3 Surprising Skin Aging Factors
The primary cause of aging skin is exposure to UV light. In fact, sun exposure, pollution and poor diet are three of the most common reasons for skin aging. However, besides these factors, there are a few other surprising causes that contribute to skin aging as well.
INFO: It’s important to protect your skin as much as you can. It is what we call “preventive skin care”.
3 Surprising Skin Aging Factors Usually Not Spoken About
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which means I’ll receive a small commission at no cost to you whatsoever when you make a purchase using my link.
1. Stress
Stress accelerates cellular degeneration so that skin becomes less healthy with every passing day. You will see an increase in elasticity reduction which means more wrinkles will be formed over time.
Destressing is not easy. Stress, in fact, can be a result of your personality. This means you would have to look into behaviours that might be causing you stress. What I can suggest (and it works for me) is to remove blame from other situations or people and see what is your part in it. Then you can work with whatever it is that is causing you stress. Over time, you would have come a long way.
TIP: When you find yourself powerless over people, places or things, what you can do is to get out the way, take a break and take a deep breath. Try to live in the present instead of anticipating old age. This simple tip, if followed, will help you a lot.
2. Depression
We could say depression is the other side of stress. While stress is an anxious state that projects into the future, depression is a sense of unease, heaviness and sadness that may be connected to the past.
Depression, in turn, may lead to more grimacing and contraction of facial muscles of the forehead and mouth, which may lead to wrinkles.
On Health
According to a study, depression can make us physically older by speeding up the ageing process in our cells. The tests actually showed that the cells looked biologically older in people who had been severely depressed in the past or present. You can find more about this here, https://www.bbc.com/news/health-24897247, but I think it suffices for the purpose of the article to say that depression does accelerate skin ageing.
So, if you are suffering from depression, please take action. I used to suffer from depression for many years. My recovery was of a spiritual nature, but wanting help is the first step and asking for it is the second.
Depression can be lifted. It might take a long time, but also it might not. It took me only months to overcome it after years of suffering. I have not suffered from it for many years now although I continue working on my spirituality, which has been the key for me.
3. Some Cosmetic Products
I have been making my own skincare now for a few years. I’m glad since I have learned over the years the number of unnecessary ingredients that cosmetic products can have. Even natural and organic brands can have unnecessary and harmful ingredients that I would like to stay away from.
As many as 24% of Americans will experience an allergic skin reaction at some point during their lives, which isn’t surprising when you consider that more than 3,700 substances have been identified as contact allergens, and quite a few of them live in the beauty products you use every day.
EverydayHealth
Fragrances, preservatives, metals, sulfates, coloring agents and other harmful chemicals can cause skin damage, allergies and even cancer. Cancer is one of the top skin aging factors, so it’s in your interest to play safe.
TIP: Please check the labels on everything you buy, and be especially careful about what you put on your face.
Can You Control How Old Your Skin Looks?
Lifestyle changes and preventing (or reducing) exposure to pollution and sun damage is absolutely essential to slow down aging skin. Here’s an article I wrote on factors that make your skin age which might be handy.
Try not to let stress get to you, eat healthily, sleep well, stay happy. Those things work for me. Obviously, making my own cosmetics play a crucial part but I didn’t start off that way. I started out by learning about products and ingredients and trying to make my own. It has taken me time to learn, many courses and money spent, but it has been well worth it, I can assure you. My skin feels happy, it feels healthy, it looks youthful and my life, in general, feels fantastic.
I don’t follow my skincare routine rigorously or daily. Sometimes I just can’t for whatever reason. At the time of writing this post, I’m going through COVID-19 and I haven’t felt like pampering myself for days. But that’s ok. It’s not about perfection. For me, it’s about a lifestyle that embraces the health of your skin in a natural way.
What You Can Do To Keep Your Skin Looking Young
- Embrace anti-aging products that are natural, not just cosmetically appealing, but overall contributing to greater health, including caring for your skin.
- Embrace anti-aging foods that will nourish and moisturize your skin from the inside out.
- Embrace an anti-aging lifestyle that not only includes sun protection but also plenty of exercise and fresh foods, of course.
- But, most importantly, embrace an anti-aging way of thinking by staying present, being grateful, accepting what happens, enjoying whatever life brings your way and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, loving yourself to the point of happiness.
NOTE: See the benefits of good health, happy skin and youthful skin? They go hand in hand. So do the benefits of being happier, less anxious and less stressed. And making your own skincare is part of it too.
Inexpensive Anti-Aging Ingredients That You Can Use At Home
Replace your expensive and possibly harmful cosmetics with natural, simple and organic ones. Here are a few ideas:
CLEANSING
- Wash your face with natural shea butter soap. It is gentle for the entire family. It will cleanse but also nourish and moisturise your skin.
