How To Keep Looking Young As You Age. Start Now.

Have you ever looked at women like Sharon Stone, Madonna, or Sarah Jessica Parker and wondered how they still can compete with the 20 somethings with their youthful, vibrant and radiant complexions? And it's not even make-up camouflage but actually sheer natural and healthy skin. Apart from a great set of genes, they have taken care of their skin at anearly age and thus have flawless complexions now.

Skin care is a timeless procedure. It is very important to take care of your skin from an early age so that you can keep it young and healthy as long as possible. And one way you can do this is by following a good anti aging skin care regimen right from your 20's.

Causes of Premature Skin Aging

Aging is a natural and irreversible process. However, there are certain factors that accelerate the process and speed up the development of wrinkles and fine lines on the skin. Here are some factors that determine how old your skin looks.

Sun Exposure - Sunlight is the primary cause of premature aging of the skin and severely hampers the skin quality. Prolonged and unprotected exposure to sunlight can prematurely bring about the development of wrinkles and fine lines. It can further cause age spots, a blotchy complexion and make the skin rough and leathery. In severe cases, it will even cause skin cancer. Fair skinned people are more vulnerable to sun damage and premature aging than those with darker complexions due to less melanin pigmentation in the skin.

Smoking - Cigarette smoking is yet another factor that promotes skin aging. In fact, smoking leads to deep set wrinkles and leathery skin. Moreover, people who smoke tend to develop a pale yellowish complexion which further makes the skin looks dull and aged.

Pollution - The skin gets affected in the daily routine as it is succumbed to smoke, car exhaust and other polluting agents. Pollution gives rise to the formation of free radicals that further damage the collagen levels within the skin cells. Free radicals are oxygen molecules that lose one of their electrons and thus look for replacement from helpful molecules..

Moisture Loss - When the skin loses moisture and is not replenished, it becomes dry. When the skin fails to hold water its enzyme repair process doesn't work correctly and can't heal damage caused by the sun, excess sugar intake and pollution. Wrinkles and fine lines develop very easily on dry skin.


Anti Aging Skin Care Regimen

There are a variety of anti aging skin care products available in the market to help prevent and even treat the signs of aging. However, there are also many other skin care steps you can follow to make sure your skin is nourished properly and delay the aging process.

Here are some skin care products that are absolutely essential in your skin care regimen.

Sunscreens - Use a broad spectrum sunscreen that offers protection against both the UVA and UVB rays of the sun. The UVA radiations penetrate through the skin surface and cause intrinsic damage that result in the development of wrinkles and fine lines. Sunscreens absorb or block these radiations and protect the skin against this damage. Make sure you use a sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher. Slather it all over the exposed parts of your body 15-20 minutes before you venture out in the sun and reapply after every 2-4 hours and when required like after sweating or swimming..

Product Suggestions:

La Roche-Posay Anthelios SX
iS Clinical SPF 25 Treatment Sunscreen
Nia 24 Sun Damage Prevention SPF 30

Exfoliants - Exfoliation scrapes off dead skin cells from the surface and reveals fresh new ones from underneath. This improves the skin texture, unclogs the skin pores and improves the moisture absorbing ability of the skin. In fact, certain exfoliants contain alpha and beta hydroxy acids that stimulate collagen production within the skin cells and helps improve skin quality.

Product Suggestions:

Obagi Nu-Derm Exfoderm Forte
Obagi Nu-Derm Exfoderm
Nia 24 Physical Cleansing Scrub

Vitamin based Skin Care Products - Vitamins are extremely effective in reducing and even treating the various aging signs. Therefore, include vitamin based skin care products in your skin care regimen. However, don't forget to apply and sunscreens because they won't work if you continue unprotected sun exposure.

Product Suggestions:

Obagi C-Clarifying Serum
iS Clinical Poly Vitamin Serum

Dr. Marilynn Syrett is a graduate from Western University of Health Sciences. She has authored several articles about antiaging skin care products including many from Obagi and iS Clinical range of skin care products.