Aging Gracefully is Easier Than You Think – With the Right Routine
When it comes to beauty, age truly is just a concept. If you can embrace that, the idea of taking fabulous care of yourself, focusing on a healthy lifestyle and taking charge of your well being, then you are well on your way to beautiful skin for years to come. There are some key ingredients that support healthful aging, so make sure to incorporate these into your skin routine as you age gracefully:
One of the ingredients we are hearing about more than ever is collagen. Collagen is the protein that helps give our skin its youthful tone, elasticity and firmness. However, as we age, we lose collagen, and that’s why our skin becomes less supple, firm and more vulnerable to damage. In addition to collagen supplements – which have been proven to directly affect and improve skin tone — there are also a number of foods that may help to improve collagen production in the body. Foods rich in lysine and proline convert into collagen when eaten. Foods high in lysine include meat, fish, egg whites, legumes, peanuts, and soybeans. Proline is found in gelatin-based foods and dairy products. But, you need to eat vitamin C-rich foods along with your proline foods so everything is synthesized and processed correctly by the body, and you actually gain all the benefits. So, in this case, make sure your diet includes lot of fresh citrus fruits, dark, leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, collards and spinach, all of which help promote collagen production.
When used in conjunction with hyaluronic acid, found throughout our connective tissues naturally, we’ve got the perfect partnership to support great skin into our golden years. Hyauronic acid’s function is to retain water and to hydrate, moisturizing the skin from the inside AND the outside, drawing moisture from the air.
Just as what you put in your body should be wholesome and pure (you didn’t see any processed foods on the list of foods above, did you?), the same goes for what you put on your skin. It’s important that a product be 100 percent pure and use the right kind of ingredients formulated in clinically proven formulas that actually penetrate the skin! Look for these ingredients in your skincare products to prevent premature aging and treat imbalances of all kinds:
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is not produced by the body, so the skin is vulnerable to deficiency (and it is needed for topical treatments). Look for liposomal or polypeptide technology (ingredients encapsulated inside a water cell), Ascorbyl Palmitate, Ascorbic Glucoside, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, all safe, stable, effective forms of this vitamin for topical use.
Plant-Based Retinol
Fights the effects of premature aging, as well as acne in the same biological way as the synthetic version does; retinol jump-starts collagen, purifies pores, exfoliates top layer of dead skin and toxins and prevents wrinkles and fine line production. It doesn’t have to be irritating to be effective!
Vitamin E
Two of the major functions of vitamin E in the skin are protection from ultraviolet (UV) light damage and maintaining a protective layer between the skin and the environment. Make sure you look for Tocopherol – natural – not acetate, unnatural.
Beta Carotene
A precursor to vitamin A – carrot oil is a great ingredient in anti-aging skincare – selenium, superoxide dismutase and alpha lipoic acid, all proven soldiers as well in the prevention of early signs of aging, oxidation and free radical damage.
Resveratrol
Grapeseed extract does everything from brightening the skin to smoothing lines and wrinkles to preventing premature aging and stimulating collagen production (and more). When you think of the benefits of this ingredient, all you have to remember is that it’s similar to the benefits of a glass of wine a day, but for your skin.
For even more information on how to get beautiful, glowing skin, contact Shapiro Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and Skin Klinic.
