At What Age Does Skin Aging Begin?

Your skin loses its elasticity as you age, and before you know it, skin aging has acted upon your skin making it lose its usual suppleness and smoothness. But at what age does aging begin? Just when you feel you are at your prime at the age of 25, that is, when most people think they are most beautiful is when aging begins to act up on your skin. Although it’s not immediately noticeable, your skin begins to lose its elasticity once past this age. Fine lines may start to develop around the eyes and mouth.

Is that news scary? Skin aging is part of the aging process itself which comes to everyone. While it cannot be stopped, it can be delayed with proper skin care.

What is AHA? What are the Natural Sources of AHA?

Alpha-hydroxy acids are present in most, if not all, anti-aging skin care products commercially manufactured today. But little do many of us know that alpha hydroxy acids are naturally found in lactic acid (in milk) and other fruit extracts. AHAs are carboxylic acids which include lactic acid from sour milk, glycolic acid from sugar cane, and citric acid from citrus fruits.
AHA: Natural Skin Care Exfoliation

What AHA does is make skin look younger by stripping away dead skin cells through exfoliation and moisturizing the skin to make it supple and smooth. AHAs are also been proven effective for skin treatment of acne.

Delay Skin-Aging With These Tips

Limiting sun exposure.
Sunlight is a major cause of skin aging. When out in the sun, always protect yourself with sunscreen and avoid sun exposure when the sun is strongest, that is, between 10am to 4pm.

Moisturize your skin.
Do not be misconstrued into applying commercial moisturizers with synthetic ingredients because they may hasten rather than delay aging. Little do most us of us, but natural moisturizers can be found right in your own kitchen. Honey has been an ancient moisturizer and so is milk. In fact, Cleopatra was reported to pamper her skin in the luxury of a milk bath.

Drink water, drink water, drink water.
It has been said many times but it’s worth reiterating. Drinking eight to 10 glasses of water a day is one way to keep your skin hydrated and revitalized. It works wonders on your skin as well as on your system.

Are You Wasting Money on Multivitamins?

Advertisements with tantalizing promises of improved health, prevention of cancer and heart disease, and greater energy have lured millions of Americans to spend billions of dollars on the purchase of multivitamins.

An article in the February 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine reported that multivitamin use did not protect the 161,808 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative Study from common forms of cancer, heart attacks, or strokes. And the numbers of deaths during the 8 years of the study were the same in vitamin users as in non-users. Still, it is important to recognize that this was an observational study, not a more meaningful clinical trial. Although these findings apply only to women, other studies have failed to show benefits of multivitamins in older men.

These results are not at all surprising for several reasons. No large study has shown that multivitamins significantly benefit healthy men and women. In addition, for some years physicians prescribed folic acid and vitamins B12 and B6 in the hopes of preventing heart attacks and strokes by lowering blood levels of homocysteine. (High blood levels of homocysteine are associated with an increased risk of coronary and other vascular diseases.) A number of recent studies, however, have shown that, while these vitamins do lower homocysteine levels, they do not prevent heart attacks or strokes.

Many doctors have also prescribed the antioxidants vitamin E and beta-carotene to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Alas, studies have now proven that these supplements are not protective–and may even be harmful.

No one denies that an adequate intake of vitamins is essential; however, vitamins can and should be obtained from eating enough healthy foods rather than from swallowing vitamin supplements.

Then what about vitamins being a great source of energy? Some multivitamin ads do indeed claim that their supplements boost energy; and some professional athletes gobble handfuls of vitamin pills to increase their energy and strength. But researchers proved long ago that energy comes from calories, not vitamins. The highly touted cholesterol-lowering effects of substances added to some multivitamin supplements? Still unproven.

All this is not to say that specific vitamins supplements are never desirable. Vitamins can be valuable in certain situations:

* Folic acid supplements in women who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant can help to prevent serious neural-tube defects that affect the baby’s brain and spine.

* Supplements that contain more vitamin D and calcium than is present in regular multivitamin pills can help older men, and especially women, avoid osteoporosis and bone fractures.

