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Anti-aging Skin Care
Aging Gracefully?
Imagine how life would be if Ponce de Leon really discovered "The
Fountain of Youth" or if there were some type of miracle cream that
would completely eradicate all signs of aging. Wouldn't life be sweet?
Unfortunately,
age sneaks up on us unexpectedly, and there is no escaping the fact
that we are all growing one year older every three hundred and
sixty-five days. However, if we take preventive measures now, we can
reduce the chances of unnecessary damage to our complexions in the
future.
Our largest organ, the skin, goes through
many different phases as we age. Women tend to age faster then men, due
to the various hormonal changes they experience starting with puberty,
then through pregnancy, and ending with menopause. Once menopause sets
in, many women start to notice numerous changes with their complexions,
such as, a decrease in sebum (oil) production, loss of elasticity, and
a reduction in the rejuvenation process. How fast and to what extent
the skin ages depend on three factors: your age, genetics, and
lifestyle.
Forget about aging gracefully, in a
sense that is giving in. Fight it all the way. You are never too young
or too old to combat the signs of aging. By living and maintaining a
healthy lifestyle throughout your years, you increase your chances of
overall balance ---- especially when it comes to your skin. All of us
will have aging skin at some point in our lives, but with proper care,
anyone can have a vibrant complexion and look beautiful at any age.
Healthy Eating
What
you consume on a daily basis has a major impact on how well your skin
regenerates itself. Foods that are low in nutrients, such as, refined
carbohydrates are empty calories, they will not provide your body with
vitamins and minerals it needs to develop and maintain a healthy glow.
Choose foods that are close as possible to their natural state -- fresh
and unprocessed.
Vitamins And Minerals To Help An Aging Skin
Beta Carotene - antioxidant, increases cellular regeneration, and prevents pre-mature aging of the skin
food source: carrots, apricots, & squash
Vitamin
C - antioxidant, needed for production of elastin and collagen;
promotes skin strength and elasticity inblood vessel walls and cell
membranes
food source: oranges, kiwi, & peppers
Vitamin E - antioxidant, helps maintain all tissues, believed to slow the aging of cells; may help prevent scar formation
food source: cold-pressed vegetable oils, raw nuts & seeds
Selenium - antioxidant, protects against UV induced cell damage; helps preserve skin elasticity.
Food source: tuna, garlic, onions & broccoli
Zinc - antioxidant, essential for normal cell growth and repair
Food source: whole grains, most seafood, & onions
Essential Fatty Acids - to maintain proper function of all tissues and tissue repair, especially the skin
food source: primrose oil, flaxseed oil, & olive oil
Consume
your food choices in moderation, your body can only process so many
nutrients at once. When you eat your meals, try to incorporate foods
that are going to offer you high nutritional value, and try to cut back
on the ones that do not. Eating healthy can be a little time consuming
at first, but stick with it, and you will see the positive results. Not
only will you look and feel absolutely wonderful, but you will expose a
brand new person on the inside out.
The Best Kept Beauty Secret
The
human body is made up of 50% to 70% water. Your body loses about three
quarts of water each day through perspiration, urine, and respiration.
Waiting until your thirsty isn't always the best barometer. Thirst is a
response to severe dehydration. It is recommended that the average
person should drink at least two to three pints of clean, pure water
each day. Water is involved with nearly every bodily process --
especially flushing out waste materials. Water benefits our skin by
acting as an internal moisturizer, keeping the skin moist, supple, and
clear as well as preventing pre-mature aging.
Reduce Alcohol Intake
Alcohol
weakens the immune system, and creates unnecessary problems within the
body, by depleting it of vitamins and minerals it desperately needs to
function properly. In the realm of skincare, alcohol causes
dehydration, which deprives our complexions of precious moisture that
is necessary to keep it soft, smooth and youthful. Alcohol in excess is
known to overtax the liver, which is a much-needed organ that helps to
diffuse impurities from reaching and harming other organs and systems
of the human body. Alcohol consumption can lead to broken or distended
capillaries, especially over the nose and cheeks. To maintain a lovely
complexion, alcoholic beverages should be consumed in moderation.
Quit Smoking
Smoking
has been documented in many studies to be quite detrimental to the
skin. Smoking is a nasty habit that progressively creates a pre-mature
breakdown of your overall state of health, internally and externally.
Cigarettes contain ingredients such as, acetone, ammonia, arsenic,
formaldehyde, and nicotine, which are chemical compounds that are
considered to be quite harmful to the human body --- imagine their
impact on the skin. Smokers tend to have a grayish tinge to their
complexion, due to a poor oxygen supply. Since there is a lack of
oxygen, dehydration occurs, which then increases the risk of pre-mature
wrinkles. Smoking can also slow the healing and regeneration process of
the body, which could be harmful if you ever needed surgery. Just know
that there is nothing positive about smoking, it causes many negative
side effects within our bodies, which in the long run we wonder to
ourselves," Why did I start in the first place? "
Watch Those Rays
There
has been extensive research performed over the past thirty years on the
sun, and it's impact on the human body. Through these studies, we have
found that a certain amount of sunlight is needed to manufacture
Vitamin D within our bodies, which is a definite necessity. However,
after a certain allotment of time, those powerful rays can be very
harmful to our body's largest organ - the skin. In fact, if it weren't
for sun exposure, say the experts, our skin would stay relatively
smooth into our eighties. Dehydration, fine lines, wrinkles and even
skin cancer is caused by excessive exposure to UV rays, which penetrate
our atmosphere everyday.
Great Sun Tips:
Avoid the sun between the hours of 10AM and 3PM, even if wearing a sun protector.
Watch the reflected light from sand, water, cement, and snow -- it is still damaging to the skin.
The American Dermatology Association recommends that everyone wear a SPF of 15 or greater year round.
A SPF of 15 is a 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of protection. One application
daily is not enough to protect your skin all day. You must remember to
reapply your sunscreen throughout the course of the day, to shield your
complexion from those harmful rays.
Remember to apply your sun protection to the areas that you tend to
miss such as, your ears, neck, hands, and feet.
Make sure to wear clothing that protects you from the sun. Ex. a large brimmed hat.
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