We all know that as we age, it is impossible to turn back the clock unless we turn to botox or cosmetic surgery to reclaim our youthful looks. But think again, it is possible to stop time without having to go under the knife and at the same time keeping your bank balance healthy.
Here are some great tips that help you achieve youthful skin.
1. Avoid smoking
Ranging from bad breath, teeth discoloration, gum diseases to lung cancer, the after effects of smoking are apparent, thanks to all the publicity through anti smoking campaigns and advertisements.
Needless to say, smoking is bad both for your skin and health. In fact one of the top causes of skin damage is smoking.
If you smoke, don't be surprise that you look older than you actually are as smoking accelerates the ageing process and add years to your body through the following:
a) When tobacco burns, thousands of chemical compounds are formed. Harmful substances like carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and nicotine enter your circulatory system, depriving skin cells of oxygen and creating billions of free radicals, damaging the collagen and elastin tissues causing premature wrinkles.
b) Repetitive movement of cigarettes puffing causes wrinkles around the lips. Wrinkles appear at the eyes too as smokers tend to squint, looking through the smoky haze.
c) The harmful nature of cigarette smoke gives smokers a more unhealthy skin colour and coarser skin texture as compared to non smokers.
d) Smoking dries the skin, deprives it of nutrients, thus slowing down the healing process and its ability to self-recover.
Therefore, is it possible to prevent wrinkles without having to give up smoking? The answer is NO, smoking and wrinkles goes hand in hand.
2. Exercise regularly
Man is made a mobile creature. We need to move in order to stay healthy, physically and mentally. Through exercising, you improve your body shape, feel better about yourself and are more resilient to diseases.
Other than staying healthy, losing weight or toning up those muscles, exercising has immense benefits for the skin. Your skin gets healthier as regular workouts will improve your blood circulation, speeding up delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your body cells and expedite removal of toxins from your body.
As cells get more oxygen, they influence the body to produce more collagen, the connective tissue that keeps the skin firm. Exercise helps body to relax, reducing stress levels, allowing you to sleep better. When you sleep restfully at night, your skin gets rejuvenated.
Perspiration during exercise helps to rid your body of toxins, unclog skin pores and minimize breakouts, improving your appearance. It also enhances the production of sebum, our body's natural moisturizer, protecting the skin from infections.
Since sweating releases toxins and oils and it benefits you, try doing workouts that help you perspire like jogging, tennis, soccer. Experts recommend that we should exercise at least 30 minutes a day in order for it to be effective. The type of exercises varies according to each individual; it could be walking a flight of steps for an elderly or a trip to the gym for the health conscious one.
3. Avoid Stress
Many people felt stressed at some point or another. It could be a work related problem, a relationship crisis with loved ones or having the inclination to meet expectations from others or themselves.
Since we can never eliminate stress, we have to manage it properly because of its adverse effects on our skin.
Stress is characterized by an increasing heart rate, rising blood pressure and rapid breathing. The blood flow is being diverted away to the muscles and the heart giving us a paler complexion because blood is what makes the skin glows. This reduction in blood supply causes the skin to flake as the skin cells are unable to renew themselves as quickly as they should.
According to The American Academy of Dermatology, cortisols, our stress hormones, are released when we get tensed up, which in turn stimulate our oil glands, increasing the production of oil. This results in an oilier skin which is more vulnerable to breakouts and blackheads.
Try breathing exercises, engage in your favorite activities or have 'rest' time so as to reduce the tension, improving your health and skin's appearance at the same time.
4. Avoid Alcohol
The presence of alcohol dilates the red blood vessels, resulting puffiness and a flushed appearance. It reduces the number of white blood cells, leading to a weaker immune system. Consuming it in excessive amounts will cause damage to the organs creating health problems like liver cancer. Other than health, alcohol dehydrates the skin, causing water to evaporate and depleting it of moisture and nutrients leading to dryness, fine lines and wrinkles.
Many people party and drink regularly but if you don't drink consistently and excessively, there is no cause for alarm.
5. Reduce Hot Baths
Many people enjoy hot baths or showers to relax and ease muscle aches because hot water dilates blood vessels and opens skin pores. However, hot water depletes oil and moisture from the skin, leaving it parched and dry. Cold showers on the other hand refresh and invigorate the body as blood vessels constrict and blood flow is diverted to the internal organs to maintain the body temperature.
6. Drink Water
Water has numerous functions; it regulates body temperature, it transports nutrients within and toxins out of the body and replenishes loss of fluid in our bodies. Water is a natural moisturizer for our skin for it hydrates the skin cells, making it firm and supple and reducing skin irritations like rashes and breakouts.
With regular intake of water, our body metabolism rate and digestion improves and risks of diseases are reduced. Therefore, drink adequate water to help maintain our body and skin at optimum level.
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