* Supplements of vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, zinc, and copper may slow the progression of vision loss in people with early macular degeneration.

And multivitamins are beneficial for some entire groups of people:

* those on a very-low-calorie weight-loss diet

* strict vegetarians

* heavy alcohol drinkers

* individuals who are not getting an adequate diet because they are too sick or too poor–or live by themselves and are unable to prepare proper meals for themselves

I also agree with a comment made by one of the coauthors of the Archives of Internal Medicine article about postmenopausal women mentioned above. An 8-year follow-up period may not be long enough to show that multivitamins protect against cancers that take many years to develop.

All the same, the results of the studies on vitamins so far point to one conclusion: Healthy people who eat enough calories from a varied diet do not benefit from multivitamin supplements.

Tips For Slowing Down The Aging Process

Aging is a continuous process that when it starts it cannot be stopped. With the medicine and technology today, we are discovering that the aging process can be slowed down dramatically.

When aging starts is debatable, but a lot of professionals believe aging begins shortly after a person can reproduce. The aging process also will get worse in time, sorry to say. The longer we live, the more we can see the aging effects. One benefit of aging in today's medical world is that anti-aging medicine doubles its advancement in as little as 3 years or less.

Discussing anti-aging, there are few natural ways to keep your mind and body feeling younger than it really is!

One of the first issues you need to address is that obesity is the second leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States. Being obese comes with many health risks. Some of these health risks are type 2 diabetes, Hypertension, Osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, and gallbladder disease.

Now is the time to talk about what we put into our bodies to help us live longer and making our bodies and skin feel younger. Our bodies are made up of 70% water. It is important that each and everyday you try to intake at least 8-10 8-ounce glasses of water a day. When our bodies are dehydrated, we do not function properly and it puts stress on other parts of our body.

How we eat is beneficial to living longer. By eating the right foods, you can possibly skip some of the diseases that can kill you in an instant or chronic pain due to poor food choices. There are too many different types of diets to list that can help you out in the long run but here are some important items you should include. Consuming a lot of fruits and leafy green vegetables, a high fiber diet, grains, nuts and a high intake of good fats are important.

The main preventative disease in America is smoking. Smoking can take many years off of your life, thus not really helping out if you want to feel and look younger. Cigarette smoking is the most significant cause of lung disease, among both men and women. Along with internal damage by smoking, it also has a negative effect on the skin and makes it age faster.

Most people have been active in their childhood. Although exercising for children can mean running around for hours on end, it is still a means of exercise. When we become adults, we should keep up a regular exercise program to keep our heart working well. Exercise not only helps you fight cardiovascular disease but it can keep you fit, feeling young and exercise is great for reducing stress!

The amount of stress in your life is another factor in anti-aging. People who have stress related jobs and/or relationships are known to age faster. It is never too late to reduce the amount of stress in your life. Only you know what stress you are under and here are some ways to make life simpler.

To start, take one thing at a time. Most people like to think of many ideas at once, therefore thinking they have to take the appropriate action to make them happen. Setting goals with relevant expectations and visualizing your ideas will lower the stress of having a busy schedule.

Sleeping plays a huge role in our aging process. We need it to promote healthy brain function, to have a healthy nervous system and to also refresh our brain cells. People who do not sleep enough and are constantly on the move being busy with their stressful life will not make better decisions and makes the brain work harder and not as effective.

A good night's sleep is what we all desire, but if you want to live longer, sleep longer. Sleep, like food and nutrients, are necessary for us to stay alive and function. Each day our body tells us it is time for a break and it is time to get some rest. Not everyone has a steady sleep schedule but whenever you can, sleep in a little extra and do not be afraid to take a short nap during the day if needed.

Whether you are young and are looking to ease the aging process early on or you are getting older and are starting to feel the effects, there are some very great supplements out there to assist with living longer. Longevity supplements are designed to protect the healthy cells we have in our body and to fight off the dangerous cells. They are also used to enhance our mineral intake, leaving little to waste.

