Whilst the beauty market is infiltrated with wrinkle creams, eye serums and face masks, successful anti-ageing starts with simple but effective skincare habits. Whilst ageing is something that happens naturally, there are ways to keep your skin healthy, elastic and high in collagen for longer. We spoke to skincare specialist, Amanda Von Hagen, from Glo Skin Beauty who shares her top seven tips on how to care for ageing skin.
1. Protect your skin from the sun
The number one cause of premature ageing is sun exposure, so it is important to properly protect your skin from the sun’s harmful UVA rays. Applying sunscreen everyday forms the foundation of any anti-ageing skincare plan, and whilst it helps to prevent photoaging, it also helps to safeguard against skin cancer too. Sunscreen should be applied every day, in hot and cold weather, to stop the skin from spotting, wrinkling and losing its elasticity throughout your lifetime.
2. Moisturise every day with a rich face cream
As we age, our skin naturally becomes less hydrated and looks drier, which promotes the appearance of wrinkles. Whilst moisturising daily cannot get rid of existing wrinkles, it can prevent and reduce the visibility of them. Using a rich formula with antioxidants that promotes emollient skin is key for your skincare routine. Rich moisturisers will also absorb easier and trap the water into the skin, making your face seem more youthful.
3. If you smoke, stop
As well as damaging your physical health, smoking also adds years to the skin. The nicotine in a cigarette will leave the skin feeling dry and dehydrated, as it reduces the blood flow and deplete the skin of many nutrients that typically repairs skin damage. If you stop smoking, the collagen and elasticity of your skin will slowly begin to repair and you will be protected from developing irritating skin disorders such as psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa and cutaneous lupus erythematosus.
4. Be sure to get your beauty sleep
Beauty sleep is a real thing. Just one poor night’s sleep can cause droopy eyelids, puffier skin, darker under eyes and more wrinkles. So, imagine the permanent effect on your skins health after you’ve consistently neglected a good night’s sleep. 7-9 hours of sleep will lower your complexions PH levels and restore the moisture in your skin, giving your skin a supple and fresh appearance.
5. Drink lots of water
Drinking water is a great way to flush out the toxins and keep your skin cells nourished and hydrated. As well as improving your complexion, drinking approximately 2 litters of water a day will help your skin maintain its moisture and elasticity. Ultimately, regular water intake will reduce ageing, the appearance of large pores and stop your skin from sagging.
6. Make sure you get your calcium
A glass of milk a day or calcium tablets can do wonders for your skin. This is because the calcium in the epidermis promotes the cell turnover necessary for rejuvenated skin. Getting your calcium intake is especially important if you have a skin condition such as eczema as without calcium, your skin may become more dry, itchy and aged.
7. Consider treatments for youthful skin damage
Whilst there are several cosmetic procedures, such as injecting fillers into the skin, to halt the ageing process, there are also a number of non-invasive procedures that can cure skin damage. These treatments make your skin look clear and bright by delivering short bursts of light that directly target the blood vessels or melanin within your skin. With treatments such as this, you can reclaim your skin’s youthful look, texture and tone without going under the needle and knife.
