Have you noticed how some people age a lot more gracefully than others? Part of this might be attributed to good genetics. However, a lot of this has to do with lifestyle choices that individuals have made and continue to make throughout their lives.
There are a couple of things that show your age more than anything else. That would be your hair and your skin. Damage and deterioration to these extremely visible parts of your body show how well you are aging throughout life.
As with most things, there is a right way and a wrong way to approach skincare. The steps you take early in your life will directly affect the health and appearance of your skin in your twilight years. To age as gracefully as possible, keep these considerations in mind:
Prioritize the Basics
Maintaining youthful-looking skin involves a combination of proper skin care practices and a healthy lifestyle. First and foremost, establishing a consistent skincare routine is essential. This routine typically includes cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing, and applying sunscreen.
Cleansing is important because it removes dirt, oil, and impurities. Exfoliation helps slough off dead skin cells, promoting a smoother and brighter complexion. Moisturizing keeps the skin hydrated, preventing dryness and the appearance of fine lines. Lastly, daily sunscreen application shields the skin from harmful UV rays (more on that later). While these are the basics of a skincare routine, you may need to undergo some trial and error to find what works for you.
Keep in mind, certain products may benefit specific skin types more than others. For instance, individuals with oily skin might benefit from lightweight, oil-free moisturizers. On the other hand, those with dry skin might find richer, creamier moisturizers more suitable. It’s important to remember that what works for one skin type might not necessarily work for another. Tailoring your routine to your individual needs is key to achieving and maintaining youthful, radiant skin.
Don’t Be Afraid of Prescription-Strength Products
As the body ages, it no longer performs the same functions as efficiently as it used to. The recovery process from injuries is longer, and it can’t handle as much stress as when it was younger. Extra measures need to be taken as your age increases. In some cases, this may include medical intervention.
As the body grows older, it often needs a little help maintaining itself. An anti-aging prescription can be added to your skincare routine as you get older. Prescription-strength formulas fight against the negative changes that your skin might undergo. Retinoids like tretinoin can combat fine lines and wrinkles. It can even help reverse signs of sun damage.
Many of these medications give a powerful dose of vitamins that your skin needs. Others boost collagen production, to prevent sagging skin. Some medications can even accelerate the turnover rate of your skin, helping to remove fine lines, wrinkles, and sunspots.
Apply Sunscreen Daily
When you think about sun exposure when you’re younger, you’re most likely thinking about the best way to get a tan. As you age, it becomes much more serious than that. Prolonged and unprotected exposure to sun can damage and alter your skin for good.
For starters, sun damage can cause wrinkles and fine lines to appear prematurely. Your skin can also dry out, lose elasticity, and experience redness or discoloration. This skin damage can be painful and difficult to treat. It can also make you look older than you actually are.
In serious cases, excessive exposure to sun can increase your risk of skin cancer. Skin cancer can be itchy, painful, and both difficult and expensive to treat. Wearing sunscreen doesn’t drop your chances at getting cancer to zero, but it will certainly help minimize those odds.
Change Your Routine As You Age
While the goal here is to age gracefully, aging will still occur. Even when you take the best care of your skin, it will undergo some changes through the years. As your skin changes, your skincare routine should change too. The same products you used in college may not be as effective by the time you retire.
In your teens and 20s you should be setting a good foundation for skincare. This includes proper application of sunscreen and moisturizer, as well as the proper removal of any makeup you use. The older you get, the more things you might add to your routine. You may start to put on sunscreen for a normal day out or add a vitamin supplement to assist in skin recovery.
Some things are constant, such as the need to stay hydrated. Other aspects of skincare might change with time. For example, you may find the need to exfoliate your skin more often in your later years. An aging body does not replace old cells as efficiently, and exfoliating helps encourage your body to grow new skin cells as replacements.
Skincare is just as important when you’re young as it will be when you’re older. Putting good habits in place and following them faithfully make it so that drastic measures won’t need to be taken later on. You will look and feel your best no matter what your calendar age states.
