Your Skin: 4 Things You Didn't Know About Aging

Nobody enjoys aging. Let's face it, most of us even have a phobia about it - ineverwanttolookoldophobia.

It's a technical term obviously :)

So I thought I'd do a little post about the myths and truths of aging!

1. Sunlight is the number one cause of aging - a lot of people know this already but most don't understand why or aren't aware of how damaging it can be. Here's how it works - there are microscopic cells in your skin that naturally produce collagen and elastin, which are the magical ingredients that prevent aging. When the sun shines on your skin, it turns these cells off permanently. The lack of the two ingredients is what causes the wrinkles. Aside from that, sun damage causes a whole host of other problems like skin cancer, melanomas and rosacea that won't be worth that tan. I feel I should also mention that in a cloudy climate like Ireland, where we don't get much sun we should still be wary. In fact; Daylight causes more sun damage then sunlight. Daylight that we see around us still comes from the suns rays. The only way to combat aging and stay safe outside is to wear sun block every single day. So, ditch the suntans girls and go for the bottled kind instead :)

2. Dry skin ages faster/worse(r?) then oily - dry or dehydrated skin doesn't produce enough of skin's natural oil to keep it moisturised and it doesn't produce as much collagen to prevent aging. Wrinkles appear far quicker on dry skin and you can even test it at home; if you gently push on your cheek and the pucker of skin ripples (similar to an orange peel), you are dry and prone to wrinkles. Drinking at least two litres of water a day and using the right moisturiser/eye cream/neck cream should keep the wrinkles at bay!

3. Exercise ain't just good for the body - if you think about it, people who are fit and athletic generally have younger looking bodies then those who aren't. The same applies to the face. Having good muscle tone prevents the skin from sagging and drooping. Facial exercises take 5 or 10 minutes out of your day and in the long run should keep your muscles taut to prevent wrinkles and that chicken jowl thing :)

4. Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate - it's all well and good to say 'do this, don't do that and you won't get wrinkles' but what if you spent too long in the sun in your 20's and you have the oul fine line here and there? Unfortunately, short of going under the needle for botox/collagen injections or under the knife for a facelift; no home remedy we do will reverse the aging process once it has begun. We can however, reduce the appearance of any wrinkles we have. Think of your wrinkles like a deep ravine. If someone came along and removed 20 feet of rock from the top, the ravine wouldn't look so deep would it?

Exfoliation removes dead surface skin cells, making the wrinkle in question appear shallower. And for a fraction of the cost and pain of some grotesque surgical procedure, it shouldn't be sniffed at!

-Em