The War Against Aging!
We begin the aging process from the day we are born. As we age, our skin begins to show more signs of aging. As teenagers, we fight the seemingly never-ending battle with acne. Some of this is related to hormones as we go through puberty, however, learning to take care of our skin at that age is the real start to keeping the skin looking young and radiant. Worrying about wrinkles is the last thing on a teenager's mind.
In our 20's, however, our skin begins to normalize with less acne problems. Our skin during this age has a lot of elasticity in it, so when we tug and pull on it, no problem, it just returns to where it was. If you haven't already established a good routine with cleaning your skin, you need to begin doing so. Take great care with your skin and be diligent to clean it both morning and evening before you go to bed because it is all about prevention. If you will take care of your skin when you are young, you will prevent damage to the skin in the future. Aging will be slowed to some degree. I promise, you will be glad you did when you get older!!
Of course, sun protection has a HUGE impact on how your skin will age. As a mother, I teach my children to use a sunscreen with at least an SPF of 15 or higher when they are in the sun. I've read that 90% of aging is related to sun damage and only 10% is hereditary, so be sure to protect your skin by staying out of the sun as much as possible, wear protective clothing and sunscreen when you are outdoors. You do have some degree of control over this area -- this should encourage you! Stay out of the sun, protect yourself from aging prematurely.
That being said, be sure to use a quality skin care product line to clean your skin. Remember, buy products for your skin from one skin care line, don't mix and match products. They work together to help keep your skin balanced. If you mix and match your products, you "confuse" your skin and won't get the results you are desiring.
As you start your 30's and on into your 80's, your skin's elastin and collagen production decreases, as well as, the thickness of your skin. These are the enemies of your skin!!! Again, you can thank the sun for a lot of the damage done to your skin, the wrinkles, the sun (age) spots, freckles, discolorations and etc., not just on the face, but all over the body. Can you relate?
Because your skin is less resilient, gravity has it's way with our skin as well, pulling it downward, and by the time you are in your 40's, it has lost a lot of its memory and doesn't "snap" back like it used to. Frowning, smiling, squinting, and lines around your mouth from smoking become permanent.
The older we get the more we have to combat the signs of aging. It is inevitable, but you can prevent much of the damage with products that cleanse and hydrate the skin. If you have sun damage, keep in mind, there is hope for you with products that repair damage. The key is finding a product that works with your skin type that cleanses, hydrates, de-ages and moisturizes the skin.
Anti-Aging skin care products are all over the place and in very high demand! Do your research and find products that are botanically based, that don't clog your pores, are dermatologist tested, add vitamins and nutrients to nourish the skin, and that have alpha and beta hydroxy acids in them along with other anti-aging ingredients to give your skin the best chance for repair, as well as, continued prevention against further damage. I can't stress how important it is to stay within one product line. I would recommend using that line for at least 6 months before you decide to switch to another. Give your skin a chance before you switch!
Obviously, there are lots of other option on the market to help repair aging skin, but remember, just being consistent in your daily regimen does amazingly wonderful things for your skin!