Beauty And The Blog

In another post I told you  about how wrinkles are formed. About  the internal biological stuff that causes wrinkles over time, the intrinsic factors. But there are also a number of factors that are related to lifestyle and personal habits that contribute to wrinkles and just how soon you start seeing those wrinkles appear. These are extrinsic reasons for aging of the skin. And they are how we get those free radicals roaming around in our systems, like little “pac men” messing with all our healthy cells!! I really think the media itself has properly covered this. Articles in magazines and news show segments are always telling us what not to do!

But I am going to give you a little run down as a reminder. Because changing some of your wrinkle inducing habits could make a big difference. And help your skin care products do their job giving you a complexion nothing short of gorgeous!

Okay, Here we go!

#1: Do not smoke. Smoking is one of two of the biggest wrinkle inducing habits. And it isn???t just the toxins and restricted oxygen and blood flow that are the problem. The actual physical motion of pursing the lips to take a puff, well , where do you think those vertical lip lines come from? You will also earn the experience early degradation of collagen and elastin if you smoke.

#2: Sun. Unprotected exposure to the sun is the second major culprit forming wrinkles. The sun contributes to the breakdown of collagen and elastin in the skin. And by the way, not just on your face! You will find loose saggy skin appear on your body as well as brown spots, rough skin, and skin cancer. Is a tan worth that? You can enjoy a day in the sun, but you must use adequate sunscreen and continually reapply. Besides, the days of deep dark tans being “the look” are so over. A kiss of sun is nice, if you must, but there is damage to be suffered even with that. I love the sun. I do go in the sun. I use a 50 SPF and you know what? I still get color. So I limit time in the sun and move to a shady spot. And, have you ever noticed how a tan can make a woman “of a certain age” look like leather, making her look even older than she is! And don’t be thinking that a Tanning Bed is a safe alternative. It’s worse than the actual sun no matter what propaganda salon owners may be pushing. That’s a post for the future….

#3: Nutrition. Eating a wide variety of healthy foods packed with antioxidants is key. Fight those free radicals from the inside out! Lose the prepackaged or fast food and eat as close to nature as you can. Putting good stuff in your body gives you the best chance for a youthful and glowing skin when combined with proper skin care products.

#4: Habitual facial movement. There’s that smoking thing again. And frowning, knitting of the brow in concentration, smiling and laughing to name a few. And quite frankly ladies, I think we should be rewarded with fewer wrinkles if we laugh and smile! Just my opinion but being a happy and positive person has many rewards. I think not having wrinkles should be one of them!

#5: Our environment. Oh boy, here’s one we can’t really control. So it is a frustrating thing to think about. Pollution is not good for our skin. But if you live in a city you sure can’t avoid it can you? So that means you really have to eat well, keep your skin clean and well hydrated! Adding an antioxidant supplement can help. Green Tea is great, and if you don’t care to drink it I can recommend a really good oral supplement that isn’t too costly and really packs a punch in upping your antioxidant intake.

#6: Climate. Another environmental issue we have no control over! Extreme heat or extreme cold. What you can do here is tailor your skin care seasonally. Be sure to take your own personal skin type into consideration as well when switching up your regime from season to season. You may need a richer moisturizer and gentler cleanser in the winter but lighter moisture and more aggressive cleanser in the summer.

Those are the biggies of the extrinsic causes of wrinkled, sagging, aging skin. You have the power to control the amount of damage these things cause. You also have the power to control to some extent the intrinsic causes of skin damage with a good Wrinkle Reducing Skin Care Regime.