How to delay sign of ageing in seven steps?

As a beauty therapist, I hear it a lot from people “I want clear skin”, “How can I get rid of wrinkles”? Ageing is a natural process and we cannot stop it but we can definitely delay it. Remember, it is never too late to start looking after your skin.

In this blog I have tried to explain what causes wrinkles? What steps we can take to delay signs of ageing?

What causes wrinkles?

Repeated facial movement - Gradual damage occurs to the collagen and elastin fibers in the dermis layer of the skin. Expression lines are caused by a gradual “denting” of these fibers from repeated facial movement. Just like a piece of metal that is bent multiple times, the fibers become weak and thinner in the area of constant bend.
Sun Exposure – Both collagen and elastin fibers are damaged from cumulative sun exposure. These wrinkles are not necessarily in the area of facial movement, they are often crisscross wrinkles. Can be on face, neck or chest.
Natural Ageing Process - After menopause, the estrogen production is drastically reduced. This may result in less supple skin, an increase in wrinkling. Natural skin cell turnover also slows as you age. A natural process that takes two weeks for babies, takes three to four weeks for teens. Once past your teens, your skin generally renews itself once a month (about every 30 to 40 days) but gets even more sluggish after 50, renewing itself only 45 to 90 days. This result in dehydration, which makes wrinkling and skin texture much worse.

How we can delay sign of ageing?

Ageing is a natural process and we can’t escape it but certainly we can delay it through diet and specially formulated skin care products.

Here are seven steps to follow on a daily basis to delay sign of ageing…..

Cleanse – Cleansing your skin twice daily, morning and night, helps skin to breath and absorb serums or cream better. It is vital to cleanse your skin in the night as our body and skin repairs in the night time. (always remember that no cleanser should leave your skin dehydrated, if you feel any product is dehydrating, it is a good idea to stop using it.)
Toner – Use a toner with anti-oxidants helps to tone and hydrate your skin.
Eye Cream – Most of the time, I have seen people forget to use eye cream. We all know first sign of ageing start near eyes. Always apply eye cream around the orbital area to help smooth, firm and repair skin’s surface.
Serums – Everyone has different skin type and concerns. Serum helps to repair and rejuvenate skin. Speak to your beauty therapist to help match serum in accordance with your skin needs.
Moisturise – Moisturisers helps to lock in all the above products and helps skin to repair while providing constant hydration and nourishment. Massage your face in upward direction, whilst applying moisturiser, to promote blood circulation and elasticity.
Sunscreen– Sunscreen is the most important technique to avoid pre-mature ageing of the skin. Sunscreen should be of at least SPF 15. Many Moisturisers are available that has got sunscreen in them or it can applied separately.
Diet – This may be the last step but not the least. Your body requires a number of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients for optimal (skin) health, and you can better ensure that you get them all by eating a variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean proteins and (Omega) fatty fish. Some vitamins and minerals have been more clearly linked to skin cell turnover, among them, Vitamin A (retinol).