Drink Up
While keeping your skin hydrated won’t prevent wrinkles it will sure make them look better. Skin lacking moisture appears dull and tired so make sure you plump it up by drinking 8 glasses of water a day and using a rich moisturizer that contains ingredients such as hyaluronic acid or shea butter that help draw moisture into the skin. Apply it day and night and don’t be afraid of rich creams with essential oils to lock in water.
Wear your Sunscreen
Wearing SPF every day is a no brainer. Or so you’d think. Most women believe that their moisturizer or foundation has enough SPF to protect their skin but most derms say that’s not the case. You need to apply an SPF coating of at least 30 before you head out the door and then reapply if you’ll be lounging in the sun (a major no no). Not only do the sun’s rays cause age spots, making your complexion look uneven but it breaks down collagen and leads to deeper more obvious wrinkles and sagging in the long run. If skin cancer doesn’t scare you, then wrinkles should so go grab that sun block.
Try a Dream Cream
As you age your cell turnover slows down. What’s that you say? Your skin cells renew themselves every 28 days but as you age this process slows and with it comes a duller complexion. A glycolic acid treatment or retinol product may be just enough to keep wrinkles at bay. Glycolic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid, helps slough off dead skin and can help with acne issues while renewing your top layer and helping keep your cell turnover at an all-time high. Another ingredient to look for is retinol, a derivative of Vitamin A because it can help jump start collagen production. Use one of these options nightly but make sure to test it out first as some people can be sensitive to these ingredients.
Butt Out
Smoking will age your skin like it’s going out of style. Cigarettes are chock full of toxins that not only dehydrate your skin but actually reduce the blood flow to your epidermis, leading to more wrinkles faster. Taking up this nasty habit can also lead to other major health issues that will affect the way you look. Fine lines will form around your mouth from constant puffing so the lesson here is don’t start what you can’t stop.
Dream on and Eat Up
Who says it doesn’t pay off to get 8 hours of sleep? If you take care of your body your skin will reward you with a nice glow. On top of a good night’s rest, taking your vitamins and eating your fruits and veggies will give your skin an unbeatable boost. Berries and dark leafy greens are loaded with antioxidants which will ward off free radicals that attack cells and break them down. Fish and nuts give your body health fats that lead to plumper, more moisturized skin.
