10 Things You Can Do Today To Prevent Wrinkling

Ok. You’ve starting to see some wrinkling in your face!

Like around your eyes, across your forehead, and around your mouth. Mostly, these are due to expressions we make (smiling, frowning, laughing) naturally. This is really to be expected as we age. Although, deeper more prominent wrinkles are preventable. In this blog, we’ll talk about some chief culprits that lead to wrinkling, how to prevent and protect your skin.  

Expression lines we get from smiling or frowning are the first signs of aging. But it's the facial movements like sipping drinks from straws, pursing your lips to smoke, narrowing your eyes at the computer, squinting from the sun, holding your neck at a 45-degree angle while you look at your mobile device (tech/text neck) that eventually breaks down the proteins that cause the muscles to contract. Wrinkles, creases and lines form on our skin. 

As we age, our skin gets thinner, drier and we lose collagen and elastin. Combined with environmental factors, wrinkles are a natural part of the aging process, yet there are things you can do to prevent wrinkles before you get them. To do so, you may need to change or modify some habits. Here are very simple actions that you can do every day (many that don’t require much effort at all) to keep your skin healthy so it can naturally protect and prevent wrinkling from happening. Or at least postponing them to sometime later. The earlier you start the better!

Water that hydrates your skin.

Water is essential to keeping the skin soft and smooth. Without enough water, the skin will dry out and lose elasticity, making it more susceptible to wrinkles and aging. Water flushes out toxins, keeps your skin hydrated internally and externally, and aids in digestion.

Limit or avoid sugary beverages like soft drinks and juices and those that dehydrate you, like coffee and alcohol. Your skin will thank you!

Removing toxins from your diet.

Your diet is the foundation of wrinkle prevention. It can make a world of difference to your skin. A healthy diet provides your body with the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients it needs to function properly. And when your body is functioning properly, it is very adept at removing toxins from the skin and preventing wrinkles.

Choose foods that are packed with antioxidants – Vitamins A, C, E and beta carotene for example – and they will fight free radicals and cell damage from within.

Reduce the stress in your life.

We all know stress is horrible for the body. This is due to high cortisol levels, which take a huge toll on your skin's connective tissues. High stress levels and lack of sleep are a lethal combination for skin health and youthfulness.

Stress is something that shows on your face! The furrowed brow, marionette lines around your mouth, dark eye circles, a dull skin tone and rough texture.

One of the best ways to reduce stress is to exercise regularly. Exercise gets your heart pumping which improves circulation, makes you feel good and helps establish good sleep patterns. Circulation also nourishes your skin's tissues and enables cell turnover to work more efficiently, actually increasing collagen production that improves your skin's tone.

So, if exercise is good for your body and ultimately your skin, what are the benefits of doing facial exercises to improve the muscles in your face? Read here for the lowdown on facial exercises.

 Try to get 7-9 hours of sleep.

Sleep is a priority. Sleep helps to increase cell reproduction and turnover so your body can repair and nurture itself from the damage from the day.

By only getting 5 hours of sleep a night, you may develop twice as many fine lines as you would if you got 7 hours! More sleep can give you a noticeable difference in your skin health in a matter of days, so you should always aim for 7 to 9 hours!

How your sleep positions may cause wrinkles. Sleeping in certain positions night after night leads to "sleep-lines” – those wrinkles that become etched into the surface of the skin and don't disappear once you're up. Ideally, you should sleep on your back because sleeping on your side compresses your skin, eventually leading to crow's feet and the thinning of the skin around your eyes, lines on your cheeks and chin, creases and folds on your chest. Sleeping face-down gives you a furrowed brow.

Invest in a special pillow or pillowcase. To reduce sleep induced wrinkle formation, invest in a silk pillowcase or a moisturizing pillowcase that controls sleep lines. Anyone who has ever woken up to find unsightly sleep marks covering their face knows what can happen from sleeping on cotton linens.

Evaluate your skin type.

Your skin acts in different ways as you age so it’s important to transition your skin care regime accordingly to achieve the best results. What worked for you at 15, 20 or even 30, may not suit you today.  We recommend a thorough skin analysis, expert guidance, and personalized skin care plan. Your plan may include reducing oil production without over-drying, clearing clogged pores and blackheads, and preventing breakouts while keeping your skin balanced and hydrated. youbaby's experts can help you to determine your skin's needs and set you on a path to younger, radiant skin. Read more about how your skin ages.

Take time to treat your skin.

Protecting your skin from wrinkling may include making an investment in advanced skin care treatments and products. Once you know what your skin needs, you'll be better equipped to know how to care for your skin naturally without the need for needles or knives. While some professional treatments like injections and fillers might be a quick fix to relax facial muscles, time will tell whether this is the right course of action for your needs. Other treatment options like laser toning, microdermabrasion and collagen induction stimulate protein production to give your skin great texture and tone, there's no replacement for a quality at-home skincare routine, This is essential for maintaining great age-defying skin. 

Cleanse every night.

Cleansing your skin and thoroughly removing makeup each night is an important part of any effective anti-aging regimen. Without cleansing, free radicals, toxins, and impurities aren’t removed from your skin. For every night you don’t cleanse your face, you are aging your skin by 3 months! And, it’s accumulative. If you aren’t doing it. Start now!

We recommend checking out the Revision Skincare home care collection. Depending upon your skin's needs, you can find cleansers with active ingredients and natural botanicals to lift impurities, exfoliate dead cells and prepare your skin for other age-defying products. 

Types cleansers, toners and exfoliation.

