Thursday, May 29, 2008

7 Reasons To Take Care Of Your Skin

It's never too late to begin taking care of your skin. If you're in your teens or early 20s at the moment, then this advice might seem a bit extreme or silly. But get over the 30 mark and beyond, and you will see how your skin changes in texture and appearance.

Let's face some facts. We all age. There is no way around it. Some of us look better than others, and some of us do not. But it isn't merely good DNA. If you recognize what is happening and where it's happening on the face, then you can react, and make it better.

Here are 7 reasons to take care of your skin and develop a smart routine in battling the signs of aging:


Skin
Jaw/Neck
Upper Lids
Under Eyes
Lashes
Brows
Lips

Skin. Wrinkles. These are permanent residents. They set up house on your face, and like to dwell especially near the eyes, around the mouth, and on the forehead. Your skin is thinner and probably drier. Years of sun exposure has broken down your melanocyctes. These are the skin cells that produce melanin. Without strong melanocytes, you develop uneven pigmentation and dark spots. Cell turnover is much slower, and that creates a rougher complexion. Brightness disappears.

Jaw/Neck. Blame it on gravity. Elastin and collagen are also produced at a more reduced rate. The contours of your face become softer, more square-like.

Upper Lids. Puffy eyes. You've been awake for 15 minutes now. And the puffiness is still there. As we age, this is normal. Loss of elasticity and circulation are also factors to blame.


Under Eyes. Notice your dark circles getting even darker? The skin is thinning. Loss of fat under the eyes. Both cause veins to locate to the surface. Shadows reflect off the hollows, causing the dark areas.


Lashes. Your lashes used to be so long and thick, right? General aging causes lashes to get skimpier.


Brows. Yes. Brows, like lashes, are thinner, too. All hair thins with the passing of time. And if you have been a constant brow plucker or brow waxer, those routines can cause brows to thin even more. Your eyebrows might seem like they've lost a little bit of elevation, too. You're not imaging this. Brows lose collagen and elastin, and that equals sagging.


Lips. Maybe that's why so many women over 30 love to get collagen shots. The natural fullness of our lips reduce in time. Also, the lips' definition, or outline of our lips, fades because of sun damage and loss of elasticity. And some women develop vertical lines around the mouth.

All scary thoughts, and some unavoidable as natural aging takes place, but a solid skin care routine can make a difference. Simple procedures, like wearing sunscreen, and limiting hours in the sun, help significantly. Not smoking, helps keep deeper wrinkles at bay. And getting into a nighttime habit of applying skin care serums targeted at your specific facial needs, all help battle the signs of aging.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You make me want to wrap my face and body in a big white towel and never see the light of day. I'm 37 and afraid to see what's down the road. This was a depressing article.

bulk said...

It would have been a better post to include what to do to combat aging in those specific areas. I want to add though that eating food rich in collagen (seafood, seaweed--that's why asians look younger even when they're older) and drinking plenty of water helps--as well as keeping a good and healthy diet overall.