5 Ways to Delay the Skin Aging Process

Each year, people spend billions of dollars on creams, masks and other products that promise to miraculously erase wrinkles and restore their skin to a youthful appearance. These creams sometimes claim to reduce age spots and clear up red, flaky skin. Regardless of what the cream promises, nothing is as effective and inexpensive as preventative maintenance.

The number one enemy of your skin is the sun. The sun’s rays cause wrinkles, sun spots, age spots and dry skin. Just like other parts of our body, our skin changes over the years. We sweat less with age, causing increased skin dryness. Aging skin thins out over time, making a person appear less smooth, plump and youthful. When the skin thins, every vein and bone becomes much more prominent.

By staying out of the sun, you can drastically delay the resulting aging effects. If you’ve been a beach bum all your life, don’t worry -- if you begin protecting your skin today, it can possibly recover from the damage already done.

5 Ways to Delay the Skin Aging Process:

1. Wear protective clothes. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat keeps the sun off your face, ears, neck, eyes and the top of your head. Pair a hat with sunglasses that block harmful rays, and you are well-protected when outside. Protect the rest of your body by wearing loose-fitting clothing when outside. If the weather calls for it, wear long sleeves and pants to protect your extremities from the sun.
2. Pay attention to your skin. Doctors frequently warn patients to observe changes in moles, sun spots and birthmarks. Any changes in the size or shape of these marks should be brought to the attention of a doctor. In accordance with the American Academy of Dermatology, you should have a skin exam annually if you are very fair-skinned.
3. Stop using tanning beds. Although they are very popular, they are also very deadly and damaging to the skin. You should also avoid other fake tanning methods like lotions and pills. They are not FDA approved, and no FDA testing has been done on them. When it comes to lotions, it is important to never mistake tanning oil or lotion as sun block.
4. Always use sunscreen. Although sunscreens come in a variety of strengths, be sure to choose sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher. Anything lower is simply not enough to effectively protect your skin. You will also want to choose sun block that blocks both UVA and UVB rays, and resists water. Reapply the lotion as needed, or as instructed on the bottle. One application is simply not enough to last for an entire day in the sun.
5. Avoid harsh sun. Although avoiding the sun may be hard, you should at least attempt to stay indoors between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The sun is strongest during this period, and will cause the most skin damage. Also, keep in mind that a cloudy day can be just as dangerous for your skin. UV radiation passes through clouds, so protect yourself from harmful rays even when the sun isn’t shining.