Your skin is a sensitive organ of your body, and with time it becomes more prone to damage. While pollution, sunlight, or excessive drinking are all external culprits in damaging your skin, aging is one of the biggest factors affecting its function and structure. Aging causes the skin to wrinkle and sag, making it thinner and weaker. You can slow down these signs by adopting a proper skincare regime.
However, adopting a skincare routine isn’t enough; you also have to maintain your skin health – it’s important for a number of reasons. Your skin regulates body temperature, detects sensations, and prevents infection. Maintaining it can keep all of these things in check. But neglecting it can lead to various skin conditions like dryness, itching, inflammation, and even infections.
If you want to learn some tips and tricks to maintain healthy skin, read on.
1. Incorporate Anti-Aging Procedures
Anti-aging procedures performed by qualified professionals are often effective in addressing specific concerns. They can successfully target various signs of aging and provide noticeable results. Chemical peels, microdermabrasion, and laser treatments are popular anti-aging face treatment options.
In addition to your face, paying attention to your neck and décolletage area is essential too. Aging neck contours affect how your face looks, often making it perceived as older. You can take years off your appearance by smoothening and tightening your neck. Using a neck firming cream can help tighten the delicate skin on the neck and décolletage area.
However, you can also seek neck-tightening cosmetic procedures for quick results. Some of the best procedures for neck tightening introduced in the market include neck lifts, liposuction, and chin surgery. These procedures give you noticeable results.
While the popularity of neck-lift and skin anti-aging procedures is rising, you should be cautious when choosing a treatment. Always consult a qualified dermatologist or plastic surgeon to determine which treatment suits your concerns. After assessing your skin condition and discussing your goals and aspirations, they can recommend the most appropriate option.
2. Skincare Routine Adjustments
As you age, the demands of your skin change; it needs more care and maintenance to look vibrant. Therefore, adjusting your skincare routine to meet your skin’s changing needs is essential. Some highly recommended skincare adjustments are:
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Use anti-aging ingredients
Ingredients like retinol, vitamin C, peptides, and antioxidants have anti-aging properties. They can help address common signs of aging, such as fine lines, creases, and uneven complexion, by encouraging collagen production and promoting cell turnover. Anti-aging ingredients also protect against free radicals, supporting a more youthful appearance.
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Be careful about exfoliation
When your skin is young and energetic, it can survive careless skincare habits such as overexploitation and using the wrong exfoliators. Since aging skin is more sensitive, you must make more responsible and careful choices. Choose gentle exfoliators and reduce the frequency to avoid irritation. Chemical exfoliants like AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) or BHAs (beta hydroxy acids) are often well-tolerated by mature skin. Also, they are more suitable than physical exfoliators such as scrubs.
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Don’t neglect your sunscreen
While it is important for every occasion and age, it can work wonders for aging skin that has thinned over the years. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen to protect your skin. After applying once, refresh it after every few hours.
Incorporate targeted skincare: Some areas of your skin are more sensitive than others and demand special attention, like the area under and around your eyes. Eye creams or serums can address concerns like dark circles and crowfeet.
3. Prioritize Hydration And Moisturization
Aging skin becomes drier and loses some of its natural moisture-retaining abilities, making it look dull and more prone to fine lines. Therefore, using a gentle cleanser and a moisturizer that suits your skin type is crucial to target issues like dryness.
When buying a moisturizer, look for hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and ceramides—they help lock skin moisture and enhance skin elasticity. Also, consider a moisturizer specially formulated for aging and mature skin. Hyaluronic acid is a miracle ingredient that attracts and retains moisture, plumping the skin from within.
The trick to applying a moisturizer with hyaluronic acid is to do so on damp skin to seal in the moisture. After cleaning or showering, pat your skin dry gently, leaving some moisture on the surface, and then apply your moisturizer; this helps prevent water loss and allows the moisturizer to enter deeper into the skin.
In addition to using a moisturizer, incorporating serums and facial oils in your skincare regime provides an extra boost of hydration. The right way to apply a serum is before the moisturizer to help lock in moisture and create a shielding barrier on the skin.
Apart from applying topical products, you must also ensure hydration from within. Drink plenty of water to maintain overall skin health and natural moisture balance.
4. Manage Stress
Stress is the biggest enemy of youthful skin. The main stress hormone, cortisol, released during stressful periods, has detrimental effects on your skin. Therefore, chronic stress is linked to various skin issues, such as acne breakouts, eczema flare-ups, and premature aging.
To manage your stress effectively and to maintain healthy skin, practice stress-coping techniques and strategies in your routine. You can prioritize self-care activities that promote relaxation and reduce stress levels.
Another way to manage stress is to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Excessive work and long duty times induce stress and impact your skin negatively. You must demarcate boundaries between your work and life. Set aside time for leisure activities and hobbies and spend quality time with loved ones. Engaging in healthy activities and taking breaks helps alleviate stress and improve overall well-being, including your skin’s health.
In addition to ensuring work-life balance, regular exercise is also an effective stress management technique. During physical activity, your body gets a boost of endorphins, which are natural mood boosters.
You can walk, practice yoga, or participate in any exercise you enjoy. Transitioning regular physical activity into your routine can positively affect your stress levels and skin health. Besides mood-boosting, exercise directly affects your skin by increasing blood circulation to cells, promoting their health and overall function. If stress management becomes impossible, seek professional help, such as therapy or counseling.
Conclusion
Maintaining a youthful appearance and skin as you age involves changing your routine. Apart from using skincare products and receiving procedures, you must focus on stress management, a healthy diet, and regular physical activity. These activities can directly or indirectly decelerate skin aging, making you look beautiful and confident.