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Houston Facial Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Athre

How to Maintain Your Skin’s Youthful Appearance

How to Maintain Your Skin’s Youthful Appearance

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Photo Credit: On Pixabay CC0 License

Many of us yearn to maintain our youthful appearance, energy, and good health, free from disease and sickness. We look for help from the “discoveries of science,” “breakthrough drugs,” or even “elixirs” full of promise. While we have made significant progress in our understanding of the human body, we find that the vital health and youthfulness we’re looking for is somewhat elusive. Scientists have ultimately come to recognize that the “Fountain of Youth” lies naturally within each of us.

[Related: Skin Resurfacing at Athre Facial Plastics]

The standard American diet today unfortunately consists of highly processed foods that starve the body of nutrition and create difficulties for the digestive system, which can also result in colon problems. In the natural health industry, it is known that many human diseases and illnesses are from a congested colon. This can also accelerate the aging process.

Most of us don’t even notice those first little fine lines in our faces until our 30s—and spotting that first little wrinkle can occur even later for those who have darker skin tones. But the fact is that wrinkles begin forming long before they become visible to the naked eye.

As you age here are some of the changes your skin will go through:

  • Your top skin layer,  the epidermis, becomes thinner and more fragile
  • Your skin becomes drier, since your oil glands will produce less oil
  • The number of blood vessels decreases in your face and throughout your body. Blood brings nutrients to your skin cells, giving your skin a healthy and rosy look
  • Less skin cells are repaired or replace quickly
  • The sun and pollution start to show their effects on your skin by breaking down collagen and elastin, which give your skin its elasticity.
  • Your good or bad diet starts to show its effects on your skin. Your bad diet did not provide the nutrients your skin needed to be flexibly, hydrated, oxygenated, and healthy.
  • The un-healthy skin products you have been using start to show their bad effects on your skin.

[Related: What to Know About Chemical Peels]

It’s too bad, but there’s simply no way that we can avoid wrinkles altogether — not even with the help of all of the best minds in the world—but we can take steps that will help reduce the speed at which wrinkles appear. 

Apply Sunscreen

Liberally apply sunscreen and reapply frequently—even the best sunscreen doesn’t last all day. You should follow the directions on the label of the product and reapply sunscreen as often as the label tells you that you should. Find a sunscreen that blocks UVA and UVB and provides a chemical and physical block.  Even on overcast days, it is important to wear sunscreen and protect yourself from harmful UV rays.

Wear Sunglasses

Wear sunglasses when you leave home. Squinting causes crow’s feet. Crow’s feet are those little lines that radiate out from the corners of your eyes. Wearing sunglasses when you are outdoors can go a long way in helping to prevent a lot of squinting, and reducing squinting will help to prevent premature wrinkles around the eyes.

Drink Water

Drink lots and lots of water. Water is the best (almost magical) fluid on earth to provide hydration to human bodies. Colas, coffee, tea, and fruit drinks can all have dehydrating effects. Your skin loses water during hot days and needs plenty of water to keep hydrated. Water is found in raw fruits and vegetables. Rotate between buying and drinking Reverse Osmosis and Distilled water.

Maintain a Healthy Diet & Avoid Processed Foods

Eat more fruits and vegetables. They provide plenty of antioxidants, which protect you from sun and pollution damage. Migrate your diet from processed and refined devitalized “foods” to whole, raw, organic foods that are full of nutrition and are easily digested.

Choose snacks wisely—eat an apple rather than a bag of chips or a candy bar. A diet that’s high in fruits and vegetables provides the nutrients that the skin needs to stay healthy, supple, and wrinkle free.

If your day is too busy to eat enough raw vegetables each and every day—then simply find yourself a high quality vegetable drink.

Spend Time Outside & Exercise

Take time outdoors each day to breathe in deeply clean, fresh air. Increase physical activity and enjoy nature with regular outdoor activities, or by integrating an exercise program.

Don’t Smoke

Keep away from highly polluted areas and don’t smoke. Smoking changes the elasticity of the skin fibers leading to rough and wrinkled skin.

Get Enough Sleep

Get enough sleep. Your skin repairs itself when you sleep, just avoid sleeping with your face into your pillow as that may cause wrinkles.

Take an Antioxidant Supplement

Take an antioxidant supplement, which should include up to 2000 mg of vitamin C. You may have to take the vitamin C separate.

[Related: Look Younger Without Going Under the Knife]

Practice a Quality Skin Care Regimen

Get on a medical grade skin regimen. This includes a retinoid, and Hydroquinone. The retinoid will resurface your skin, grow collagen, thicken your skin, and remove fine lines. The Hydroquinone will remove discolorations, age spots, and even your skin tone. This is the basis of anything you can do for your skin. Don’t do anything else until you are on a good skin care routine. It protects your investment, makes you heal faster after treatments, prevents problems like hyperpigmentation after procedures and on and on. To put simply, it’s like brushing your teeth. 

Start today to make these suggestions a part of your new lifestyle. Enjoy good health and long life and find the true fountain of youth within yourself! Contact us today if you’re looking for additional ways to keep your skin looking smooth and refreshed.