Sunshine, laughter and sweet treats… can you guess what these 3 things have in common? They all contribute to the formation of wrinkles and the appearance of aging skin. Now forgoing these pleasures of life would be no fun at all, but luckily you don’t have to. Below are some tricks to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and aging skin that don’t require giving up sun, smiles and sweets!
Aging Trick #1: Increase Your Intake of Antioxidants
The sun accelerates signs of aging and it contributes to the formation of wrinkles because it causes free radical damage to your skin resulting in a loss of collagen and elastin. Always wearing sunscreen is helpful, but not enough to completely prevent the formation of wrinkles and it certainly won’t reduce the appearance of current wrinkles. Antioxidants prevent free radicals from damaging your skin matrix, they promote the formation of new collagen and they help to rejuvenate aging skin. Fruits, vegetables, legumes, cold water fish, nuts and seeds are all excellent sources of antioxidants, and they should be the staples of your diet.
Aging Trick # 2: Reduce Your Intake of Processed Foods and Sugar
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Processed and refined foods contain a hodgepodge of unhealthy ingredients and a diet that is high in them results in free radical damage to your cells and DNA. The occasional indulgence is unlikely to contribute to wrinkles but consuming them regularly certainly will. Now, I said earlier that you don’t have to give up sweet treats, and you don’t, you simply have to tweak what you consider to be sweet treats. If you live for chocolate, buy chocolate that is high in cocoa (an excellent antioxidant) and low in sugar. If you like adding sugar to your food, substitute it with the all-natural sweetener- stevia. And learn how to make your favorite baked goods with stevia as opposed to sugar (which by the way has been found to accelerate aging substantially) .
Aging Trick # 3: Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize
So now that we’ve talked about some internal ticks for reducing the signs of aging, let’s talk about some external tricks. Many of us are so concerned with anti-aging masks, peels and face washes, that we forget one the most important and easiest ways to reduce the appearance of wrinkles –keeping the skin moist. Studies have found that women who keep their skin hydrated develop wrinkles more slowly than those who don’t.
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Moisturizers help to trap water in your skin and in so doing; they keep your skin plump and radiant. You don’t necessarily need to buy a fancy, expensive moisturizer, but you should choose one with antioxidants such as vitamin A, C or E, or green tea extract, if you want to reduce the signs of aging.
Aging Trick # 4: Disguise the Wrinkles
A healthy diet, lots of water, regular exercise and a good skin care regime will certainly help reduce the appearance of your wrinkles, but it won’t get rid of them completely. If you want to reduce the appearance of wrinkles even further, Pati Dubroff, makeup artist of the stars, recommends using a wrinkle filling product and then applying a light sweep of foundation over top. For deeper lines, Pati recommends brushing a brightening concealer right onto the wrinkles.
