Tips For Younger Looking Skin

Human skin is the most wonderful protective cover ever made. Skin, the largest organ of human body, not only protects internal organs but also allows you to sense touch. It plays an important role in regulating body temperature and eliminating bodily toxins. Do you think it would be possible to keep your body in shape without being covered by skin? The answer is no! However, in spite of being an important organ, our skin doesn’t get the kind of attention that it truly deserves. Your skin does not demand much from you—just follow a regular cleansing-toning-moisturizing regimen and see how your skin responds. You need not empty your wallet on skincare products to achieve a young and glowing skin although it does respond well to a spa treatment every now and then. Take a look at the following simple, yet effective steps, to get young, healthy and glowing skin. 

Image: tommerton2010@flickr

How To Get Younger Looking Skin 

• Cleanse, tone and moisturize your skin on a regular basis. Remove even the last traces of make-up before going to bed. Cleansing removes dirt and bacteria, toning tightens the pores and moisturizing hydrates your skin.
• Use specific skincare products for day and night as your skin’s nutrient requirements for day and night are different. 
• Get regular facial massages. This would help you keep wrinkles away. Although, you need to make sure that you don’t start these too early. Facial massages should ideally be started after 25 years of age.
• Use sunscreen whenever you go out. UV rays are strong enough to cause wrinkles and sun-induced ageing. Also, avoid stepping out between 10 AM and 4 PM when the sunrays are extremely strong.
• Use mild soaps to cleanse your skin and cleanse gently. Gentle facewashes that suit your skin would be better still.  
• Exfoliate your skin regularly to get rid of all dead cells accumulated on your skin. This would help your skin feel younger and healthy. 

• Do not smoke. Smoking accelerates the degeneration of collagen, an important protein. This results in early aging of your skin. Smoking also results in the constriction of blood vessels which, in turn, results in less oxygen and nutrient supply to the skin cells. The repetitive facial expressions during smoking, like pursing of the lips, also accelerate wrinkle formation.
• Drinking alcohol dehydrates your skin and makes it dry and dull. Those who consume alcohol must make sure that they drink in limited quantity and supplement their liquor with plenty of water and fruit juices to retrieve the skin’s water content. Try avoiding soft drinks as well; they are just as harmful, if not more, as hard drinks, and for similar reasons.
• Sleep for at least six hours daily. Your skin rejuvenates and repairs itself when you sleep. Inadequate sleep leads to lethargy, disturbed metabolism and also creates dark circles and bags under eyes. It also makes you irritable, depressed, anxious and is a leading cause of obesity, diabetes and heart problems. So, follow a regular bedtime habit.
• Do some aerobic exercises regularly to improve the circulation of oxygen in your body. Yoga and swimming reduce stress and get you a good sleep which, again, is good for your skin.
• Avoid drinking coffee more than once a day because, it’s caffeine content prevents skin cells from absorbing enough water, resulting in premature aging. 

• Diet with high sugar makes your body acidic and is extremely unhealthy for both your body and skin.
• Omega 3 fatty acids are important for skin because of their ant-inflammatory effects. These essential fatty acids are found in abundance in oily fish like salmon, sardines, trout or tuna and in dry fruits like flaxseed and walnuts. You can also consider an omega 3 supplement to ensure adequate supply of this nutrient to your body.
• Including more vegetables, like carrots, cucumbers, pumpkins, turnips, sprouts, broccoli, peas and leafy greens etc., in your regular diet chart has incredible effects in retaining younger looking skin
• Vitamin-C rich fruits like strawberries, oranges, kiwis and guavas should be made a part of your regular diet. Vitamin C is an excellent antioxidant and also supports the protein collagen.
• Tea is abundant in antioxidants. Make drinking tea, especially green tea, a habit to enjoy good health and younger looking skin. But make sure you cut the milk and sugar out of it otherwise it is just a cup of unhealthy caffeine dose.
• Try including plenty of fiber in your diet. Oatmeal, apple, raspberry, brown rice, broccoli etc. are rich in dietary fibers. 

• Milk cream, sandalwood and turmeric face pack is a wonderful home recipe for younger skin. Sandalwood has incredible cooling effect while milk provides essential nourishment and turmeric is endowed with anti-bacterial properties. This face pack is effective against age spots and acne and also brings extra glow to your skin.
• Green tea and chamomile are incredible toners. Use this pack regularly to eliminate the signs of aging and soothe puffy eyes along with achieving a lighter complexion.
• Use sundried orange peel to cleanse your skin while taking bath. Use it in combination with milk to achieve the maximum results as it is an excellent cleanser while orange peel is a gentle and effective exfoliator.
• Use almond-honey mask to improve your skin complexion. 

• Do not spend too much time under shower, especially too hot or too cold shower, because it may strip your skin of its natural moisture.
• Know your skin before picking up any skincare product. Using wrong products may ruin your skin irreparably. Do not just follow trends but check the ingredients before buying a product. Avoid alcohol containing products if you have a dry skin because they will only make your skin even drier. Look for water-based products if you have normal to oily skin.
• Always do a patch test before buying a product. This would help you understand whether you are allergic to a specific product or not and thus save your skin from the awful allergic reactions.