Fight Aging - Eight Bad Habits That Make You Look Old
Genetics have been one of the key factors in how we would look when we got older. And, until recently, changing your genetic aging predisposition has been a pipe-dream. However, there have been some incredible results coming out of the human genome project especially dealing with skin care.
Along with genetics – you have to deal with the natural changes that come with getting older. As you do get older, your skin naturally thins and becomes less elastic and more fragile. Decreased production of natural oils will make your skin drier and appear more wrinkled. Fat in the deeper layers of your skin, which gives the skin a plump appearance, starts to lessen. This causes loose, sagging skin and more pronounced lines and wrinkles.
The good news is that keeping your skin looking youthful isn't so difficult, as long as you start remedying these 8 bad habits now:
1. Smoking – this is one of the most detrimental things you can do to age yourself! Smoking creates an incredible amount of free radicals in your body which cause damage, not only to your health but also to your skin.
Smoking is associated with increased wrinkles and sagging. And women suffer more from its effects than men do. It accelerates the skin's normal aging process. Even being exposed to second-hand smoke will impact your skin.
The free radicals formed in your body from smoke, increase skin aging as they damage cell DNA. Other results from smoking include:
Your take home - No fancy lotions can help if you continue to smoke!
2. Nutrition – we are what we eat. Poor nutrition shows up on the skin very quickly. A diet of fast foods is telling – look for loss of elasticity, skin breakouts and poor skin texture. When it comes to your health, the outside reflects the inside. A dull, dry complexion is a blinking neon sign that you're not eating right.
Our cells reproduce themselves. So, if we have unhealthy cells due to poor nutrition, then the replicated cells will be unhealthy. Imagine what happens after years of reproducing unhealthy cells?
What are some of the key culprits?
Eating:
And yes, there are a number of studies that say that chocolate and caffeine do contain beneficial antioxidants. What you have to do is to look at your particular situation and make your own decision. My take on caffeine is to look at what you are putting into your coffee. Are you drinking it black or do you need to have a ton of sugar and dairy in it? Maybe you need to cut back on your Starbucks or Pete's specialty coffees.
Your solution? Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and drink water and green tea.
3. Sun Exposure – we all know about the dangers of sun damage. Sunburn is literally a burn on your skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Injury can start within 30 minutes of exposure. It can take 15 years for sun damage to show up on your skin as discoloration and wrinkles.
UVA and UVB refer to different wavelengths in the light spectrum. UVB is more damaging to the skin especially for skin cancer. Both UVA and UVB are responsible for photoaging (premature aging of the skin and wrinkles) and sunburn. UVA penetrates deep into the skin's structure into the dermis and damages the skin's structural proteins such as collagen. UV radiation can cause skin lesions called actinic keratoses. These are a risk factor for developing skin carcinoma.
Free radicals are produced with sun exposure. A recent study indicated UV exposure has a negative impact on skin carotenoid levels—a key indicator of overall internal antioxidant levels. This study offers new insight into the connection between UV exposure and our overall health—and yet another compelling reason to protect your skin from UV damage on a regular basis.
Sun protection is required for anyone desiring a young, healthy appearance. Our endogenous stores of antioxidants provide vital defense from dangerous skin-aging free radical damage.
A side benefit of sunscreen is the protection it offers against air pollution! There are other things to keep in mind about sun exposure:
Tanning beds produce both UVA and UVB rays.
Your best protection? Avoid the sun from 11am – 3pm, cover up your body with clothes, wear a hat, and apply sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher.
4. Stress can prematurely age a person as it damages DNA. The good news is that a person's attitude can offset the potential damage of stress.
Take walks in nature, meditate, and/or practice yoga as these things can assist with managing stress. Deep breathing will also help release stress in the body.
5. Lack of Sleep – Most adults need 6.5 – 7 hours of sleep per night for optimum performance. Too little sleep can cause: dark bags under the eyes, puffy facial skin, bloodshot eyes and lethargic attitude. It is interesting that too much sleep can be just as detrimental to a person as too little. Sleep also releases toxins that have been stored in the body.
Sleeplessness is usually associated with emotional or mental tension, anxiety, depression, work problems, financial stress or unsatisfactory sex life. Generally insomnia is not related to any physical illness but there are exceptions.
Hints for a better night's sleep
6, Unhealthy weight – not only increases risk for diabetes and heart disease, extra weight can make you look older. Being too thin does not help either for the vibrancy of your facial skin and can leave your skin sagging.
Exercise and improved nutrition will help you maintain proper weight.
7. Too much makeup on women – Heavy makeup, instead of hiding your age, will settle into lines and wrinkles accentuating them instead of hiding them.
Also, don't sleep with makeup on. Skimping on five minutes of facial cleansing and moisturizing at night can have long-term effects on your complexion. During the day, makeup migrates to the pores where it concentrates and causes irritation. Overnight, you can sweat and the makeup will congregate at the pores even more.
So, use lighter makeup and keep lipstick and eye-shadow more subdued and, before you go to bed, cleanse your face gently and use a good moisturizer.
8. Drinking Alcohol -Just like smoking, alcohol consumption dehydrates the skin. And dry skin is the direct route to wrinkles.
Drink in moderation.
Stay tuned. Next we will read about what you need in your diet for at-home, anti-aging solutions.
Along with genetics – you have to deal with the natural changes that come with getting older. As you do get older, your skin naturally thins and becomes less elastic and more fragile. Decreased production of natural oils will make your skin drier and appear more wrinkled. Fat in the deeper layers of your skin, which gives the skin a plump appearance, starts to lessen. This causes loose, sagging skin and more pronounced lines and wrinkles.
