You’re Never too Young to Start an Anti-Aging Routine
Women with beautiful, clear, soft and smooth skin that defies time know the benefits of beginning an anti-aging routine early.
Young people will always enjoy a plumper looking complexion that glows with good health. However, that type of skin is often taken for granted and when you’re in your teens or early twenties, the thought of lines, wrinkles and age spots simply don’t cross your mind! However, entering your thirties is different. It’s around this time that you might start to notice the first frown lines settling into ever so fine lines across the forehead. You might also notice little crinkles around your eyes when you smile into your iPhone taking a selfie and you may even notice fine lines developing around the edges of that wide grin. This is a sign of aging! Like it or not, it happens to everyone and while you could choose to start to fight against aging in your late twenties or early thirties, the earlier you take care of your skin, the better it will look as you get older. So, start young.
When Should You Start an Anti-Aging Skincare Routine?
Well, some schools of thought say it’s better to start puberty whereas others suggest around the age of 12. So, if you haven’t yet started or you have a daughter, a younger sister or you’re in your teens then now is the best time to put a high quality anti-aging routine into place. Of course, as you get older, you’ll find that your routine changes and you need to add in other skincare products but remember, looking after your skin early will reap benefits later on.
Let’s start by looking at why.
Your skin is the largest organ of the body and the one that everyone can see. So, it immediately shows signs of aging. The skin is made up of collagen, a protein that bolsters it with what it needs to stay firm, plump and smooth. Collagen also produces elastin, the elasticity in skin. When a child or a young person smiles and stops smiling, the skin bounces back immediately but as that child grows up, that elasticity starts to stretch so it doesn’t quite bounce back the way it used to and that’s when fine lines develop. Did you know that your collagen stores start depleting from your early twenties and that affects elasticity! Why does it start to deplete? A number of reasons, just getting older is one, but there are other aspects that cause its breakdown. Dehydration is another, and drinking lots of water helps to keep skin nice and plump, keeping that elastin working well. A good tip is to drink at least 2 litres of water a day to keep skin firm, it also helps with lymphatic drainage, taking the toxins and impurities away from your skin so it looks clearer.
Next, there’s sun damage. From the first moment your skin encounters sunlight, it starts to deteriorate because the powerful UV rays destroy collagen. That’s why sunscreen is so important as it helps the skin to combat that deterioration. Always wear sunscreen, from an early age. Other things that age the skin early include smoking. Smoking isn’t just bad for your skin; it’s also bad for your health and affects every organ of your body. It significantly dehydrates the skin which is why smokers are more lined than non-smokers so it’s best not to start. Industrial fumes and pollution also affects the skin but you can’t avoid it so you need to put in a plan to make sure your skin is looked after properly to combat it.
How to Fight the Signs of Aging
So what should you do early enough to fight back against aging? As early as possible, always cleanse, tone and moisturise your skin. Choose products that fit your skin type, so for an oily skin type you need something oil-free to prevent break outs and for a dry skin, choose a rich moisturiser and an oil-based cleanser to replace lost moisture. Dry skins can skip toner as it does draw water away from the skin, it’s a drying product. All skin types should use a night cream as well as it plumps up skin while you sleep and if you’re entering your late 20’s or early 30’s (and beyond) choose a good quality vitamin C serum because vitamin C is an anti-oxidant and helps skin to fight back against pollution, smoking and sun damage. Remember to always wear sunscreen on skin that is exposed (face, hands and neck especially), even if your moisturiser has a SPF, you need sunscreen too.
As you get older, you’ll find your skin needs different skincare. There are special anti-aging products that are infused with lots of anti-oxidant vitamins (such as Vitamins E, C and A which is retinol, essential for elastin and collagen production). Try and choose skincare that is as natural as possible, without harmful manmade chemicals such as parabens and with plant and fruit derivatives as these are always packed with the vitamins and minerals your
skin needs to stay youthful.
Finally, while genetics play a role in good looking skin, you can still do as much as possible to give your skin what it needs to retain a youthful glow. Starting young is best because leaving it too late means that damage has already occurred and it’s much harder to reverse damage than prevent it.
