A Skin Without Folds

There are many products in the market purporting to make your skin look younger. But no anti-aging cream, exfoliating wash, age-defying makeup, or herbal remedy is more powerful than the lifestyle steps each woman can take to keep her skin looking smooth and healthy for as long as possible.

Aside from genetics there are no other skin-aging factor beyond your control.

Types of Wrinkles

• Static wrinkles are always visible, even when all the facial muscles are resting. Static wrinkles tend to develop in skin that has thinned and stretched as a result of premature or natural aging processes
• Dynamic wrinkles occur in people of all ages, even young children. Sometimes called "laugh lines," dynamic wrinkles appear temporarily when a muscle contracts, causing the overlying skin to crease like an accordion. Dynamic wrinkles are seen only when you are smiling, raising your eyebrows, or otherwise animating your facial expression.

Causes of Premature Skin Aging

Sunlight

Research indicates that about 90 percent of skin changes that begin in your 30s and 40s stem directly from "photo-aging," or the cumulative effects of exposure to the sun’s UV radiation. Simply put, UV radiation from the sun damages the DNA of skin cells. To make matters worse, the thinning of the Earth's protective ozone layer is believed to be amplifying UV radiation levels. It takes many years before enough microscopic damage accumulates to create wrinkles and other visible skin changes.

Ways to avoid UV radiation

• Try to avoid sunlight between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., when UV rays are the strongest
• Apply a sunscreen with SPF 15 or above on all exposed skin, 30 minutes before going outdoors even if it is a overcast day. Remember, UV light penetrates clouds and can still harm unprotected skin.
• Wear makeup (i.e., foundations and lipsticks) that contain sunscreens with SPF 15 or above

Dieting

Cyclical, significant weight loss and gain, also known as "yo-yo" dieting, stretches the skin, causing it to lose its elasticity. It makes the skin more vulnerable to wrinkling and sagging under the force of gravity. Try to stay within 2 or 4 kilograms of your ideal weight, and avoid fad or crash diets.

Smoking

It is well-known that cigarette smoking ages people on the inside by causing lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease, and an array of other health problems. But fewer people realize that smoking also ages your appearance. Chemicals inhaled from cigarette smoke constrict tiny blood vessels in the skin, reducing the oxygen and nutrient supply to delicate facial tissues. Blood-vessel constriction lasts at least an hour after a cigarette has been snuffed out. Over many years of smoking, the oxygen and nutrient deficiencies cause skin to wrinkle prematurely, lose elasticity (the ability to "bounce back" after being stretched). It is not unusual for the skin of longtime smokers to exhibit a grayish pallor. To make matters worse, repeatedly pursing your lips around a cigarette hastens the formation of fine vertical lines around your mouth. Squinting when smoke gets in your eyes can cause premature wrinkling of the eyelids. So, DON"T SMOKE.

Facial Expressions

In a sense, skin has a "memory." If it is repeatedly folded in the same way by muscle contractions, permanent static lines will eventually form. This is common in people who smile broadly and those who scowl a lot. So try to become aware of undue tension in your facial muscles and to make a conscious effort to relax your face.