2/16/2012

How to Look Younger with Youthful Looking Skin

No Matter what your age, you undoubtedly want softer, younger looking skin. A radiant complexion is the hallmark of beauty and a measure of health for women and men alike. With so many experts promising treatments to restore vitality to your skinit's important to separate sensible skin care from unnecessary and even harmful practices. Here are the younger skin tips for how to make your skin look its youngest and most vibrant.

Keep your skin clean.
Daily, your skin encounters environmental attackers: grease, grime, germs, oils, perspiration, cosmetics and pollutants. At one time, strong soap, hot water and scrubbing were recommended. Today, gentleness in the rule. Soaps are alkaline and can be drying, even though they contain fats such as palm or coconuts oil for lathering. If your skin is sensitive, try a soap that contains added fats. Soap-less or synthetic-detergent soaps irritate less than conventional soaps and leave less residue. Their benefits are shared by the new liquid sensitive-skin cleansers. To prevent over-drying, use a facial cleanser only once or twice a day. Using your clean fingertips, not a sponge or wash-cloth, and then rinses thoroughly with lukewarm water. Gently pat with a clean towel, and then apply a moisturizer to the still-damp skin.

Keep your skin moist.
As we grow older, natural oil-gland production diminishes, resulting in dryness, a common affliction. Dryness docs not cause wrinkling but accentuates it. Fortunately it isn't necessary to spend a lot of money on a moisturizer to combat dryness. Many effective products are relatively inexpensive. Petrolatum, recognized by dermatologists for its ability to lock water into the skin, and glycerin, which draws water up from the lower skin layers, are beneficial (though not mandatory) ingredients.

Seek the shade.
Protecting yourself from the sun is the single most important step you can take to have younger-lookinghealthier skin. At least 80 percent of skin damage, including roughening, wrinkling, mottled discoloration, broken blood vessels, sallowness, sagging, as well as skin cancers, is due to exposure to the sun. A "healthy" tan, whether from the sun or a tanning booth, is actually the skin's expression of permanent, irreversible damage, which may take up to 20 years to become apparent. To protect your skin, you need not give up sports or lead a cloistered life indoors. Use sunscreens. Most sunscreens are labeled with sun protection-factor ( SPF) numbers. Generally, the higher the number, the greater the protection. It is best to purchase a product with SPF 15 or higher. Your sunscreen should be water-fast. Apply it liberally to dry skin 15 to 20 minutes before going outside, and reapply it after swimming or heavy sweating. For added protection, wear broad-brimmed hats. UV shielding sunglasses, long pants and long sleeved shirts.

Treat your skin gently.
Toners, astringents and after-shave lotions are all popular because they give a feeling of freshness. But except on very oily skins, these compounds have no other value and may worsen a dry skin problem. If you use them, pick those with the lowest percentage of alcohol. Do not apply astringents to irritated skin. Avoid excessive pulling and tugging your skin. Over time, such practices can contribute to the skin's loss of elasticity. Taking off your makeup can also stretch or irritate your skin, especially in the fragile eye area. Wipe gently with an eye makeup remover on a cotton ball for younger looking eyes .

Be alert to hype.
Sunscreens can help prevent premature aging of the skin. However no over-the-counter cosmetic product can remove wrinkles or reverse other signs of aging. Therefore, be wary of products with such claims. The top layer of skin, called the stratum corneum, is totally replaced every three to four weeks by epidermal cells moving upward. Older skin has a slightly slower epidermal-cell turnover rate than younger skin. The addition of irritant chemicals to "cell renewal stimulants” may step up the rate, but there is no evidence that these expensive products can combat the aging of your skin. You can get the same effect by gently using granular cleansers or buffing sponges once or twice a week. (Avoid them entirely, however, if you have sensitive skin.)

Stop smoking.
A study by researchers at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center in Salt Lake City appears to confirm what scientists have long suspected: cigarette smoking causes premature facial wrinkles and for sure stop smoking will make you look younger. When dermatologists studied 132 adults with an average age of 47, they found that those who had smoked the equivalent of two packs a day for 25 years were five times more likely to get facial wrinkles than were non-smokers.

Eat and drink wisely.
Paying attention to how much water you drink can make a difference in your appearance, says Christine Hart, a registered dietitian. She advises drinking at least six to eight glasses of water or other no caffeinated fluids a day to help keep skin moist. Important in slowing the aging process is a diet of variety and moderation. If you eat so different foods for younger skin a week, you'll be well nourished. If you know your diet is inadequate, consider taking a daily multivitamin mineral supplement.

Think positively.
What goes on in your mind shows up on your face, worry, guilt and anger all make you look older. Since adopting a positive mental outlook can reduce stress, it may lead to a more youthful appearance and younger skin and then make you look younger.Pay a little extra attention to the way you face the world each day and just follow the above tips for younger looking skin, then you maybe able to slow down the hands of time and how to look younger at 50 or even over 60.


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