As you age, your skin changes significantly – including sagging, wrinkles and discoloration. Dryness, age spots and bruises may also occur as a result.
Reversing some of these changes naturally is possible; all it takes is to eat healthily, exercise regularly and get enough restful sleep – plus apply moisturizer daily!
1. Eat a Healthy Diet
Aged skin can be the result of many factors, including genetics and lifestyle choices; however, nutrition plays an integral part. Research suggests that certain foods may help reverse or slow the aging process by decreasing glycation, oxidation and inflammation processes in your body.
Diet is one of the best ways to combat skin aging, so be sure to incorporate fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins into your daily diet – try for five servings each of each!
Avoid sugary snacks and refined carbohydrates that raise your blood glucose levels, leading to advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that contribute to wrinkles and other signs of aging. Instead, opt for dark chocolate which contains antioxidants which could reduce signs of aging.
Take steps to get plenty of vitamin C each day for radiant skin and fast healing from any blemishes, which helps promote radiant health and can speed the healing of any blemishes. Aim for four to five servings daily from sources such as blackcurrants, blueberries, guava, kiwi fruit and oranges as well as herbs such as kale, parsley and spinach as sources.
2. Exercise Regularly
Exercise can provide significant health benefits, from improving heart and muscle tone to overall wellness, but research also shows it can keep skin youthful. A recent study demonstrated how Vitamin C, an antioxidant that combats oxidative stress, could slow the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by protecting against free radical damage caused by ageing-causing free radicals and helping produce more collagen in the body (Zasada 2019).
Regular exercise increases blood flow to the face, which nourishes it while clearing away toxins that clog pores. Furthermore, exercise promotes restful sleep cycles which is essential for overall organ health – including skin health.
Physical activity is especially essential if you want to reverse aging skin naturally. Other cosmetic signs, including hyperpigmentation, uneven tone and texture and sunspots can be addressed using various strategies ranging from lifestyle changes, natural skincare products and nutritional supplements – vitamin-rich diets such as those found in fresh fruits and vegetables can also provide some help for all ages and skin types.
3. Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is essential to our overall health, but it’s also crucial for maintaining beautiful skin. While sleeping, the body regulates various hormones that impact complexion. Cortisol levels usually associated with stress tend to drop during sleep so as to reduce breakouts and inflammation; when they rise too high they increase skin aging by exacerbating conditions such as redness, acne or puffiness.
Lack of sleep reduces human growth hormone production, which stimulates cell production and helps thicken your face. Furthermore, collagen and elastin breakdown could result in wrinkles forming on your facial features.
Make time for at least eight hours of sleep every night and use a rich, nourishing night cream. Also try sleeping on your back rather than on your side or stomach to preserve youthful skin and prevent wrinkles and lines. When selecting your pillowcase make sure it provides cushioning so you won’t wake up with puffy eyes in the morning!
4. Cleanse Your Face Gently
Cleaning removes dirt, pollution, makeup residue, excess oil, dead skin cells and other impurities from the face in order to minimize pores and prevent breakouts. However, it’s essential that this be done gently; harsh scrubbing can irritate and age skin quickly; instead try massaging your face with a non-sulfate cleanser while gently massaging over eyes avoiding direct eye contact – then rinse using warm, lukewarm water to rinse.
Sulfates, detergents that strip your skin of essential moisture and cause dryness and itchiness, should be avoided in favor of natural cleansing options like oil-based (jojoba, coconut or almond) cleansers or honey. For sensitive skin, choose an oil-free or noncomedogenic cleanser instead.
Zeichner suggests cleansing twice daily, or after heavy sweating, in order to ensure all pollutants, makeup, dirt and excess oils have been fully eliminated from the face. He advises applying a light moisturizer after cleansing in order to lock in hydration and retain freshness for longer.
5. Moisturize Your Face Daily
Moisturization is essential to healthy skin. It helps prevent dryness, flakiness and premature aging while strengthening the skin barrier and protecting from harmful environmental pollutants and irritants. You should ideally moisturize twice daily – once in the morning and once at night – but this depends on your individual skin type and needs.
When selecting a facial moisturizer, ensure it is non-comedogenic and free from pore-clogging ingredients. In addition, ensure that it contains antioxidants, essential fatty acids and hyaluronic acid to nourished and moisturize the skin – using one with both of these elements can boost its ability to hold moisture for younger and healthier-looking skin. It is equally important to moisturize other parts of the body as well – hands in particular are prone to dryness; use hand lotion after every time you wash to keep them soft and supple.
6. Exfoliate Your Face Regularly
Exfoliation is one of the best ways to keep skin healthy and reduce signs of aging, helping your complexion appear fresh and youthful. By clearing away dead cells and encouraging cell renewal, exfoliation removes dead skin cells while making skin look younger than ever before.
Also, facial cleansing helps prevent blocked pores by clearing away dirt or debris trapped beneath dry and dead skin – potentially helping avoid whiteheads or blackheads that are hard to get rid of.
But it’s essential that you exfoliate your face gently. Physical exfoliation can damage delicate skin and lead to irritation, so exfoliating two or three times weekly using products and methods tailored specifically for your skin type is best. Also remember to moisturize after exfoliating as this will keep it from becoming dry – shea butter, glycerin or hyaluronic acid-containing lotions will lock in moisture for smooth and soft skin; organic products containing these ingredients would likely be gentler on sensitive skin types.
7. Avoid Harsh Skin Care Products
Misuse of makeup or harsh products can make skin appear aged and dry, leading to acne, clogged pores and blotchiness. For best results it’s best to opt for natural skin care products which won’t irritate or burn the skin; any product which does sting or burn should be removed immediately as irritation will accelerate aging faster than non-irritated skin.
Avoid products containing chemicals like quaternium, which releases formaldehyde into the body and may lead to irritation, blocking the skin’s ability to breathe while trapping pollutants, leading to premature aging. Furthermore, stay clear from products containing glycerin made from synthetic ingredients like chlorine, petroleum jelly or mineral oil; such glycerin may damage natural barriers of skin cells and produce free radicals which accelerate aging.
Be mindful that skincare is not a race; rather it should be approached like any marathon. Reversing signs of aging isn’t instantaneous; be patient and follow your routine. Be sure to include healthy foods and supplements like vitamin C and polyphenols (found in berries) as they may help slow or reverse aging by protecting skin cells against oxidative stress.
8. Wear Sunscreen
Sun exposure is a powerful anti-ageing weapon, according to Lucas. Exposure may help delay many of the telltale signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles, dark spots, dry skin patches, uneven pigmentation patches or sagging as we age, according to him.
Unattractive sun exposure can hasten premature aging known as photoaging. This form of premature aging is caused by UV radiation from the sun damaging DNA within our bodies; photoaging differs from chronological aging which is normal and unavoidable.
Studies have demonstrated that using sunscreen regularly can significantly delay skin aging in middle age, particularly at that time of life. One randomized trial showed those who used it had significantly fewer wrinkles than those who didn’t regularly.
Make sunscreen part of your daily routine and reapply often, even on cloudy days, even with broad-spectrum sunscreen containing at least an SPF30 or higher. Also try to stay out of direct sunlight during peak sun hours (between 10 AM and 4 PM), wear protective clothing like hats and sunglasses with wide brims, as well as using broad spectrum moisturizer with SPF. For additional protection it can also help to use moisturizer with SPF.
