10 Tips for an Anti-Aging Skin Care Plan

by Dr. Richard Foxx

The anti-aging skin care market is now a multi-billion dollar business. Best eye creams, wrinkle creams, eye serums, facial masks, and other products aimed at beautifying your skin are now available everywhere. Gone are the days when these items were found only in high-end beauty parlors catering to the rich and famous. Everyone’s being encouraged to adopt their own anti-aging skin care plan.

If you’d like to get in on the action, then this article about creating your anti-aging skin care plan is a must. In honor of National Healthy Skin month, we want you to be aware of how essential taking care of your skin is. Before talking about anti-aging skin care products, you’ll first need to develop some healthy skin care habits.

Why should you take the time to adopt an anti-aging skin care regimen? Some of the benefits you’ll receive include:

• Preventing blemishes in the form of pimples and blackheads
• Preventing discoloration in the skin
• Helping to reduce puffiness and looseness of the skin
• Getting rid of wrinkles and lines
• Helping your skin to “glow” by improving skin tone
• Preventing skin cancer
• Avoiding dry and rough skin

By receiving all these benefits, you should find the extra time and effort it takes to care for your skin will be more than worth it. Now—time for the 10 anti-aging skin care tips that can keep your complexion looking youthful and healthy:

1. Make sure you protect your skin from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. Use sunblock whenever there’s a risk for sunburn. Besides being dangerous—UV rays are the main culprit behind skin cancer—the sun can dry out your skin, causing it to age more quickly, which is why sunscreen is essential to your anti-aging skin care plan. (Or better yet, natural sunscreen, as undeniable evidence points to popular sunscreens contributing to cancer – Ed.)

2. Wear sun-protective clothing. If you’re not fond of slathering on layers of sunblock every day, wear sun-protective clothing. There are SPF-rated shirts and pants now available to the consumer. Don’t forget to wear a wide-brimmed hat too. Long sleeves and pants, while not always practical in hot weather, can protect the skin on your arms and legs. Wearing a pair of sunglasses could help to reduce the number of fine lines around your eyes.

3. Don’t use tanning beds. Tanning beds emit concentrated UV rays. This sort of exposure will undoubtedly speed up the aging process and may even be responsible for triggering skin cancer in some users.

4. Add a moisturizer to your anti-aging skin care plan—but make sure it’s not too oily. Moisturizer does just what you would expect it to do—it helps trap water inside your skin so that it doesn’t dry out.

5. Wash your face twice a day—but not with soap. Soap can dry out your skin. Instead, try using a specially-formulated cleanser that won’t alter the natural pH balance of your skin.

6. Stay away from cigarette smoke. That means no smoking and avoiding second hand smoke as well. Tobacco smoke is full of harsh chemicals and toxins. Smoke has definitely been proven to accelerate signs of aging in skin such as wrinkles, lines, and a leathery appearance.

7. Eating a nutritionally-balanced diet is vital for your anti-aging skin care regimen. Too much sugar, salt and saturated fats can have an adverse effect on the health of your skin. Instead, include veggies, fruit, healthy unsaturated fats, whole grains and lean (or vegetable) protein in your daily meals.

8. Wake up well-rested and refreshed. Your skin needs proper sleep. Enough shut-eye every night will give your skin cells time to regenerate.

9. Stay away from “problem” foods. Some people find their skin breaks out into blemishes when they eat certain foods. It could be that dairy causes your skin to erupt. Or maybe you’ll notice pimples appear when you eat chocolate or buy fast food. Whatever your trigger foods are, stay away from them if you can and substitute another healthy food.

10. Drink alcohol in moderation.

In honor of National Healthy Skin month, try to incorporate as many of these ten anti-aging skin care tips as you can into your daily life.

Sources:

• “November is National Healthy Skin Month,” The American Academy of Dermatology web site; http://www.aad.org/dermatology-a-to-z/health-and-beauty, last accessed Nov. 21, 2013.
• “What Dermatologists Tell Their Patients,” The American Academy of Dermatology web site; http://www.aad.org/skin-conditions/skin-health-tips/what-dermatologists-tell-their-patients, last accessed Nov. 21, 2013.

This article “10 Tips for an Anti-Aging Skin Care Plan” was originally published on DoctorsHealthPress, visit their site to access their vast database of articles and the latest information in natural health.

Richard M. Foxx, MD has decades of medical experience with a comprehensive background in endocrinology, aesthetic and laser medicine, gynecology, and sports medicine. He has extensive experience with professional athletes, including several Olympic competitors. Dr. Foxx practices aesthetic and laser medicine, integrative medicine, and anti-aging medicine. He is the founder and Medical Director of the Medical and Skin Spa located in Indian Wells, California, at the Hyatt Regency Resort. Dr. Foxx is certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners and is a member of the American Academy of Anti-aging Medicine, the American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine, the International Academy of Cosmetic Dermatology, and a Diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.