Have you ever considered that your daily habits can slow down or accelerate your ageing process?
As much as we all wish for a miracle cure to remove wrinkles, laugh lines, age spots, and saggy skin, we’re still waiting. It is up to us to figure out how to turn back the clock or at least slow it down, so that you can age slowly and gracefully!
As we age, our skin starts to sag, lines become more pronounced and sun spots start appearing like polka dots.
While these are normal and come with age, there are various external and internal factors that play a role in either accelerating or slowing down the ageing process.
With the right approach from these 10 anti-ageing secrets, you can defy the ageing process to keep looking radiant, young, and vibrant.
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#1. Drink enough water
It all starts with good old H2O! After all, our bodies are mostly made up of water. Without adequate fluid, our body will become dehydrated. This becomes especially noticeable in the skin, which shows more wrinkles and loses elasticity.
Drinking a minimum of eight glasses of water a day will help reduce the likelihood that you will develop saggy, wrinkled skin.
#2. Exercise & Maintaining a Healthy Weight
An active body is a young body! Simply put, if you do not exercise regularly, then your body and face will age at a faster rate.
Being underweight or overweight can add to the ageing process. Being underweight reduces the natural fats in your face, which in turn makes your skin more saggy and wrinkly.
Being overweight can lead to several health problems that can accelerate skin and biologically ageing (your biological age is the age of your physiology compared to your age in years – your chronological age).
So get up and get moving! Ditch the excuses and watch your overall health improve along with your skin, which will look younger, firmer and more radiant.
#3. Maintain a Healthy Diet
Focusing on your nutrition and knowing what you put into your body helps radiate health and youthfulness from the inside out.
Focus on fresh homemade meals, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains to slow the ageing process.
If you fuel your body with processed foods that contain sugar and artificial and manufactured foods, then both your body and your skin won’t get the nutrients they need and you will age at a faster rate.
You may even develop acne, rosacea, and inflammation because of these foodstuffs. Sugar is one of the top culprits that can cause dark circles and fast-track the ageing process, especially on your skin! So skip the sugar and processed food and start focusing on a healthy diet!
#4. Get Sufficient Sleep
We all know that the body needs sleep to recharge and heal itself. But did you know that lack of sleep can lead to many health problems, including premature ageing?
During sleep, our skin enters a repair and rejuvenation phase as our body restores its cells. This is why it is ideal to apply richer creams and serums before bedtime.
During the day, we are in fight or flight mode, and our skin is constantly fighting off external factors like pollution, whereas our skin is at peace and can heal itself at night.
Struggling with your sleep? Try these tips to get better quality shuteye:
- Set a schedule: A standard bed time will help your body’s natural internal clock maintain a more regular sleep/wake cycle. So set that timer and get to bed!
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine and stimulates: These substances interfere with your ability to fall asleep! Switch to herbal teas (my favourite is lemon, turmeric, and ginger).
- Relax and turn off your devices at least 1 hour before bedtime: Avoid stimulating activities that wake you up, and bright lights from screens as this can stimulate your brain.
- Relax: Take a warm shower or bath to relax the muscles
- Support your sleep: Take a magnesium supplement.
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#5. Supplements
Certain supplements are extremely beneficial in helping to slow down the ageing process. In particular, vitamins A, B, C, D, E and collagen are important!
Supplements help to support natural collagen and elastin production, which are two important proteins for your skin that begin to break down at a faster rate and production of new fibres slows as we age.
For example, research shows that collagen production decreases by around 1% each year after the age of 25!
And this is where supplements can help.
- Vitamin A: Helps to increase cell reproduction and stimulates collagen production.
- Vitamin B: Increases the skin’s elasticity, reduces inflammation in the skin, and helps with acne!
- Vitamin C: Helps prevent damage to your cells, which in turn helps with collagen and elastin production.
- Vitamin D: Helps with overall bone health and the immune system.
- Vitamin E: An antioxidant that helps maintain moisture and protect skin cells.
- Collagen: Improves the condition of skin, hair, nails, and connective tissues.
In short, skin-supporting supplements rejuvenate and revitalise your skin by improving the health of your skin cells and help to produce proteins like collagen!
