Ageing is unavoidable. It certainly isn’t something to be ashamed of. However, as the signs of ageing etch into our skin, taking away luminosity and elasticity, it can be a real blow to our confidence and self-esteem. At my aesthetics clinic in Hale, Altrincham, I help a number of patients take back control of their happiness with a variety of anti-ageing treatments. I want to share with you the lifestyle choices that can slow the appearance of wrinkles, dark eyes, and loss of volume, and that serve to preserve our youth.
Food Glorious Food
A healthy balanced diet is of course the route to longer life and overall wellbeing. There are however, a number of foods with qualities that specifically help to promote a youthful complexion, and slow the signs of ageing. Every anti-ageing nutritionist will rave about the benefits of blueberries. Packed with antioxidants and vitamin C, they can prevent long-term cell damage whilst keeping your skin smooth and clear. Tomatoes, figs, pomegranate, and peaches work similarly with high concentrations of vitamin C and antioxidants that assist in skin tissue regeneration and removal of dark circles under your eyes. Carrots, full of vitamin A, aid in the production of collagen and encourage clear skin. Nuts, for their unsaturated fats and high protein content, and salmon for its specific anti-ageing anti-oxidants, are also super foods in anti-wrinkle skincare.
Exercise Regularly
It isn’t some new ground-breaking claim. Exercise is really good for us – for all sorts of reasons. Let’s focus on the benefits exercise has on our skin. Sweating is a bit like having a mini-facial; dilated pores from sweating expel trapped dirt and oil, promoting clear and clean skin. The increased blood flow carries oxygen and nutrients to your skin cells and transports waste products, including damaging and ageing free radicals away from the
skin.
Follow a Daily Skincare Routine
Each morning it can be tempting to roll further into our duvets at the sound of the alarm. Ten more minutes tucked up may seem like a good idea at the time, but if your skin could talk it would say otherwise. A morning skincare routine is an essential part to keeping your face fresh and youthful. Cleansing, exfoliation, applying a serum, staying hydrated and wearing a minimum SPF15 moisturiser should be prioritised over pretending that the day isn’t waiting for you. Likewise, before bed ensure you cleanse your skin to remove dead skin cells, dirt and makeup that have built up throughout the day. There are moisturisers promising miracles and those that actually do help, and all sorts of face washes and serums that are specially formulated for different skin-types. Be sure to do some research into which will work best for your skin.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep
It’s an expression synonymous with going to bed – we go to “get our beauty sleep” – but there is more to it than common turn of phrase.
Sleeping is the time our body uses to repair. It boosts our immune system, rests our weary bones and muscles, and allows our brain to focus its attention elsewhere whilst our conscious is taking a time-out. As part of the repair process, our skin produces collagen as we sleep. Collagen is the ultimate component to retaining skin firmness and elasticity. There are many non-surgical treatments that can stimulate collagen production and counteract the visible ageing process. A good sleep can certainly help.
We should aim to get as close as possible to, or in excess of 7 hours of sleep per night. When we don’t have enough sleep, we will notice dark circles beneath our eyes, dull skin, and puffy eyes. In addition to the stress associated with a lack of sleep, we ultimately accelerate the signs of ageing.
Mindfulness and Meditation
Everyday stresses are often unavoidable. In excess, they can affect our sleep, our mental health, and our motivation to partake in exercise and social events. Our face says it all, and our insides suffer too. Taking at least half an hour a day to ourselves, whether by meditating or sitting quietly with a book or colouring, we can reduce our stress levels significantly, allowing us to sleep easy, and submit our skin the revitalisation mechanisms that occur whilst we are blissfully unconscious.
We can’t stop time, but we can keep the signs of ageing at bay following these tips and lifestyle choices. If your confidence has taken a hit due to the ageing process, I can offer you a range of bespoke anti-aging treatments from my clinic in Hale, Altrincham. Welcoming and friendly, I am a fully trained aesthetic nurse with a discreet and personal approach with patients. Get in touch for your free consultation.
