Sorry I missed a post last week. I was in NYC with family for a wedding all weekend. I remember when I was in college, I could have fun with friends until the wee hours of the morning and then wake up for class and just bee bop along like I’d had 12 hours of sleep the night before. Let’s just say in my thirties I require a little more rebound time. I know they say that 30 is the new 20 but when I was 20 I didn’t have a 2 year old and 3 month old who woke up at 6 AM no matter what time I went to bed. Things change as we age and our skin isn’t exempt. As we age our skin becomes thinner, less fatty, drier, wrinkles, sags and has less bounce back and structure. We get brown spots and benign growths more commonly as our skin matures. Genetics play a part in how all these things happen to your skin but there are also extrinsic factors that age your skin prematurely. Here are some tips to prevent premature aging of your skin.
1. Sun protect- This had to be my number one. If you don’t want to avoid the sun for increased risk of skin cancer, then avoid it because it’s making your skin older quicker. Try self tanner instead of harmful rays from tanning beds or natural sunlight, wear your sunscreen where clothes don’t cover and you’re sure to save some skin.
2. Stop smoking- Smoking isn’t just harming your lungs. It’s making your skin look older quicker too.
3. Stop harsh skin care-If it burns and hurts when you put it on then your irritating your skin. Scrubbing with beads and other harsh products causes irritation that causes the skin to look older.
4. Stop facial expressions-okay that sounds crazy, I agree. What I’m trying to say is get Botox preventatively. When you look in the mirror and see crow’s feet it’s from years of squinting. Botox prevents lines in motion (lines when you make movements or expressions) which in turn will prevent lines at rest (those wrinkles you hate). Wear some good shades to prevent squinting.
5. Use Retinol- Retinol has been scientifically proven to reverse the changes of photoaging to the skin. We will all get some sun throughout our lives as we live. Try to repair that damage nightly with a good retinol. My favorite is SkinMedica Retinol. I use it every night. Not only do I think my skin looks younger using it but it’s keeping it young too!
I’m blessed with the gift of good health so I really can’t complain about this getting old thing, it’s so much better than the alternative. I am going to do what I can to stay healthy and that includes taking care of my skin. Hope you all join me in keeping your skin healthy…. and youthful. If you feel like your skin is looking tired come see us at Johnson Dermatology. We have lots of tricks to fight the aging fight. We use creams, lotions, potions, lasers and injections everyday. Thanks for trusting us as your skin experts in the River Valley.
XxXx, Nina
