Hold Off Aging Skin
The single most important thing you can do for your skin is to stay out of the sun, especially in the middle of the day. The sun is the primary cause of aging skin. To add additional protection to your broad spectrum sunscreen, apply a layer of antioxidant cream under the sunscreen. Don't forget to include your neck and the back of your hands too!
- You can't avoid normal changes, but you can hold them off longer. Aging epidermal cells become drier and don't renew themselves as quickly, you must now add moisture and oil daily, especially after bathing, applying to damp skin. This applies to men as well as women.
- Apply night cream regularly, and remember that more expensive doesn't necessarily mean better.
- Don’t hit the sack before you wash. During the day, environmental toxins (like dirt and pollution) build up on skin and invade pores, which can cause complexion problems. Use a good cleanser and save your skin. Keep a box of cleansing towelettes bedside for added convenience—simply swipe and sleep.
- Don't be obsessively clean. Your skin needn’t be scrubbed or squeaky to be clean. Wash your skin as little as possible, using warm, never hot, water. Hot water dries your skin. Take short showers, and use soap that contains moisturizers. A washcloth, used gently, will help remove some of the dead skin cells and encourage cell renewal.
- To help repair skin that's already damaged, regular use of Retin-A and topical Vitamin C can help stimulate collagen and minimize superficial wrinkles, liver spots and scaly areas.
- If you’re frustrated that your new anti-aging moisturizer isn’t doing its job, stick it out longer before switching. Bouncing from product to product may leave you with the impression that nothing works for your skin. Give a new product at least six weeks to produce a change in your complexion. One skin cycle takes 30 days [for new cells to reach the top layer of skin], so in order to see a real difference in texture, tone, and clarity, you need to use it for more than a month. If the product contains anti-aging ingredients, wait even longer. Your skin takes about four months to regenerate collagen and elastin.
