No one can avoid it! You can cover it up with makeup, you can peel away the layers with acid and chemical treatments, you can turn back the clock with surgery but, it will happen. It happened to your parents, it will happen to your children and it will happen to you! It’s inevitable. You will age and your skin will age with you. But healthy aging is a natural process, something that can be accepted and embraced. With so many quick fixes out there it’s easy to forget the most important element of skin aging and that is skin health. You could have a full face lift, eye lift, and neck lift at the age of 55 but if after the surgery you continue to abuse your skin, you continue to drink a bottle of wine every day, you continue to smoke, you continue to lie out in the sun, and you continue with the same homecare routine of just soap, water and a moisturiser, how long do you think the effects of that surgery will last? Not long. After all, its only superficial, just because you had a facelift does not mean your skin will produce more collagen or more elastin. Yes, your skin is pulled tight so you can’t see the wrinkles, but for how long?

If you focus on keeping your skin healthy it will always look good, whether you are 15, 25 or 65. It is possible to age gracefully, and what, may I ask is wrong with that.

There are two different types of aging. Intrinsic aging is the natural process of physical change over time, it is more about genetics then your lifestyle. This process begins in your mid 20s but will not begin to show on your skin until decades later.

It is premature aging (extrinsic aging) that you can control. Premature aging refers to the unnatural acceleration of the natural aging process it is induced by daylight exposure and lifestyle choices such as smoking , diet and stress.

The Sun The sun is responsible for a litany of skin issues, and more importantly skin cancer. Scientific studies have shown that repeated ultraviolet exposure breaks down collagen, impairs the skin’s ability to repair itself, and attacks our elastin. In fact, 90% of premature aging is caused by ultraviolet rays from the sun. The damage caused by these damaging rays can be seen through deep wrinkles, age spots (hyper pigmentation), spider veins, a rough, blotchy complexion and the dreaded ‘leathery’ look!

Everyone seems to be aware of the dangers of lying out in the sun and most will use sun protection but it’s the daily exposure to these UV rays that we should be equally aware of as cumulative damage will also cause extensive damage. Fifteen minute walks outside and occasional lunches outdoors can add up to weakened collagen and elastin, and of course, skin cancer. It’s important to remember that even if you don’t see pink or red skin after being in the sun, that doesn’t mean that the damage hasn’t been done.

Lack of sleep / stress Skin is the first place to be effected by lack of sleep – the immediate effects of exhaustion are represented through dark circles under the eyes and sagging skin. Stress is inevitable – just like aging! But it also contributes to premature aging. Often when we are stressed we furrow our brow, place our hands on our faces and pull it in every which way and direction and twist our faces around, performing repetitive movements that impart permanent damage.

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