How to look 10 years younger
WE’VE all experienced the mild (read: extreme) panic that arises when we uncover a lurking grey hair or deepening wrinkle; ageing is a fact of life and not one we enter willingly. Or is it?
Plastic surgeon Anthony Youn, and author of The Age Fix, believes there are many changes we can make to halt or slow the dreaded ageing process. And no, we’re not talking about surgery.
“There are many tricks, techniques, products, and procedures that target everything from wrinkles and age spots to sagging jowls and nasolabial folds, and you won’t have to go under the knife to try them,” says Youn.
Two factors are involved in the process: Intrinsic and extrinsic ageing.
Unfortunately, intrinsic ageing — controlled by our genes — is what we’re stuck with, so there is little we can do about this one (bar feeling extremely jealous of that girl with the naturally flawless skin).
Extrinsic ageing is caused by factors we can, in part, control.
Of course some contributors to this include external toxins such as pollution, pesticides, car exhausts, and environmental chemicals, which we have less control over.
But other lifestyle choices are very much in our hands, and we’re about to change them for the better.
“Excess ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the absolute worst thing you can expose your skin to if you want to keep it looking young,” says Youn.
Compare an area of skin where you’ve received lots of sun, such as your arms or face, with an area that hasn’t — your butt cheeks, for example. Notice how this area has no age spots, wrinkles, or pigmentation? This is the power of UV radiation.
“Protect your skin from the sun every day (even in the winter months) with a broad spectrum, antioxidant-rich sunscreen with SPF 30 or greater,” says beautician Cherry Woods.
As if you needed another reason to quit, smoking is up there with the top contributors to ageing skin.
“If you smoke, stop!” urges Woods. “Smoking greatly speeds up how quickly skin ages, by reducing oxygen uptake and blood circulation in the skin and causing rapid collagen breakdown resulting in wrinkles and a dull, sallow complexion.”
Indeed, a study published in the International Journal of Dermatology found that the risk of developing severe wrinkles was three times higher in smokers than non-smokers.
“That’s reason enough to throw that pack of cigarettes in the rubbish bin,” says Youn.
While we all enjoy a responsible(ish) drink now and then, excess alcohol consumption can have a dire effect on your skin.
“Alcohol dehydrates the skin, and in time, damages it by causing dilated, enlarged capillaries that remain permanently diffused, creating heat and inflammation in the skin,” explains Woods.
It can also cause some to have a flushing reaction and if this happens regularly, it could result in a ‘ruddy’ complexion.
One of the biggest giveaways of a poor diet is your skin.
“The foods you choose can contribute to swelling, redness, acne, and the development of wrinkles, and can also affect skin tightness and elasticity, tissue firmness, and even how likely you are to get sunburn,” says Youn.
“Sugar in particular is a skin wrecker, as it causes ageing by increasing inflammation and glycation,” says Youn.
Woods adds, “Glycation is a process in which the sugar in your bloodstream attaches to proteins to form harmful new molecules called advanced glycation end products (known, aptly, as AGEs for short).
“Put simply, the more sugar you eat, the more AGEs you develop and AGEs damage vulnerable proteins such as collagen and elastin, making it dry and brittle, thus causing wrinkles and sagging skin.”
As well as ditching the sugar, there’s another diet hack that may rewind the clock. “Follow a low GI diet,” says Woods.
“This is a big one. Inflammation is the start or cause of most diseases and we should classify skin ageing as a disease. Eating foods that are low on the glycaemic index (GI) will help reduce inflammation, as opposed to high glycaemic foods that burn and release energy fast, causing bloodsugar to surge and spike.”
A study by scientists at University Hospitals Case Medical Centre, commissioned by Estée Lauder, found that poor sleepers had increased signs of skin ageing and slower recovery from a variety of environmental stressors.
“Your body undergoes major repairs while you sleep, including repairs to your skin,” says Youn. “If you skimp on sleep, your skin will be less likely to repair itself from the damage of the previous day.”
Wondering how much is enough? Seven to eight hours should do the trick. “This is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to see an improvement to your skin… It’s that simple,” says Woods.
“Remember to sleep on your back when you can, to minimise the time your face spends sagging from gravity and pressed into your pillow’s creases,” advises Youn.
Think stress is all in the mind? You’re wrong.
Combating stress could actually be your fast-track to younger-looking skin. Why? “Stress hormones aren’t meant to be circulating in your bloodstream all the time, and when they do, they can cause widespread inflammation that leads to premature ageing,” explains Youn.
The answer? “Rest and de-stress,” says Woods. “Extreme, prolonged stress causes so much accelerated ageing, so make sure you treat yourself to well-earned relaxation and stress less.”
Try meditating or a relaxing yoga class.
Five time reversers
This is the perfect anti-ageing sunscreen.
This mask is a cocktail of three important low-pH AHA acids which, over a period of months, stimulate growth factor release in your skin, causing a refining, tightening and evening out of the skin.
This not only stimulates collagen but is also a potent antioxidant, which protects from free radical damage. Its leucocyte also helps suppress unwanted pigmentation.
A five-level range — start with product one and slowly increase to five, as directed by a therapist.
This is full of line-relaxing peptides, so is a natural alternative to Botox.
