Women Skin Care & Beauty Blog

Wrinkles are inevitable part of the aging process. However, with proper skin care, they can be delayed. To make this happen, it is necessary to identify the factors that may lead to or accelerate the entire process. Awareness on these factors, which include aging, production of collagen, fibrous scleroproteins and elastin, smoking as well as sunlight, is helpful to take the right measures to prevent the early occurrence of wrinkles.  With just small efforts and every day commitment, you can keep your skin wrinkle-free and young.

When you go out, use sunscreen and hat to protect your skin from the sun. Keep in mind that your smooth skin will be destroyed easily as you extremely expose it to the sun. You can avail of a lot of sunscreen that health food stores sell. Sunscreens are made of chemicals that won’t make your skin greasy.

You can apply emu oil to your skin as a means to prevent wrinkles and soften your skin. Emu oil works to nourish your skin better than other oils and creams because they contain triglyceride lipids. Your skin will absorb emu oils easily and will be left looking beautiful, healthy and wrinkle-free. Moreover, you can also take supplements like omega acids which you can get from fish, seafood and nuts. Omega has a high content of antioxidants, which is helpful in removing harmful free radicals. Antioxidants also treat the inner part of the skin.

It is also ideal to form a face mask by mixing equal parts of yogurt and fresh cucumber. Set it for fifteen minutes before your rinse and dry your face. Cucumber is known to have skin cleansing and nourishing properties without stripping the skin of the acids and oils it needs to keep a young tone. Yogurt, on the other hand, contains lactic acid which is helpful in preventing wrinkles and reducing those that are already in your face.

Eradicate toxins from the foods that you consume every day as these will harm your skin and your health generally. These toxins include refined sugar, caffeine, alcohol and tobacco. Drink a lot of water and natural juices that you can get from raw vegetables and fruits. Fluids are helpful in eliminating body toxins that cause skin problems, acne and premature aging. Consuming fresh juice will guarantee that you provide your body with essential minerals and vitamins that it needs to maintain your good health and younger look.

The use of home-made remedies is beneficial to you because they won’t cost you too much. Utilizing them is not the same as going to skin specialists or a beauty salon where you have to use expensive cosmetics to look good. When you apply home-made mixes on regular basis, you can expect to maintain the youthful appearance that you have been wishing for at a price that you can afford. You just need to spend few minutes to apply these preparations and you will see the difference after a few months. Apart from their cheapness as skin treatments, home-made mixes are proven effective in preventing wrinkles and treating those that have started to appear in your skin.

Maintaining a healthy, young-looking skin takes more than just a miracle. You will need to consult with dermatologists, take the appropriate formulations and the most efficient and effective way to provide vitamins to your skin. You will also need to utilize the best supplements for the skin available.

Antioxidants keep free radicals from destroying the walls and structures of the skin as well as the DNA. Free radicals are the products of the oxidation of oxygen molecules; however, they can also be formed through exposure to different environmental factors, ultraviolet radiation and smoking. Free radicals also have the capability to accelerate the aging process.

Vitamin E – This vitamin is the most significant body antioxidant that gives protection to cell membranes and prevents destruction to membrane-related enzymes. This can be obtained from vegetables like sunflower oil, whole grains like wheat germ, oats and brown rice as well as dairy products, meats and nuts. According to new studies, vitamin E is helpful in deactivating free radicals. There are also studies that reveal the potential of the topical vitamin E named d-alpha-tocopherol to minimize sunburn cell production, lessen the production of cells that cause cancer and chornic UV-induced damage. Studies in the past showed that typical vitamin E supplements, consumed together with Vitamin A supplements, were related to 70 percent decreased risk of basal cell carcinomas.

Selenium – This mineral is important to glutathione peroxidase, an antioxidant, that helps protect the body from cancers like skin cancer. Selenium also helps in preserving the elasticity of tissues and slows down the hardening and aging of tissues through oxidation. This mineral can be obtained from seafood, whole grain cereals, eggs and garlic.

When selenium is taken orally every day in 50 to 200 micrograms, this mineral protects the skin from the damaging sun rays.  Latest studies made on animals have revealed that when applied topically through L-selenomethionine or orally, selenium showed protection against excessive and daily UV damage with less exposure to burning. The study also demonstrated a delay in the onset and a reduction in the incidence of animal skin cancers.

Vitamin C – This vitamin is the most abundant antioxidant in the skin. This can be obtained from citrus fruits and vegetables. This also repairs free radicals and prevents them from becoming cancers and speeding up aging.  Topical vitamin C prevents consequences of extreme sun exposure which may lead to cancer of the skin. A study made recently showed that the application of topical Vitamin C to the skin, 15 to 30 minutes after exposing the skin to UV rays, will cause a decrease of sunburn cells and start of repair work on the damaged skin. This vitamin is commonly found in L-ascorbic acid, a highly active form of antioxidant that breaks down instantly when exposed to oxygen. This means that this will easily lose its stability and become less effective.

In recent studies conducted on animals, oral vitamin C was shown to minimize UV-reduced tumors while when it is applied topically, it reduces low-level UV-exposure to mouse skin.