Each day that goes by, yes we do get a day older. But that does not mean we have to feel or look it! Just like aging is a process, anti-aging is a thought that should begin early on in life by making the right health and lifestyle choices.

Dry Skin: #1 Problem With Aging Skin

Although it may not be intentional, everyday we abuse our skin by partaking in daily rituals including showering, bathing, playing in the sunshine, smoking, drinking coffee, or simply enjoying the air conditioned living room. The environment that we live in takes tremendous toll on our skin and slowly it loses its natural ability to moisturize. Skin is our body’s first line of defense and protects us from infections, impacts and the environment as a whole but over time this begins to fail.

As we age our skin care needs begin to change and evolve. Dry skin is a wide spread problem however as we age this becomes much more prevalent. Contrary to popular belief the number one issue that immerges is not wrinkles or age spots, it is actually skin dryness. Ironically having healthy moisturized skin actually minimizes the appearance of wrinkles. As we age the layers of skin that we don’t see on the surface begin to thin, the oil glands become under productive, and the diminished lipid (fat) layer is no longer able to hold moisture. This all leads to dry, flaky, itchy, and sensitive skin.

Another unavoidable reason for the increase in dry skin is medications. As we age the probability that we will be on a prescribed medication increases, dry skin is the side affect of many. As well many health conditions are associated with skin dryness such Diabetes, high blood pressure, and many thyroid disorders.

To help alleviate dry skin try the following:

1. Try showering or bathing every second day when possible. Hot water strips the body of its natural oils so luke warm water is always recommended. Showers and baths should be limited to 10 minutes. Use cleansers sparingly, use them for your groin and an arm pit area, water is generally sufficient for the rest of your body. Leave your body damp and apply moisturizer to seal in the moisture.

2. Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day, your body must be hydrated to work efficiently. Always increase your liquid consumption when doing physical activity or in environments that sap water from your body. Reduce or avoid alcohol, caffeine, and smoking, these all have a diuretic effect on the body.

3. Add a humidifier to your home or work environment. Air conditioners and central heating systems pull a large amount of moisture from the air, and a humidifier will help remedy this issue. There are many on the market today so finding one that fits your budget and your needs should be relatively straight forward.

4. Above all else moisturize, even if you don’t think you need to. Being proactive is always the best solution to any problem. It is recommended that a moisturizer of some kind be applied twice a day, and at bedtime is a must.

Moisturizing on a daily basis should be part of everyone’s skin care regime; however as we age it becomes must more imperative. As a population we focus on how our skin looks but it is important to remember that our skin is the body’s biggest organ and it has many important health protecting duties. Winning the battle against dry skin not only makes us look and feel fresh but it helps maintain skin integrity which is essential to our health.

5 Tips To Avoid Premature Aging

Aging is an ongoing process. It takes place so quietly that we cannot even pursue and then suddenly the symptoms become prominent. Almost all the organs in human body, including skin, undergo aging. The effects of aging are irreversible after a certain age and individuals are bound to accept it. But Premature Aging is never welcome.

Most people know that aging will come to attack them some day, but what they do not know is that they can prevent premature aging and delay natural aging by taking few simple skincare courses. Let’s learn five basic skin care treatments that help you look younger for long, if not forever!

Avoid harmful elements:

Protect your skin from harmful elements as much as possible. Lots of compounds and elements found in the nature are harsh to our skin. To avoid direct or indirect contact with such harmful substances you need to identify them first. Once you know what are not good for your health, you can take better precautions to avoid them.

Ultraviolet radiation, soaps and shampoos with much alkalinity, chlorine, excessive makeup etc. often enhance skin aging. You should be careful while dealing with products which may expose your skin to such harmful elements. Skin that has been protected from harsh agents responses positively to any skincare or anti-aging treatment.

Routine treatments:

Human body is similar like a machine. It also needs routine treatments and care. By performing some basic and easy skincare treatments you can keep your skin lively. Right facial skin care helps you delay natural aging and prevent premature
aging of skin.

