Aging Gracefully?

by Laura M. Cummins

Imagine how life would be if Ponce de Leon really discovered "The Fountain of Youth" or if there were some type of miracle cream that would completely eradicate all signs of aging. Wouldn't life be sweet?

Unfortunately, age sneaks up on us unexpectedly, and there is no escaping the fact that we are all growing one year older every three hundred and sixty-five days. However, if we take preventive measures now, we can reduce the chances of unnecessary damage to our complexions in the future. Our largest organ, the skin, goes through many different phases as we age. Women tend to age faster then men, due to the various hormonal changes they experience starting with puberty, then through pregnancy, and ending with menopause. Once menopause sets in, many women start to notice numerous changes with their complexions, such as, a decrease in sebum (oil) production, loss of elasticity, and a reduction in the rejuvenation process. How fast and to what extent the skin ages depend on three factors: your age, genetics, and lifestyle.

Forget about aging gracefully, in a sense that is giving in. Fight it all the way. You are never too young or too old to combat the signs of aging. By living and maintaining a healthy lifestyle throughout your years, you increase your chances of overall balance ---- especially when it comes to your skin. All of us will have aging skin at some point in our lives, but with proper care, anyone can have a vibrant complexion and look beautiful at any age.

Healthy Eating

What you consume on a daily basis has a major impact on how well your skin regenerates itself. Foods that are low in nutrients, such as, refined carbohydrates are empty calories, they will not provide your body with vitamins and minerals it needs to develop and maintain a healthy glow. Choose foods that are close as possible to their natural state -- fresh and unprocessed.

Vitamins And Minerals To Help An Aging Skin

Beta Carotene - antioxidant, increases cellular regeneration, and prevents pre-mature aging of the skin
food source: carrots, apricots, & squash

Vitamin C - antioxidant, needed for production of elastin and collagen; promotes skin strength and elasticity inblood vessel walls and cell membranes
food source: oranges, kiwi, & peppers

Vitamin E - antioxidant, helps maintain all tissues, believed to slow the aging of cells; may help prevent scar formation
food source: cold-pressed vegetable oils, raw nuts & seeds

Selenium - antioxidant, protects against UV induced cell damage; helps preserve skin elasticity.
Food source: tuna, garlic, onions & broccoli

Zinc - antioxidant, essential for normal cell growth and repair
Food source: whole grains, most seafood, & onions

Essential Fatty Acids - to maintain proper function of all tissues and tissue repair, especially the skin
food source: primrose oil, flaxseed oil, & olive oil

Consume your food choices in moderation, your body can only process so many nutrients at once. When you eat your meals, try to incorporate foods that are going to offer you high nutritional value, and try to cut back on the ones that do not. Eating healthy can be a little time consuming at first, but stick with it, and you will see the positive results. Not only will you look and feel absolutely wonderful, but you will expose a brand new person on the inside out.

The Best Kept Beauty Secret

The human body is made up of 50% to 70% water. Your body loses about three quarts of water each day through perspiration, urine, and respiration. Waiting until your thirsty isn't always the best barometer. Thirst is a response to severe dehydration. It is recommended that the average person should drink at least two to three pints of clean, pure water each day. Water is involved with nearly every bodily process -- especially flushing out waste materials. Water benefits our skin by acting as an internal moisturizer, keeping the skin moist, supple, and clear as well as preventing pre-mature aging.

Reduce Alcohol Intake

Alcohol weakens the immune system, and creates unnecessary problems within the body, by depleting it of vitamins and minerals it desperately needs to function properly. In the realm of skincare, alcohol causes dehydration, which deprives our complexions of precious moisture that is necessary to keep it soft, smooth and youthful. Alcohol in excess is known to overtax the liver, which is a much-needed organ that helps to diffuse impurities from reaching and harming other organs and systems of the human body. Alcohol consumption can lead to broken or distended capillaries, especially over the nose and cheeks. To maintain a lovely complexion, alcoholic beverages should be consumed in moderation.

Quit Smoking

Smoking has been documented in many studies to be quite detrimental to the skin. Smoking is a nasty habit that progressively creates a pre-mature breakdown of your overall state of health, internally and externally. Cigarettes contain ingredients such as, acetone, ammonia, arsenic, formaldehyde, and nicotine, which are chemical compounds that are considered to be quite harmful to the human body --- imagine their impact on the skin. Smokers tend to have a grayish tinge to their complexion, due to a poor oxygen supply. Since there is a lack of oxygen, dehydration occurs, which then increases the risk of pre-mature wrinkles. Smoking can also slow the healing and regeneration process of the body, which could be harmful if you ever needed surgery. Just know that there is nothing positive about smoking, it causes many negative side effects within our bodies, which in the long run we wonder to ourselves," Why did I start in the first place? "

Watch Those Rays

There has been extensive research performed over the past thirty years on the sun, and it's impact on the human body. Through these studies, we have found that a certain amount of sunlight is needed to manufacture Vitamin D within our bodies, which is a definite necessity. However, after a certain allotment of time, those powerful rays can be very harmful to our body's largest organ - the skin. In fact, if it weren't for sun exposure, say the experts, our skin would stay relatively smooth into our eighties. Dehydration, fine lines, wrinkles and even skin cancer is caused by excessive exposure to UV rays, which penetrate our atmosphere everyday.

Great Sun Tips:

• Avoid the sun between the hours of 10AM and 3PM, even if wearing a sun protector.
• Watch the reflected light from sand, water, cement, and snow -- it is still damaging to the skin.
• The American Dermatology Association recommends that everyone wear a SPF of 15 or greater year round.
• A SPF of 15 is a 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of protection. One application daily is not enough to protect your skin all day. You must remember to reapply your sunscreen throughout the course of the day, to shield your complexion from those harmful rays.
• Remember to apply your sun protection to the areas that you tend to miss such as, your ears, neck, hands, and feet.
• Make sure to wear clothing that protects you from the sun. Ex. a large brimmed hat.