Choose a gentle, soap-free cleanser that will clean your skin but not strip it. Avoid over-washing, which can dehydrate your skin and cause it to crack and wrinkle. Steer clear of soaps and cleansers with ingredients such as charcoal, alcohol, mineral oils and sulfates. These are harsh on your skin and can strip skin of its natural oils seriously drying it out. It is these oils that keep skin hydrated, protected, and wrinkle-free.

For extra hydration and re-balancing your skin after a deep cleanse, toners are great. A good toner can supply your skin with antioxidants, vitamins and moisture. Try a weekly exfoliation to remove dead skin while stimulating skin-cell rejuvenation to uncover the newer, healthier skin. We love the variety from Revision Skincare - Brightening Facial Wash, Gentle Cleanser, Papaya Enzyme, Purifying Cleansing Gel, Soothing Facial Rinse, and Exfoliating Facial Rinse.

Remember that your skin is delicate and deserves special care!

Keep your face moisturized.

Your skin needs moisture to stay healthy. Without it, collagen and elastin will continue to break down, your skin becomes dry and brittle.  You’ll want a moisturizer that penetrates your skin easily and deeply, not just sit on the surface of the skin.

Avoid products that contain phthalates, parabens, and petroleum products. These chemicals can set up a layer of toxins that cut off your skin’s ability to breathe. This lack of oxygen completely defeats any moisturizing benefits you might receive.

Start a home care regimen with quality products that are formulated to provide targeted solutions for enhancing skin's appearance and reducing the signs of aging.  We recommend the Revision Skincare collection.

Eye creams and serums

The first area to show age is around the eyes. The skin is thin, delicate and susceptible to damage due to wear and tear from smiling, squinting and rubbing. Keeping this area hydrated and nourished is essential for preventing premature lines and wrinkles and should begin in your 20’s. Look for ingredients like peptides that help support the skins’ structure to keep int intact. We highly recommend D.E.J. eye cream - a new pathway to younger-looking eyes.

Neck creams

The skin on your neck is fragile, and different from your facial skin. Treat your neck as a separate area and moisturize to keep your skin hydrated so the collagen and elastin can function to keep your skin taut and plump. Neck lines can form at an early age and make you feel self-conscious, and your age becomes more obvious. In a clinical study, 98% of participants experienced a more lifted appearance of the neck from using Revision Skincare's Nectifirm.

Topical Vitamin C

 Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals on the skin, brightens and protects the skin. The key ingredient, THD (Tetrahexyldecyl) Ascorbate, is a very stabilized form of Vitamin C that converts to L-ascorbic acid (a pure form of Vitamin C) in the skin. This combination is the most potent wrinkle relief Vitamin C formula. Our recommendation is Revision Skincare's Vitamin C, and the newest Vitamin C+ Correcting Cream.

Retinol

Retinol is a natural form of Vitamin A that is found to reduce the appearance of lines and large wrinkles, and repairs sun damage. Our recommendation is Revision Skincare's Retinol Complete.  

Keep your skin protected.

The ability for our skin to protect itself is reduced as we age. It is estimated that sun exposure accounts for 70 to 90 percent of the skin's aging.

To prevent wrinkles most effectively, you should avoid the sun at all costs. While this is hardly realistic in our active lifestyles, you need to wear a generous amount of sunscreen whenever you go outside, every single day of the year, not just when it's sunny. Sunscreen should be a regular part of your daily routine.

Make sure you always choose a sunscreen that offers protection from both UVA and UVB rays. Look for ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Choose a sunscreen that is at least SPF 45 or 50. High SPF sunscreens really don’t provide any more protection and can be expensive.

Apply sunscreen daily to your face, neck, chest, and hands. These areas are often uncovered and exposed to the sun to make sure you stay protected to prevent wrinkles. The biggest mistake you can make is skimping on your application.

We love the selection of sunscreen products from Revision Skincare. Each offers a broad spectrum SPF that protects from both UVA & UVB rays.  Intellishade Original or Matte, TruPhysical Intellishade, and Multi-Protection Broad Spectrum SPF 50. Each is formulated to provide sun protection and daily moisture in one anti-aging product.

Protect your skin and treat eye-wrinkles naturally by wearing sunglasses whenever you go outside. Or, try a wide-brimmed hat. Don’t bother with a baseball cap. It only covers about 1/2 of what is exposed and won't offer your face much protection from the sun.

Don’t smoke.

Just don’t, whether you are smoking tobacco or vaping. Smoking dehydrates the skin and causes premature aging and wrinkles. First, the repeated puckering of your lips trains the skin to remain in that creased position. Second, the nicotine and chemicals in the cigarette delay wound healing, constricts blood vessels, and dries the delicate skin around the mouth and damage the skin, causing it to break down prematurely.

You can see the effects of smoking appear dramatically after just a few years of smoking, and the longer and more often you smoke, the quicker your skin will age.

Summary

As you can see, there are a variety of ways you can promote healthy skin that will prevent or postpone wrinkles from appearing. Adopting a healthy lifestyle can do wonders for your overall appearance, so it’s never too early, or too hard to start looking after your skin. Choose healthy habits, get plenty of sleep, cleanse and nourish your skin, wear sunscreen daily, exercise to reduce stress and drink lots and lots of water to hydrate your body – inside and out.  Choose good quality skin care that is formulated with antioxidant rich products that improve your skin's overall health.  Your skin will thank you and may allow you to conceal your age for years to come!

 Learn more about wrinkles, treatment and prevention.