Have you noticed the effects of facial ageing? Are you worried about wrinkles around your eyes, sagging jowls, eye bags and lined lips?
There are a number of internal and external factors that affect your skin and make it look older. Luckily, you have total control to influence and alter some of them!
The natural ageing process is what happens to your skin internally, and what affects us all. This involves:
- Production of collagen (which helps keep the skin firm) slowing down
- Elastin (which contributes to the skin’s elasticity) production decreases
- Fat cells begin to vanish (leading to sagging skin)
- Skin stops being able to retain moisture
- Frown and laughter lines appear (due to small muscle contractions)
- Dead skin cells don’t shed as quickly
- Reduction in turnover of new skin cells
These internal factors will combine and contribute to what we recognise as an elderly face: saggy, wrinkled, dry and thin skinned.
External factors that age your skin are the type you have complete control over! They all stem from the lifestyle you lead and the environment you live in.
Sun exposure is the leading environmental cause of skin ageing. You should apply an SPF of 30 or higher daily and avoid exposing your face to the sun during its strongest hours (around 10am to 2pm). If you know you’ll be out in the sun for an extended period of time, take a hat and sunglasses with you.
On the opposite end of the scale, exposure to cold temperatures is also a damaging environmental ageing factor. If you’re outside in the elements, cover your face with a scarf and use a natural moisturiser as too much cold weather will dry your skin right out!
Moving on, let’s talk lifestyle changes you can make to slow down facial ageing. A poor diet will age you from the inside out. Eat a fruit and vegetable rich diet, and this will provide you with plenty of antioxidants to keep your skin firm, moist and blemish free.
Exercise more! It helps tone your muscles and promotes blood flow, both of which are necessary to keep the skin healthy.
Quit smoking! It dries out your skin and increases wrinkling. This is because smoking depletes Vitamin C in your body which is essential for youthful looking skin.
Keep an eye on your alcohol intake. Alcohol can permanently damage blood vessels in the skin causing you to look flushed. Broken blood vessels may also appear on the skin’s surface. Play it safe by having one drink or less per day.
Too much stress is extremely problematic for your skin. It will show up in your face as dark circles under the eyes, new wrinkles and dull, lifeless skin. Try and manage your stress by getting enough sleep, exercise, good food and plenty of water to keep you hydrated!
So with these preventative measures you can stop any premature ageing of the skin.
In Part Two of this article looking at the ageing face, we will discuss how Dr Zokaie can perform non-surgical procedures to keep your face looking naturally youthful with his own 3D facial reconstruction concept!
