How to Keep Your Aging Skin Healthy

Sophia Belnap

Many people are on a quest for eternal youth. Who wouldn't want to look and feel like they did twenty years ago? Although aging is a certainty in life, there are some things you can do to help your skin stay healthy during this process.

Get Proper Nutrition

Your diet becomes more critical as you age. The nutrition that you put in your body should be optimal for necessary body functions and sufficient energy. The skin is the largest organ you have, and its health is dependent on your diet. A balanced diet will help you achieve good results. You should eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, low-fat proteins and stay hydrated by drinking at least eight glasses of water per day. Many foods are bad for your skin, including anything deep-fried, foods with high sugar content and items with trans-fat and other chemicals. 

Use Anti-Aging Treatments

The beauty industry is constantly researching ways to make people look younger. New and exciting treatments are available to help rejuvenate your skin at the cellular level. Red light therapy is a helpful example of these treatments and provides overall health benefits and improves your skin health.  Another treatment involves injections of botox or collagen that help plump the skin to reduce wrinkles and provide a more youthful appearance. Chemical peels also offer anti-aging benefits by removing dead skin cells and encouraging new skin development.

Exercise Regularly

Another key to aging gracefully is exercise. It is essential to exercise regularly to help with joint pain, mobility, and balance as you get older. Exercise has also been shown to improve mental acuity as you age. Physical activity also provides enormous benefits for your skin as it helps you release toxins and circulates energy in your system. This energy allows your body to produce new skin cells more efficiently.

Apply Sunscreen Daily

UV rays are one of the most damaging environmental elements that threaten the health of your skin. Sun damage reaches deep below the surface of your skin, causing moles and wrinkles. Cancerous growths can develop from sun exposure, including melanoma, metastasizing to other parts of your body. As you age, it is imperative that you use sunscreen on a daily basis on all exposed parts of your body. Protection from the sun is the best preventative from skin cancers and other aging damage the sun causes.

Do Not Smoke

Smoking is another environmental hazard that takes a toll on your skin. Cigarettes contain a large number of carcinogens that are absorbed by your body and then released through your skin. Smoking has very negative impacts on all aspects of your health. In addition, the act of smoking has been shown to cause premature wrinkles around your mouth.

Modify Your Showering

Showering is a regular hygienic act that most people engage in on a regular basis. You probably have not given much thought to how your shower can affect your skin. Research has shown that a shower of fewer than ten minutes can provide moisturizing benefits for your skin. If you stay in the shower longer, you will lose the hydration benefit, and in fact, your skin will get dried out.

Another modification for your shower is to use more temperate water. Showering in hot water is damaging to the skin. Instead, try to find a not quite hot but still enjoyable temperature.

Use Mild Skincare Products

It would be best to have a daily skincare routine to keep your skin clean and moisturized. Sensitivity to ingredients can become more pronounced with age. Your skin is also thinner and more prone to damage as you age. It would help if you tried to find mild or all-natural products to use on your skin. You want to avoid anything stringent that may cause a rash or redness, as this can be problematic for aging skin. 

Have a Humidifier

Not only is aging skin thinner than youthful skin, but it also dries out faster. To assist in keeping your skin hydrated, you should consider using a humidifier in your home. Humidifiers release water vapor into the air to make the atmosphere less dry. These devices are beneficial in warding off excessive dryness in the winter when you are using a lot of heat or in arid climates.

Conclusion

The journey of aging is one that everyone must go on. Fortunately, you can do things to make this process as painless as possible. If you use these tips to take care of yourself, you will be alleviating many of the issues that plague aging skin.