Keeping your skin healthy and young in appearance requires careful care and healthy lifestyle habits, such as avoiding the sun. When you are young, your skin produces significant amounts of elastin and collagen, two materials that help your skin appear healthy and supple. As you age, production of these items begin to decrease, which can result in wrinkles and sagging. Excessive sun exposure also can cause damage to the skin by speeding the breakdown of elastin and collagen and stimulating melanin production, which can result in age spots.
Take It Off
As you age, you may feel you are more able to sleep with your makeup on because your skin is less oily. However, cleansing your skin does more than remove your makeup--it also removes dirt and bacteria, says Medical News Today. This dirt can lead to clogged pores and breakouts, which can then cause skin scarring.
Regardless of a long day at work, a night out on the town or other influences that can result in not washing your skin, make a skin care routine a priority. The key for this is to cleanse gently. Do not tug or scratch the skin and take special care when cleansing the under-eye region. This includes washing your face with warm water and a mild soap, toweling the skin off. Because dry patches can cause skin to become thin, which can cause premature aging, applying moisturizer can prevent dry patches on the skin. If your skin is oily, avoid using oil-based products that introduce more oil onto the skin.
Skip the Vices
Smoking can dramatically age your skin because it causes the body to produce free radicals in your body. These free radicals in turn cause inflammation that leads to skin wrinkling--not a pretty sight for someone hoping to look younger, states Medical News Today. Another vice to limit consumption of is alcohol. It dehydrates the skin, which can lead to bags under the eyes, wrinkling and making you appear tired and older, reports Medical News Today. Switch the alcohol for water or 100 percent fruit juice instead, which will help to hydrate the skin.
Enhance Antioxidants
While you know exercise is good for your heart and lungs, exercise also is good for your skin. Blood pumping to your skin brings nutrients and antioxidants, improving your skin's appearance and texture. Engage in cardiovascular exercise, such as running, walking, jogging, swimming, bicycling or another activity that gets the heart pumping, and you may experience younger-looking skin.
A healthy diet also introduces free-radical-fighting antioxidants into the body. These include fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, according to The Guardian. This can help to lessen free radicals in the body, which cause inflammation.
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