If you’ve looked in the mirror lately you’ve probably noticed your skin isn’t what it used to be. As we age our bodies make less elastin and collagen, which give skin resilience, strength, and suppleness. Also, skin becomes thinner and more fragile and transparent. Lines and wrinkles become more pronounced and skin sags. Time in the sun, lifestyle habits, stress levels, heredity, and even sleep position affect the condition of our skin. While we can’t stop the aging process, we can help our skin look and feel better as the years pass. Here’s how.
1. Don’t smoke
If you smoke you are speeding up your skin’s aging process, to say nothing of your increased cancer risk. The nicotine in cigarettes causes your skin to wrinkle because it narrows the blood vessels in skin’s outermost layers, hindering blood flow there, MayoClinic.com explains. This robs skin of all the nutrients and oxygen it needs. What’s more, the 4,000-plus chemicals in tobacco smoke damage your all-important collagen and elastin, leading to premature wrinkling and sagging. Also, the repeated lip pursing and eye squinting you do with every puff likely adds to wrinkling as well, the website says.
While this damage is irreversible, you can keep it from worsening and prevent more from occurring by quitting ASAP.
2. Consider antioxidants
In addition to eating a well-balanced diet to nourish your skin and combat damage to it, some antioxidants also can help. Vitamin C is the only one proven to stimulate the growth of collagen, according to WebMD.com, and studies have shown it helps minimize wrinkles, scars, and fine lines. Consult a dermatologist when searching for a product because many topical vitamin C treatments don’t sufficiently penetrate the skin, the website advises. Vitamin E, selenium, and coenzyme Q10 may also protect the skin from sun and cell damage.
3. Review retinol
You’ve probably heard a lot about retinol, a derivative of vitamin A contained in many skin-care products available over the counter. According to WebMD.com, retinol may smooth wrinkles and fine lines, and improve skin tone, texture, and color. Tretinoin, the active ingredient in Retin-A and Renova which are available only by prescription, is retinol’s more potent relative. While the effects of retinol may not be as good as those from tretinoin, your skin may be too sensitive for it. Check with your dermatologist. Retinyl palmitate, also part of the retinol family, is contained in some products, but you may need to apply more of the product to achieve the same result retinol offers, the website says.
4. Treat itchy, dry skin
Have you noticed that you skin is drier and itchier now than when you were younger? As we age, we lose oil and sweat glands, a condition that contributes to dry skin, according to the National Institute on Aging. Plus, certain health problems, such as kidney disease and diabetes, can cause skin dryness, and some medications can make us itchy.
Itchiness and dry skin can be more than an annoyance. Older people have thinner skin, and repeated scratching can tear it, causing bleeding that leads to infections. Use moisturizer daily on your dry skin, the NIA advises. Take warm not hot showers and baths, and use a mild soap.
5. Shun the sun
Like smoking, the sun’s ultraviolent rays damage elastin, and as skin ages, the effects of the sun become more evident. What’s worse, the sun, as well as tanning beds and sun lamps, cause skin cancer, which can be deadly when it’s not caught early. (One American dies every hour from melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, and one in five people will develop skin cancer, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.)
The AAD advises you to protect yourself from the sun by:
• Wearing a waterproof, broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or more
• Trying to stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when UV rays are strongest
• Wearing protective clothing like long sleeves and a wide-brimmed hat
• Avoiding tanning beds and sun lamps.
6. See the doctor
Skin’s aging process is mainly benign, but there are times when it’s important to see your doctor. Older skin is more easily bruised because blood vessel walls thin as we age, according to WebMD.com. Also, bruises can take more time to heal when we’re older, and certain drugs and illnesses can result in easier bruising.
See your doctor if bruises appear and you don’t know how you got them, particularly if they are on areas usually covered by clothes, the National Institute on Aging advises. Also, be sure to alert your doctor if you discover a suspicious growth. Look for a sore that doesn’t heal, a mole that bleeds or changes color, or a growth with irregular borders or with one half that looks different from the other.
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