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#6. Apply SPF Every Day
Sun damage is a leading cause of wrinkles and other visible signs of ageing! The sun’s UV rays also cause pigmentation, age spots, and other types of discolouration. That’s why it is important to protect your face from the sun.
Invest in a top quality sunscreen with an SPF50 factor to use every day! Opt for a full spectrum mineral-based sunscreen as it blocks both UVA and UVB rays and reduces free radical damage.
Even if you don’t spend too much time outside, apply sunscreen if you sit in front of a computer screen all day. And invest in a blue light cover for all your digital screens as blue light causes photo ageing to the skin.
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#7. Invest in Skincare Products
Apart from using your sunscreen every day, you need to have a proper at-home routine that is custom-made for your skin type and goals.
When attempting to slow the ageing process, it is vital to follow a daily skincare routine to nourish it from the outside.
Your daily morning and evening skincare regiment is key to keep skin looking radiant and healthy. If you skip your skincare routine or, worse yet, go to bed with makeup, then you will accelerate your skin’s ageing process.
Dirt and makeup that is trapped in your skin can cause premature ageing, acne, breakouts, and cause uneven skin texture and tone, just to name a few issues.
So get into the habit of removing your makeup and taking care of your skin every night and day!
#8. Make the Most of Aesthetic Treatments
Just like you need a skincare routine, you also need a skin treatment plan. But with all the advanced treatments and technology available today, there is no need to go under the knife to look younger.
It is possible to stimulate collagen and elastin production with treatments like micro-needling, IPL, chemical peels, and fractional lasers, among others.
These treatments can focus on problem areas such as sagging and wrinkling skin and provide a treatment plan that will reduce those lines and tighten and tone the skin without needles, toxins or surgery.
At-home micro-needling, micro-current and face roller devices will improve your skin’s overall appearance, making it look smooth and radiant.
After you cleanse your skin using light pressure, gently roll over the skin with your roller, then apply your serum and moisturiser. This process will help with product absorption and tighten the skin. An at-home micro-current machine is a muscle stimulator that helps to lift the skin, stimulate collagen production, and reduce fine lines and wrinkles by leaving you with tighter, toned, more defined, and younger-looking skin.
#9. Don’t Smoke and Drink Excessive Alcohol
Smoking and drinking lead to all kinds of health problems, and accelerate skin ageing. Smokers end up with more fine lines, typically around their mouths and eyes. Plus, smoking deprives the skin of oxygen, which it needs to thrive and survive.
Excessive alcohol can also cause major havoc, not only on the internal organs but the skin, too. Excessive alcohol consumption can cause broken capillaries to form and create redness like rosacea, as well as discolouration
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#10. Massage your Face
Giving yourself a regular face massage will help stimulate circulation and cell growth. And it will help with lymphatic flow, which in turn helps reduce water retention. Facial massages can also rejuvenate your skin and prevent fine lines and wrinkles to make you look younger.
Use your favourite moisturiser or skin oil and apply upward and side strokes. Just think about wiping the wrinkles off your face!
This type of massage also relaxes facial muscles. Concentrate on areas where you use repetitive facial expressions, such as squinting and frowning, as these can create fine lines.
While ageing is part of life, it does not mean that we should simply toss in the towel and neglect our body and skin. By following the steps above and your willingness to make a change in your lifestyle, we can all age more gracefully and be healthier inside and out.
By Laura Soulios
About the author
Laura is a multi-award winning Medical Esthetican and owner of Body Tuned By Medi Spa and Rehab Centre in Toronto, Canada. Laura is a representation of natural beauty and health. She also is a body transformation coach who helps people achieve their health and fitness goals without starving themselves and spending hours doing cardio. She approaches each of her clients in a holistic way, treating skin and body issues from the outside and inside using the latest and most advanced technologies and techniques to get clients the skin and body they have always wanted. Laura is a fitness model who has graced fitness, glamour, fashion and luxury magazines all over the globe. She represents what she believes and preaches. Visit www.bodytunedby.ca for more info and reach out to Laura with any question on IG @Body_Tuned_By & @Laura_Soulios.
Author: Pedro van Gaalen
When he’s not writing about sport or health and fitness, Pedro is probably out training for his next marathon or ultra-marathon. He’s worked as a fitness professional and as a marketing and comms expert. He now combines his passions in his role as managing editor at Fitness magazine.
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