would be best to use moisturiser because it feels great on the skin. While your skin may feel parched after cleansing, a hot shower, or exposure to cold weather, moisturising revives it, making it feel more hydrated and much smoother; and who doesn’t love that?
Using a moisturiser helps conceal imperfections and even out skin tone. What’s more, the beautiful plumping components and moisturising characteristics work to decrease the appearance of lines and wrinkles.
Dry skin results from the skin’s inability to produce moisture, which can have a domino effect on the skin’s other functions. The ideal moisturising technique is to thoroughly cleanse the skin, exfoliate once a week to remove any built-up dead skin cells, and massage in a high-quality moisturiser until it is entirely absorbed.
These are just some of the ways you could help to keep your skin looking youthful and healthy for longer.