- Alternatively, cleanse with an oil (according to your skin type). A quick guide would be: avocado oil for dry skin, jojoba oil for normal or oily skin, sunflower oil for sensitive skin, evening primrose oil for irritated skin.
TONING
- How about organic rosewater as a toner? It has anti-aging properties and is a great skin hydrator. It’s inexpensive, easy to find and it smells gorgeous.
MOISTURISING
- You can moisturize with jojoba oil or olive oil if your skin is dry. To add some hydration, mix some organic aloe vera gel with your favourite oil. Add 2-3 drops frankincense essential oil and you have a beautiful anti-aging moisturizer that will also help hydrate your skin and improve the overall look of your skin.
Seriously, you probably don’t need much more than the above. Or, you could try to rest from cosmetic products and stick to such a simple routine for 1 month or so. See if you notice the difference. I don’t apply much more to my skin. And my skin is looking wonderful.
10 Ways to Take Care of Your Skin Today for Sustainable Results Tomorrow
(1) Take a break from the idea that your skin must look younger.
Set aside the notion that you can pay for cosmetics to achieve a certain look. Instead, appreciate that your skin will naturally age and focus on what you can do to make it look its best over time. And yes, it’s possible to slow down the aging process, but we should be realistic – no one wants to go back in time.
(2) Stay healthy and happy as much as possible.
There’s nothing you can do about aging skin unless you’re healthy and happy. Focus on being your best self and let everything else unfold naturally.
(3) Get enough sleep each night so that your body has the chance to rest, repair and rejuvenate.
Definitely don’t skimp on sleep. You need to get enough hours a night to have happy and healthy skin. And the results are definitely worth it! I force myself sometimes to go to bed early. Once I go into bed, I feel grateful I did.
(4) Keep your skin protected.
We need to cover our skin from the sun and pollution and avoid risky behaviors such as tanning beds.
(5) Forgive yourself if you don’t feel like putting on makeup.
You don’t have to go full glam every day. I stopped wearing make up a long time ago. I don’t even remember make-up exists, to be honest. I don’t need it, I don’t want it, I don’t understand why women have to wear it daily. A special occasion, by all means. But, daily? Who are we trying to please??
(6) Maintain a good diet.
With lots of fresh, leafy greens, colorful fruits and vegetables, good fats, quality protein and free-range eggs. I refuse to eat any eggs that are not free-range.
(5) Exercise regularly to stimulate blood flow, which promotes skin health.
I’m the worst at exercising. Going to the gym feels like a nightmare and that’s why I don’t do it. But I walk around the land where I live daily and do some gardening. That’s good enough for me. Find what you like doing, and do it!
(6) Limit your exposure to pollution and the sun.
Protect yourself from these damaging elements. Where I live the sun is very strong. I’m aware of this but I don’t really use any strategic skincare regimen. I wear sunscreen in the summer, but not all year around. Sunscreens have many ingredients I don’t like. I have to choose the lesser evil in this case. This year I’ll be making my own sunscreen with zinc oxide.
(7) Stay away from the smog. The air you’re breathing can affect your complexion, so don’t forget about the air you’re breathing
I moved from a dense and polluted city (London in UK) to the Canary Islands. I live in paradise now. No neighbours, no cars, no pollution. I moved here back in 2016 and my health feels top-notch.
(8) Stay away from dangerous chemicals and synthetic ingredients in skincare products.
Embrace the power of naturally healthy products that are designed to deliver both immediate results as well as long-lasting benefits with regular use.
(9) Follow your heart. Your mind will lead you in the wrong direction, but when you follow your heart, this is when the magic happens.
Following your heart is the most important point for healthy and happy skin. Whatever makes you happy, as long as it does not harm anyone else, and that most importantly includes yourself.
(10) Realize that you are beautiful just the way you are now.
Acknowledge that you are in control of your body and the appearance of your own skin. No one else has a right to tell you otherwise. There’s no need to compare yourself with others.
Those are just a few tips I’ve learned along the way.
TIP: Be patient. No matter how healthy and happy you are, it’ll take time for these choices to affect your skin and make a difference in how old it looks.
Aging is Natural but You Can Take Care of Yourself
Your skin will naturally age as time goes by, but that doesn’t mean that you should give up trying to take care of yourself and keep your skin looking younger for longer. You deserve to feel good about yourself every single day.
Love,
Patri ❤️💕
Resources
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/712313
https://www.insider.com/does-stress-cause-wrinkles
https://www.apskincare.co.uk/blog/how-do-environmental-factors-affect-our-skin/
https://www.everydayhealth.com/beauty-pictures/how-moods-mess-with-your-skin.aspx
https://eminenceorganics.com/ca/blog/2019/10/01/inflammaging-how-inflammation-stress-prematurely-age-your-skin#:~:text=%E2%80%9CInflammaging%20is%20a%20term%20used,impairs%20the%20skin’s%20barrier%20function.
