Aging is inevitable and a totally natural process, but you don’t have to dread it! Here are a few tips to help you fight the anti-aging battle !
The longer you let any skin problems go, the worse they get. Many skin problems can go from practically unnoticeable to severe quickly. Yet, when it comes to preventing and fading the fine lines, wrinkles, and dark spots that add years to your appearance, there are so many options available to you, including making savvy lifestyle changes. Read on for some of my favourite anti-aging tips to give you a little help winning the anti-aging skincare war.
Resurfacing Your Skin with a Laser Treatment
Laser skin resurfacing is a type of skincare treatment widely used in most skincare clinics, although it is often touted under the name “laser peel.” A somewhat newer type of resurfacing laser is the fractional CO2, or Fraxel, laser. Traditional CO2 lasers resurface your skin but have several potential side effects. Though most of those side effects are temporary, you might as well avoid them if you can.
The Fraxel laser treatment uses a method less likely to cause side effects. Although relatively new compared to the types of lasers that have been around for decades, experts have used cosmetics laser-devices that utilize the Fraxel technique for several years. The Fraxel treatment bypasses your surface skin layer. Yet, it creates small holes in other layers of skin. By doing so, it triggers a natural boost in the making of a substance known as collagen. Collagen is a connective tissue, which is basically like a naturally-produced body glue that holds your cells together.
Treating Your Wrinkles with Injections of Fillers
Fillers are materials injected under your skin to help plump it up and reduce wrinkles. They fill in sunken areas that occur naturally with age as your skin drapes over your skull differently and is exposed to the elements. Fillers come in several FDA-approved types. They also go by different trade names, such as Artifill and Juvéderm. However, they primarily contain healthy, safe acids like hyaluronic acids. Many of the filler ingredients also provide long-term healing benefits. Filler treatments tend to last for approximately one year, but results may vary based on the type of filler used.
Over-the-Counter Anti-Aging Products to Use at Home
There are many more clinical skincare treatments that can help you win the anti-aging battle, but there are also at-home methods you can try. Particularly before skin issues manifest or while they are still mild, those at-home methods can help you slow down the appearance of skin issues like wrinkles. All you have to do is establish a good skincare routine using reliable products.
One of the ingredients to look for in your over-the-counter skincare products is antioxidants. Antioxidants stave off skin-damaging free radicals. Vitamins E and C are particularly helpful antioxidants. Other vitamins can also serve useful purposes in terms of skin health. For example, retinoids, also known as vitamin A derivatives, keep the collagen you have from breaking down as fast as it otherwise would. Simultaneously, they can get your body to make more healthy collagen to fortify your skin cells.
Another ingredient to look for in your at-home skincare products is peptides. Some peptides produce a mild effect on your skin causing muscle contractions to temporarily cease producing wrinkles. Some peptides can also help with a process called turnover time. Turnover time is the length of time it takes your skin cells to die and flake off. By speeding up turnover time, peptides help you replace your dead skin cells with healthier cells at a faster rate.
Smart lifestyle changes
The most important anti-aging lifestyle tip I can give you is to slather on the sunscreen!
Sun exposure is responsible for wrinkles, brown spots, blotchy complexion, uneven skin texture and loss of firmness, and yet, it’s completely avoidable!
Make sure to choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB, and don’t forget to rub some on the back of your hands, neck and decolletage!
Secondly, make sure to stay hydrated!
We all know the importance of boosting your beauty from the inside out by drinking lots of water and loading up on omega-3s (essential fatty acids found in foods such as salmon and walnuts, and which boost hydration), so try to aim for eight glasses of water per day and have a look here for some more beauty tips.
And, of course, never underestimate the importance of a good night’s sleep! Studies have shown a link between poor sleep and an accumulation of advanced glycation end products (a marker of skin aging); so not getting enough sleep on a regular basis might have serious consequences for your skin in the long term.
