When it comes to beauty and aesthetics, it is important to understand that treatments, creams and surgery aren’t the beginning and the end. That does play a massive role, but inner health certainly plays a part in your visible age and how ageing takes place with you. Here are my top 10 tips.

1. Sunblock

Rightfully number one. In South Africa, sun damage is a major contributing factor to skin dehydration, inflammation and ultimately wrinkles. Not to mention sun spots and pigmentation. Applying sunblock all year round, every morning is critical, I cannot stress it enough, and don’t forget to reapply throughout the day. Look for one with zinc oxide for broad-spectrum sun protection and an SPF of at least 30.

2. Start Early

Did you know that studies have shown a significant reduction in visible age between twins that started aesthetics treatments at different life stages? So, if you are self-conscious of a wrinkle or aesthetic problem my advice is to get it sorted as soon as possible. Plus, it will save you money, as treatments at an earlier stage will use fewer products and take shorter time. Remember to visit a qualified doctor with good experience within the aesthetic medicine industry!

3. Minimize Stress

Easy to say, not so easy to do. Research suggests that the negative effects caused by stress start at the cellular level. In a Dutch study, for example, researchers found that the cells of people who had depression aged more quickly than those who hadn’t suffered from the disease. “[P]sychological distress … has a large, detrimental impact on the wear and tear of a person’s body, resulting in accelerated biological aging,” one of the study’s authors explained in a news release.

We all lead stressful lives but understanding what stress does to your visible age will help you prevent premature aging and make time in your day to practice yoga, read a book or go for a walk in the park.

4. Make Exercise A Priority

We all know the many benefits regular exercise sessions have on our health but regular workouts can also help you look and feel younger than your years. A study of older adults published in The Journal of Physiology discovered that the more active participants functioned physiologically similar to younger adults. Your face will benefit from those sweat sessions, too: research from McMaster University in Canada found that exercise could help slow signs of skin aging.

5. Quit Smoking

Did you know that smoking has a vasoconstricting effect? This means it chokes off blood vessel circulation. Next time you feel like lighting up a cigarette, remember that this unhealthy habit takes a major toll on your appearance, contributing to premature skin aging and wrinkles.

6. Moisturize

Combat dehydration with an active moisturizer. If you maintain the hydration levels in your skin you are less likely to develop premature wrinkles, redness and crêpey skin. It is certainly worth spending a little extra on a decent homecare range. It is much easier to treat chronological age with aesthetic treatments that it is to correct poorly maintained skin.

7. Chemical Peel And Exfoliate At Night

A great beauty tip is to exfoliate, but do so at night. Exfoliation gets rid of dead surface skin cells but that then exposes your new unblemished skin to the harsh sun. Chemical peels offer more aggressive exfoliation, but this should be matched at home with a weekly exfoliation.

8. Take Care Of The Less Obvious Parts Of Your Body

You probably give the skin on your face plenty of TLC, but what about the other parts of your body such as the hands, neck and décolletage? These are also dead giveaways to true age and you should not ignore them. As sun exposure is mainly responsible for ageing, remember to apply SPF on the backs of hands, neck and décolletage every morning to protect the delicate skin. At night, use your anti-aging face lotion on these areas to hydrate and ward off age-related dry patches.

9. Plan Ahead

Part of being beautiful involves aesthetics treatments that you should carefully plan before an important event or holiday. This way you’ll have enough time to recover or for the final result to show. Don’t forget about budgeting. Your aesthetic regime should have a monthly budget. This way you can undergo regular small treatments to reduce or maintain your visible age without suffering a large bill or prolonged social downtime.

10. Skin Analysis

My last and superb tip is extremely important. Makes sure to undergo regular skin analysis to ensure your aesthetic treatments are having the desired results but also to ensure that your skin ageing plans are accurate. Click here to find out more about aesthetic and anti-ageing medicine.

Who Is The Author?

Dr Reddy is the owner of Medi-Sculpt Clinic, which focuses on non-surgical cosmetic treatments and minimally invasive procedures. She is also founding member and President of the South African Association of Cosmetic Doctors (SAACD) and is the Scientific Director for Cosmedica, the Cosmetic Medicine Congress of South Africa.

by Longevity.com