Cleansing, toning, moisturizing and anti-scaling treatments are the basic techniques need to be performed on a regular basis. Some skin experts and dermatologists suggest doing these routine treatments once or twice every day. Some professionals advise toning only for individuals with oily skin. You can consult an expert to know what type of routine treatment is good for your skin.
Specific treatments for your skin type:

Your skin may need some special treatments for its wellbeing. Different people have different skin types, hence it is important to identify the nature of your skin. Even your routine skin care may depend on your skin type. So take a skin type identification test or visit a skin specialist to know what type of skin you have. Once you know whether your skin is normal, oily, dry or combination, you can choose better facial skin care for yourself.

Treatments suitable for your age:

Skincare changes with age. Human body undergoes various physical changes with age. Though basic skin chemistry remains same, but hormonal changes, changes in metabolic rate, skin cell regeneration rate etc. should be considered while selecting your skin care. That is why the facial products you used in your twenties may not be useful in your thirties!

Special treatments for t-zone and eye area:

Specific zones on your face may have some particular features. Most people report the t-zone i.e., forehead, temples of forehead and nose to become more oily than other parts of the face. Again the skin around eyes is more sensitive to dryness and easily catches wrinkles. So it is always good to ask your skin specialist whether different areas on your face need special care.

5 Things That Do Harm To Our Skin

Most people start taking care of their skins when the signs of aging are already prominent. All skin conscious people need to understand that aging is no more reversible after a certain period. Sooner you begin thinking about your skin the better.

People often complain about premature aging. This is a real problem of the day. Even youngsters have started reporting skin problems and aging of late. It clearly indicates the staggering expansion of premature aging.

It is needless to mention that people should be careful well in advance to stop aging – natural or premature. Among all the things that help you prevent aging, protecting your skin from harmful elements is of paramount importance.

Let us discuss five factors that do a lot of harm to our skins. The objective is: once we are aware of the detrimental factors, we can better understand how to protect ourselves. A well protected skin not only evades premature aging, but delays natural aging too.

Five detrimental factors for skin:

1) Ultraviolet Rays:

Exposure to UV radiation not only leads to wrinkles, sun burn and aging, but increases the chances of skin cancer too. Individuals can be exposed to ultraviolet ray in different ways. While sun is the prime source of ultraviolet ray, some commercial appliances involve ultraviolet radiation too.

Not going out in the direct sunlight partly prevents sun damage. You need to apply some basic sun protection techniques. Sunscreen lotions and sun protection creams may be helpful to avoid sun damage due to UV radiation. You can visit online drugstores or your community store for suitable facial products and sunscreen.

2) Harmful Cleaners:

Almost everybody uses face wash, soaps, shampoo and other cleaners. What people do not know is that some of the ingredients of these products are not good for skin. Some soaps and shampoos may turn harsh to our skin based on the constituents used by the manufacturer. Most chemical based products are harsh to skin.

Soaps and cleansers which are too much alkaline in nature are harmful. Products that contain sodium sulfates and their analogs are often reported as rough for skin. On the contrary, baby products and glycerin-based moisturizing soaps and shampoos better suit our skin.

3) Chloride ion content and temperature of water:

Household water suppliers often use chlorine as disinfectant. Excessive chlorine in water may damage skins and lead to wrinkles, skin rashes and permanent discoloration through chemical reaction. The rate of chemical reaction is reported to increase with temperature. Hence, excessive hot baths, though refreshing, may be harmful for your skin. It is better to use warm water in bath tub, not hot water.

4) Excessive use of Makeup products:

Both makeup products and makeup removals contain ingredients which are harsh to skin. When a limited use of such products does not do any bad, excessive use over a long period is not at all good for health of your skin. Eye area is very much sensitive to excessive use of makeup. Puffiness around eyes and wrinkles in the eye area are the results of makeup overdoing.

5) Wrong skincare products:

You should be very careful while selecting your facial skin care. When natural skin care products are quiet soft, chemical-based products are harsher. It is good to consult dermatologist to know your skin type before purchasing your skincare products.