Fat accumulation is not the main cause of cellulite formation. But cellulite may form due to the presence of excess fat in the body. That is why obese people have a greater chance of developing cellulite than thin or skinny people. You should hence exercise restraint on your food habits. Dieting is important as it helps in reduction of unnecessary fat which not only spoils your metabolism but also makes the presence of cellulite visible. However, mindless anti-cellulite diets will only enlarge fat glands and do nothing to reduce cellulite.

So, let me enlighten you with some guidelines which will help you pursue an anti cellulite diet which is both healthy and effective.

Foods that you should eat:

• Fish: Fish contains fatty acids which help fortify your skin cells and improve the texture and quality of your skin. Cellulite will reduce gradually with the aid of these fatty acids which get replenished regularly. Fish also contains proteins which help fight cellulite. Some fishes that produce effective results are tuna, halibut, herrings, salmon and mackerel. But remember to have fish boiled, steamed or grilled, and never fried.
• Nuts: Nuts contain lots of fiber, protein and other beneficial fats. A handful of nuts, each day is enough to provide stability to your diet and ward off cellulite. You can try hazelnuts, walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, pecans and peanuts.
• Cheese without preservatives and low fat yogurt: They contain vitamins and calcium which are essential for the body to fight cellulite. However, only have them in low quantities; else they may become detrimental to your health.
• Vegetables and fruits: No healthy diet is complete if it is not replete with fruits and vegetables. They contain antioxidants which help in eliminating cellulite in your body.

Foods that you should avoid:

• Saturated fats: Stop eating saturated fats which include animal fats as well, especially steak and pork. These fats are perfect catalysts for the initial formation of cellulite in your body. You will do well to buy only lean cuts of meat (red meat especially). If you can reduce the intake of meat completely, so much the better.
• Carbonated beverages and caffeine: Most carbonated beverages contain caffeine. Tea and coffee have caffeine in them. Caffeine can seriously harm you by promoting waste storage in your body and decreasing circulation of blood through blood vessels and body fluids through lymphatic nymphs. The basic reasons of cellulite accumulation are stagnating, improper body fluid circulation and waste storage.
• Sugar laden products and junk food: These foods contain toxins which are harmful for your body. The may not form cellulite, but they definitely worsen conditions of already existing cellulite to a large extent. This is the sole reason why most health experts urge you to stay away from snacks and fast foods!

A common misinterpretation is that dieting is starving (especially to people obsessed with being slim). Starving weakens your body by disallowing nutrition from entering it, something your body badly needs. But anti cellulite dieting implies that you maintain a healthy food habit, by just doing off with unhealthy foods which aid the production or increase of cellulite in your body.

No matter how hard you try to avoid them, the signs of aging will show up sooner or later. And the problem is not just restricted to wrinkles and fine lines on your skin, but extends to physiological and psychological changes as well. Despite modern medicine advancing by leaps and bounds, there is still no ‘magic pill’ to prevent the aftermath of aging. Diet can obviously play a very important part in deciding how gracefully you age and whether your health remains intact throughout the aging process. But then is there anything such as an anti-aging diet?

Perhaps there is! Some foods and drinks contain powerful components called phyto-nutrients, which are believed to hold the key to long-life. These are actually anti-oxidants which destroy disease-causing free radicals in your body. You may not be aware but these ‘free radicals’ are oxygen molecules which can hasten the onset of diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s.

Other than antioxidants such as these, some other foods also enhance the rate at which you age by causing cellular inflammation. So, an ideal anti-aging diet should consist of foods which are anti-inflammatory and rich in antioxidants.

Therefore such a diet can never include trans-fatty acids, sugars, starches and saturated fats. Ideally you should look at diets comprising of:

• Cold water fishes such as salmon which are rich in omega 3 fatty acids. This acid offers a multitude of health benefits.
• Avocado, which is a great source of monounsaturated fat, which is healthy and helps reduce bad cholesterol from your body. It is also a good source of vitamin E which prevents signs of aging from showing up on your skin in the form of fine lines and wrinkles. Being rich in potassium it also helps you keep blood pressure under check.
• Berries are a great source of antioxidants and phyto-nutrients. All black and blue berries help reduce the number of free radicals in the body.
• Cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and sprouts which can significantly reduce the amount of toxins in your body. These are best eaten raw or very mildly-cooked so as to keep the important enzymes intact.
• Nuts, which are not only great sources of minerals but also help you control the levels of cholesterol in your body.
• Wholegrain foods, which provide soluble dietary fibers and also large amounts of phyto-nutrients.
• Yogurt which has probiotic elements. These help in introducing good bacteria to your intestines particularly when you have yogurt with active cultures.
• Whole meal pasta and rice which gives you complex carbs. This helps you stay energetic and beat lethargy, which is a vital sign of aging.
• Soya which helps stabilize estrogen levels after menopause. Unstable estrogen may hasten aging post menopause and fermented Soya products can help you prevent that.
• Lots and lots of water everyday. Provided you are drinking clean water, there is better way to flush out toxins from your body and keep your skin fresh and radiant.

It’s not necessary to have all of these as a part of your diet, but you should definitely try to include as many as possible. Remember that anti-aging diets are simple and effective and there is nothing miraculous about them!