Skincare Tips: How To Prevent Premature Skin Ageing?
It is a preconceived notion that anti-ageing skincare is specific to people in their 40s and above, but as much as it is never too late to start, it can never be too early either. In fact, it is highly advisable if one were to start their anti-ageing skincare regime as early as in their 20s.
This is because signs of premature ageing may begin to form as early as the mid-20s, and it can completely catch you off guard, especially if they’re happening long before you expect it (note that any signs of ageing is considered premature if it begins to show below the age of 35). If early ageing skin begins to become evident, fret not. It can be tackled and delayed, provided that you stick to a healthy and effective lifestyle and skincare routine.
But first, let’s take a look at how early signs of ageing manifest themselves.
Seeing the signs
You might begin to see the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes and forehead, as well as sagging around the nasolabial folds. This is due to the fact that as you age, your body’s skin cell turnover will slow down and take longer to recharge.
These signs of premature ageing lead to a dryer, duller skin appearance that seems to have lost its radiance and light. Those in their 20s might chalk it off as a passing phase of dehydration, but these lines and wrinkles can begin to deepen over time.
Other symptoms include sunspots (otherwise known as age or liver spots) on the face, arms and hands due to all the time spent under the sun. These signs typically show after the age of 40.
You might also begin to notice that your skin appears to be thinner as it loses collagen, leading to more prominent veins and wrinkles. This also causes your skin to be more susceptible to dehydration, hence, dry skin is part of the process.
Causes and reactions
There are both internal and external factors that ‘speed up’ signs of premature ageing. Internally, genetics play a huge part in how fast or slow you age. This can be investigated further according to the Fitzpatrick skin types, a scientific and systematic method of telling how likely you are to be exposed to early signs of ageing or sun damage.
Externally, harmful lifestyle habits such as excessive smoking expose the skin to oxidative stress, which causes dryness, wrinkles and other signs of premature ageing. Overexposing one’s skin to the sun without protection can also cause long-term damage, as the sun’s harmful UV rays damage the skin’s DNA.
Other lifestyle factors such as inadequate sleep, a poor diet of high sugar and refined carbohydrates, excessive consumption of diuretics such as alcohol and caffeine, exposure of skin to polluted environments as well as stress are also premature ageing causes.
Preventing premature skin ageing
The first step to preventing early ageing skin is to start an anti-ageing skincare regime in your 20s. Once you have made the conscious decision to start an anti-ageing routine, you can then consider incorporating these lifestyle and skin habits:
1. Using sunscreen at all times
This product on its own has the ability to boost your skin’s ability to fight off signs of premature ageing, as sun exposure is one of the biggest culprits. Be sure to wear sunscreen with at least SPF30, or better yet, one with SPF 50 such as the UV Plus SPF50 every day—even on seemingly cloudy days. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen all over the body too, so do remember to get your hands on sunscreens for the body.
2. Introducing anti-ageing products into your skincare routine
Start by using a day cream that not only moisturises but also works to minimise the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while protecting it from external aggressors. One such anti-wrinkle cream for dry skin is the Multi-Active Day Cream.
Considering that the eyes are one of the first few areas to exhibit signs of ageing, it is important to extend anti-ageing eye care towards them as well. Keep your eyes youthful and rested with an eye cream like the Total Eye Revive, which helps to smooth fine lines.
The neck is also constantly exposed to the sun and is often neglected, therefore a Super Restorative Decollete and Neck Concentrate would both restore and protect the neck from ageing. Neck wrinkle creams like the Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté also help remedy the situation. Formulated with Sunflower extracts, this neck firming cream visibly improves the elasticity and firmness of the neck and décolleté area, protecting skin from premature signs of ageing that results from daily stress.
3. Getting enough rest
Give your skin enough time to recuperate and rejuvenate itself daily and stick to a time schedule of at least 8 hours. During bedtime, boost your skin’s ability to recharge and renew itself with the Multi-Active Night Cream, which delivers anti-ageing action while you sleep.
4. Consuming plenty of water and nutrients
As dehydration can exacerbate wrinkles, drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day allows for optimum hydration for the skin and body. Diet-wise, incorporating anti-ageing foods such as papaya, blueberries, broccoli, spinach, nuts, avocado and more into your meals will make way for healthier and younger skin.
5. Moving more
Keep your circulation going with daily exercise, which in turn would help your skin look younger. Exercises such as yoga and hikes can also double up as a stress relief technique to help manage stress.
