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Love Your Mirror Again: Mistakes That Age Your Face and Neck
No one wants to look in the mirror and see a face looking back at them that’s older than they really are. So, if you’re feeling older than your true age, here are a few ways to keep your face looking youthful and fresh.
Get More Sleep
This is something almost nobody does. But, it’s one of the easiest ways to fight aging. Get a better night’s sleep by going to bed earlier and getting up later (if you can). At the very least, go to bed earlier.
You should aim for 8 to 9 hours of quality sleep.
When you sleep, a hormone called melatonin, is released that helps you drift into slumber. This hormone also starts the regenerative processes in your body. it’s those regenerative processes that will help keep you looking younger.
Get More Sun
Most people who want to stay young think that they need to stay out of the sun. But, the sun is actually the single greatest source for vitamin D – a nutrient (actually, it’s a hormone) that’s responsible for a variety of processes in the body. One of those processes is healthy skin turnover and regulation of hair follicles.
In other words, if you want to stay young-looking, you need your skin to grow at a regular and consistent rate. You need dead skin to slough off, and you need new skin to take its place. Vitamin D is required for this process.
Now, you don’t have to stay outside long. If you have light skin, you may only need 5 to 15 minutes a day of exposure. To make vitamin D, you need to expose your skin to UVB rays.
UVB rays only enter the Earth’s atmosphere at very specific angles because they are short-wave, high intensity rays.
Basically, if your shadow is shorter than you are tall, there is a very good chance that you are being exposed to UVB rays. There is more UVB intensity in the summer months than in winter months in almost all parts of the world (except those areas near the equator, where UVB concentration is relatively stable).
Darker skinned individuals need to spend more time in the sun to get the same exposure – roughly 5 to 10 times longer, depending on how dark they are.
Get A Facelift
This might seem like a radical move, but many people are getting facelifts these days to combat years of misuse and abuse. Juvéderm dermal fillers tend to be some of the most popular, and least invasive too.
Drink More Water
Another simple step is to drink more water. Staying hydrated can plump your skin and give you a healthier “glow.” It can also keep your skin from drying out, which is important if you want your skin to stay healthy-looking. Aim to get at least 5 to 8 8 ounce glasses per day. In the summer, you will probably need more water.
Eat Right
There is a lot of debate right now over what constitutes healthy eating. However, almost no one disagrees that eliminating junk food from your diet is the right move. Stop eating pizza, ice cream, sugary drinks and foods that have little or no nutritional value – at least for a week.
Once you’ve changed your habits, you can start to reintroduce them. But, if you want to Stay young, you have to knock down the chronic inflammation that’s going on inside your body, and one of the best ways to do that is to eliminate foods that are known to cause inflammation – mostly, that’s junk food.
But, other foods that are high in omega 6 fatty acids, also promote chronic inflammation. These foods include:
- Corn oil
- Canola oil
- Soybean oil
- Most grain products, like pasta and wheat-based products
- Nuts
- Corn
It’s true that some foods, like nuts, can contain an abundance of nutrients, but if you want to reduce inflammatory factors, you should not go nuts with nuts.
Exercise
Many studies now show that weight training, specifically strength training, can help you live longer. When we age, our mitochondria (the powerhouse of our cells) become less effective at producing energy. We get weak, and then we die.
But, strength training helps our bodies produce more mitochondria and more testosterone – which is good even if you’re a woman.
It’s even been shown that muscular strength is a good predictor of mortality. So, if you want to live longer, look younger, and have more vitality, either get in the gym and lift weights, or set up a home gym and start pumping iron.
Dr. Miller is a board-certified plastic surgeon with two Boston offices. He serves on the faculty staff of the Harvard Medical School with full operating privileges at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, New England Baptist Hospital (Chief of Plastic Surgery), and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Dr. Miller is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and numerous national, regional and international societies. Actively involved in the development of new skin care technologies and cosmetic products, Dr. Miller has been published on a wide variety of subjects and is invited to lecture around the world as a highly regarded plastic surgeon.
