How to Have Younger Looking Skin: 9 Key Natural Steps
by www.SixWise.com

George Orwell once said, "At 50, everyone has the face he deserves."

By that time the signs of life -- food, sun, smiling, frowning -- will certainly have either taken their toll on, or offered their protection to, your skin. Or will they?

Well, your skin does age with you, a process known as the "internal aging process." In terms of your skin this means that as you get older you'll likely experience:

• Collagen production slowing (collagen contributes to skin's firmness)

• Elastin production decreasing (elastin contributes to skin's elasticity)

• Fat cells beginning to disappear (which can lead to sagging skin)

• Your skin losing its ability to retain moisture

• Frown lines and "crow's feet" appearing due to small muscle contractions

• Dead skin cells not being shed as quickly

• Slightly less turnover of new skin cells

Understandably, most people are not thrilled with the results of all of these changes, which tend to be wrinkles, sagging, dryness, thinness in the skin and perhaps discolorations such as "age spots."

And unfortunately, skin that has lost its youthful glow can actually age you quite a bit. MSNBC reported a study from the University of Gottingen in Germany that found people looked five years younger when skin discoloration was removed from their photos. And a digital smoothing of wrinkles lopped off a whopping 15 years!

How can you get young, fresh-looking skin no matter what your age? (No, we're not talking about a facelift.)

"Through a three-tier approach involving diet, supplements, and creams, we can control the rate at which we age," says dermatologist Nicholas V. Perricone, MD on WebMD.com. "And we can delay the need for surgical procedures, including facelifts, by 15 to 20 years -- if we even get them at all."

In other words, your diet and lifestyle play a major role in how your skin looks. Here we've detailed some of the top tips to get enviable skin.

X Natural Tips for Younger Looking Skin

1. Cut back on sugar and refined carbs. "Inflammation is triggered by what we eat and sugar is the bad actor," Perricone tells WebMD. "Anything that is sugar or rapidly converted to sugar (carbohydrates such as white rice, white breads or pasta) can attach to collagen and cause stiffness of skin and very old looking skin."

2. Drink more water. Nothing keeps your skin hydrated and supple better than a glass of pure H2O.

3. Indulge in fruits and veggies. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables will provide you with plenty of antioxidants that will help to protect your skin and overall health.

4. Consider taking alpha lipoic acid. Alpha lipoic acid is 400 times stronger than vitamins C and E, according to Dr. Perricone, who recommends taking 50-100 milligrams of the supplement daily. It helps improve your skin by bring down inflammation.

5. Take the antioxidant CoQ10. This antioxidant is normally touted for its role in heart health, but Perricone says that CoQ10 can slow or reverse the aging process, and taking 30 milligrams a day will make your "skin look more radiant in just a few weeks."

6. Lay off the harsh soaps and cleansers. Most commercial soaps contain chemicals like tricolosan and sodium lauryl sulfate, which dry and irritate your skin.

A better option to cleanse your skin are handmade, natural soaps, such as Vermont Soap Organics. Vermont Soap utilizes all natural ingredients in their soapmaking, including glycerin, which is a natural humectant, adding more moisture to your skin. Most commercial soaps remove their glycerin, selling it as a by-product in their other higher-end lotions and creams.

Often lasting about twice as long as conventional bars, Vermont Soap Organics soap is extremely moisturizing and soothing. Your skin will drink in the conditioning, moisturizing goodness of this handcrafted soap.

7. Cover up. Exposure to cold temperatures or too much sun will lead to premature wrinkles and dry, irritated skin. Wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses when you're out in the sun for an extended period of time, and protect your face with a scarf when you're outside in the cold.

8. Moisturize your skin. As you age your skin loses its ability to retain moisture, so a natural facial moisturizer is very important. Because 89 percent of ingredients in typical personal care products have never been tested for safety, Sixwise.com highly recommends you use an all-natural moisturizer, such as Surgeon's Skin Secret Moisturizing Sticks.

9. Try a high-quality, all-natural clay mask. For best results, add this in to your skincare routine once a week. Clay is such a popular ingredient in today's facial masks because it works in two ways. First, as the clay dries it draws out toxins and other impurities from the skin. At the same time, the minerals in the clay are absorbed by the skin.

The result is that debris is pulled out, pores and hair follicles are cleared, skin is exfoliated and it's left looking truly refreshed and with a younger, healthy glow.

Recommended Reading

11 Toxic Ingredients to Beware of In Typical Skin Moisturizers & The Safe Alternative

How to Practice Effective Hygiene if You Have Sensitive Skin, Allergies or Chemical Sensitivity

Sources

WebMD.com June 5, 2003