The good news is that keeping your skin looking youthful isn't so difficult, as long as you start remedying these 8 bad habits now:
1. Smoking – this is one of the most detrimental things you can do to age yourself! Smoking creates an incredible amount of free radicals in your body which cause damage, not only to your health but also to your skin.
Smoking is associated with increased wrinkles and sagging. And women suffer more from its effects than men do. It accelerates the skin's normal aging process. Even being exposed to second-hand smoke will impact your skin.
The free radicals formed in your body from smoke, increase skin aging as they damage cell DNA. Other results from smoking include:
- Changed and reduced blood flow to veins near skins' surface.
- Breakdown of collagen.
- Dehydration and death of elasticity.
- Reduction of your body's vitamin A and absorption of vitamin C plus other essential nutrients.
Your take home - No fancy lotions can help if you continue to smoke!
2. Nutrition – we are what we eat. Poor nutrition shows up on the skin very quickly. A diet of fast foods is telling – look for loss of elasticity, skin breakouts and poor skin texture. When it comes to your health, the outside reflects the inside. A dull, dry complexion is a blinking neon sign that you're not eating right.
Our cells reproduce themselves. So, if we have unhealthy cells due to poor nutrition, then the replicated cells will be unhealthy. Imagine what happens after years of reproducing unhealthy cells?
What are some of the key culprits?
Eating:
- Too much fat
- Refined carbohydrates
- Dairy products
- Caffeine
- Processed foods
And yes, there are a number of studies that say that chocolate and caffeine do contain beneficial antioxidants. What you have to do is to look at your particular situation and make your own decision. My take on caffeine is to look at what you are putting into your coffee. Are you drinking it black or do you need to have a ton of sugar and dairy in it? Maybe you need to cut back on your Starbucks or Pete's specialty coffees.
Your solution? Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and drink water and green tea.
3. Sun Exposure – we all know about the dangers of sun damage. Sunburn is literally a burn on your skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Injury can start within 30 minutes of exposure. It can take 15 years for sun damage to show up on your skin as discoloration and wrinkles.
UVA and UVB refer to different wavelengths in the light spectrum. UVB is more damaging to the skin especially for skin cancer. Both UVA and UVB are responsible for photoaging (premature aging of the skin and wrinkles) and sunburn. UVA penetrates deep into the skin's structure into the dermis and damages the skin's structural proteins such as collagen. UV radiation can cause skin lesions called actinic keratoses. These are a risk factor for developing skin carcinoma.
Free radicals are produced with sun exposure. A recent study indicated UV exposure has a negative impact on skin carotenoid levels—a key indicator of overall internal antioxidant levels. This study offers new insight into the connection between UV exposure and our overall health—and yet another compelling reason to protect your skin from UV damage on a regular basis.
Sun protection is required for anyone desiring a young, healthy appearance. Our endogenous stores of antioxidants provide vital defense from dangerous skin-aging free radical damage.
A side benefit of sunscreen is the protection it offers against air pollution! There are other things to keep in mind about sun exposure:
- Normal limited exposure to UV radiation produces beneficial vitamin D in the skin
- You are more susceptible to sunburn if you have had prior sun exposure or skin injury.
- Ultraviolet radiation markedly speeds up the natural aging process and is the primary cause of early wrinkling. Exposure to UV light breaks down your skin's connective tissue — collagen and elastin fibers, which lie in the deeper layer of skin (dermis). Without the supportive connective tissue, your skin loses its strength and flexibility. As a result, skin begins to sag and wrinkle prematurely.
- Make sure your sunscreen has both UVB and UVA ingredients like zinc dioxide or avobenzone.
Tanning beds produce both UVA and UVB rays.
Your best protection? Avoid the sun from 11am – 3pm, cover up your body with clothes, wear a hat, and apply sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher.
4. Stress can prematurely age a person as it damages DNA. The good news is that a person's attitude can offset the potential damage of stress.
Take walks in nature, meditate, and/or practice yoga as these things can assist with managing stress. Deep breathing will also help release stress in the body.
5. Lack of Sleep – Most adults need 6.5 – 7 hours of sleep per night for optimum performance. Too little sleep can cause: dark bags under the eyes, puffy facial skin, bloodshot eyes and lethargic attitude. It is interesting that too much sleep can be just as detrimental to a person as too little. Sleep also releases toxins that have been stored in the body.
Sleeplessness is usually associated with emotional or mental tension, anxiety, depression, work problems, financial stress or unsatisfactory sex life. Generally insomnia is not related to any physical illness but there are exceptions.
Hints for a better night's sleep
- Avoid talking on your cell phone before going to bed.
- Look at using herbs to help you sleep. Herbs that may help sleeplessness are chamomile, valerian, skullcap, hops and passion flower. Herbs are a natural approach and are non-habit forming and non-toxic.
6, Unhealthy weight – not only increases risk for diabetes and heart disease, extra weight can make you look older. Being too thin does not help either for the vibrancy of your facial skin and can leave your skin sagging.
Exercise and improved nutrition will help you maintain proper weight.
7. Too much makeup on women – Heavy makeup, instead of hiding your age, will settle into lines and wrinkles accentuating them instead of hiding them.
Also, don't sleep with makeup on. Skimping on five minutes of facial cleansing and moisturizing at night can have long-term effects on your complexion. During the day, makeup migrates to the pores where it concentrates and causes irritation. Overnight, you can sweat and the makeup will congregate at the pores even more.
So, use lighter makeup and keep lipstick and eye-shadow more subdued and, before you go to bed, cleanse your face gently and use a good moisturizer.
8. Drinking Alcohol -Just like smoking, alcohol consumption dehydrates the skin. And dry skin is the direct route to wrinkles.
Drink in moderation.
Stay tuned. Next we will read about what you need in your diet for at-home, anti-aging solutions.