Everyone wants young and healthy looking skin. But as you age, your body naturally starts to lose moisture and slow down its skin cell production, which can lead to wrinkles, dryness, and rough skin.
But just because you’re aging doesn’t mean you have to have aging skin. With proper care and treatment, you can reduce and fight wrinkles for healthy, beautiful skin at any age.
Here are six tips for avoiding aging skin in 2022:
Protect Yourself From the Sun
The biggest culprit for aging skin and wrinkles is the sun. UV rays can damage your skin and cause long-lasting issues, including premature aging and wrinkles. Taking care of your skin is one of the best ways to avoid aging skin.
One of the best things for your skin is to wear sunscreen regularly. Wear sunscreen every day, even if the weather is cloudy and you won’t be spending very much time outside.
No matter the weather, harmful UV rays can still get through and damage your skin over time. At a minimum, look for a daily sunscreen of at least SPF 30. Many moisturizers also include sunscreen, which helps the skin in multiple areas.
If you will be spending time outside, apply a waterproof sunscreen with a higher SPF and reapply it throughout the day every one to three hours.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends using a sunscreen of at least SPF 30 that is broad-spectrum, meaning it protects against both UVA and UVB rays.
The best way to get a tan isn’t by sitting in the sun but by using a sunless self-tanner. Even a gentle tan damages your skin. Avoid getting a tan by sitting in the sun or using a tanning bed, which both emit harmful UV rays.
You can also protect your skin from the sun by wearing the right clothes. When out in the sun, wear a wide-brim hat and sunglasses to protect the sensitive skin on your face. Light-colored clothes reflect the sun and keep you more comfortable.
Develop Healthy Habits
Some of the best ways to avoid aging skin also improve your overall health. Developing good habits gives your body the tools to be strong and healthy, which can slow down the aging process.
A well-balanced diet of fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy fats give your skin cells the correct nutrition to be plump and healthy instead of dry and dull. Diets that contain high amounts of sugar and carbs have been linked to faster aging and cause inflammation in your skin and all over your body, which leads to more wrinkles.
Aim to eat a balanced diet of healthy fats like fish and nuts, as well as vegetables like sweet potatoes, peppers, and broccoli. These foods contain important nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin A, and fatty acids that support healthy, supple skin.
Along with your diet is your alcohol consumption. Alcohol dehydrates the skin, which can make you look older. Too much alcohol can dilate your blood vessels and cause them to break, leading to redness and rosacea on your skin.
You don’t have to eliminate alcohol from your diet completely, but be mindful of how much you consume.
Smoking isn’t only bad for your overall health, it’s also bad for your skin. Smoking constricts blood vessels that carry nutrients to your skin and breaks down collagen, which causes wrinkles and a dull complexion. To avoid aging skin, quit smoking.
Regular exercise can also improve the quality of your skin. Exercise, even low or moderate intensity, improves circulation and boosts the immune system, which keeps you healthier and adds a youthful glow to your skin.
Quality sleep also affects the skin. When your body is tired, it is more likely to become inflamed, which leads to wrinkles. Exhaustion can also make it harder to follow other healthy habits and put you on a slippery slope towards aging skin.
Try to stick to a regular bedtime and get six to eight hours of sleep a night so your skin has time to rest and restore.
Relax Your Face
Repeating the same facial movements over and over can cause you to develop wrinkles faster. You might not even realize you regularly do things like squint, frown, or purse your lips until the wrinkles start to form. It often takes years of repeating these movements and contracting the muscles regularly for wrinkles to form.
If you find yourself repeating facial movements, try to get to the root of the problem. Squinting can be improved with a new eye prescription or wearing sunglasses, and frowning can often be reduced with stress-relief techniques like deep breathing and yoga.
Practicing general stress-relief and relaxation techniques can improve your overall health and lead to younger looking skin.
Wash Your Face
Perhaps the most common advice for healthy skin is to simply wash your face. And it definitely helps to slow and avoid the effects of aging.
Throughout the day, your skin naturally attracts dirt, air pollution, and other contaminants, not to mention the makeup and sweat that can also clog the pores. These things can irritate the skin and cause dead skin to accumulate, leading to uneven skin and wrinkles. Washing your face is one of the easiest ways to care for your skin.
Washing your face removes the dirt, makeup, and other irritants and leaves the skin clear. A clean face also allows the skin to better absorb other products like moisturizers and serums.
For best results, use a gentle cleanser to wash your face morning and night. Scrubbing can irritate the skin and lead to more redness and wrinkles. Use warm water and a light washcloth and pat your skin dry.
Moisturize with Gentle Products
Wrinkles, one of the most common signs of aging, are most commonly caused by dry skin. As you age, your body naturally loses its moisture and skin cells start to shrink and deplete, which is what leads to wrinkles and shallow skin. That means moisturizer becomes even more important with age.
Applying a daily moisturizer traps water into the skin and hydrates and plumps the skin cells to reduce and eliminate wrinkles. Look for a gentle moisturizer that doesn’t cause your skin to burn.
Some moisturizers contain ingredients like hyaluronic acid and vitamin C, which can be especially beneficial in preventing and slowing wrinkles.
For best results, apply a gentle moisturizer twice daily right after washing your face. This allows the product to lock in moisture and provide an extra layer of hydration and protection throughout the day and night.
Adopt an Anti-Aging Skincare Routine
The most important steps of a skincare routine are washing your face and applying moisturizer and sunscreen. But as you age and your skin naturally loses its moisture, adding other products can also be beneficial.
Dermatologists agree that retinoids are effective at helping the skin look younger. Retinoids are derived from vitamin A and increase collagen production to plump the skin and reduce wrinkles. They also help produce more blood vessels, which can improve the skin’s texture and overall appearance.
Retinoids come in a variety of forms, including creams and gels, and are often available with a prescription. Retinoids sold over the counter are often called retinol and tend to not be as strong as prescriptions. However, retinol can still be incredibly effective for many people.
Talk to your dermatologist about the best retinoid product for your skin type and to get a prescription if necessary. Some people’s skin has difficulty adjusting to retinoids, so dermatologists recommend starting with small amounts every other day to allow your skin to adjust without peeling.
Other products, including serums and antioxidants, can also protect your skin against aging. Serums are often applied at night to give them more time to soak into the skin.
Talk to your dermatologist about the best serums for your skin. Common ingredients include green tea, grape seed extract, and vitamins A, C, and E.
To treat fine lines like crows feet around the eyes and dark circles, be sure to look for anti-aging products that are specifically designed to use in your eye area.
These products tend to have more sensitive ingredients to balance protecting your eyes while also helping your skin.
There are a variety of other anti-aging techniques, including facial peels, and micro-needling, among others. The best way to know what treatment is right for your skin and health is to talk to your dermatologist.
Many dermatologists can perform these treatments in their office or refer you to a skilled provider.
Aging skin is a natural part of life and isn’t something to be ashamed of. Developing healthy habits and caring for your skin can help keep your skin looking bright and healthy, no matter the age. Visit your dermatologist for personalized recommendations for your skin.