Fighting Wrinkles

Wrinkles are often taken as the first signs of growing older, but it is actually a normal process that everyone goes through.  You can, however, delay the appearance of wrinkles.  Fighting wrinkles involves a combination of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and facial treatment.

A healthy body and healthy skin help in fighting wrinkles.  Frequent exercise can help you have a rosy glow that surrounds your face.  The increased oxygen and better circulation can do wonders to helping you feel and look young.

Eating right can also help you get flawless skin and fair complexion.  Eat food that’s abundant in anti-oxidizing properties.  Blueberries, omega-3 eggs, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, fish oils have been known to be very beneficial in fighting wrinkles.  Moreover, foods rich in Vitamins A, B, C and E are known antioxidants and have also been very helpful in keeping skin young and healthy and in keeping wrinkles away.

Drink more water. Our body needs around 2 to 3 liters of water every day.  That is around eight glasses.  This keeps our body hydrated and our skin healthy.  It also helps you to avoid dry skin, which almost certainly leads to wrinkles.

Stop or avoid smoking and air pollution.  Cigarette smoke has been found to accelerate aging and the appearance of wrinkles.  While air pollution, especially in the ozone, can take away Vitamin E from the skin, which also accelerates both aging and the appearance of wrinkles.

Lastly, sleep adequately.  It is during sleep that our body gets the rest it needs, and it is during this deep rest that our cells rejuvenate and repair itself including our skin.  Typical person needs around seven to nine hours of sleep everyday.

If you have wrinkles, here are some treatments that you can do to help you fight or minimize it:

1. Always cleanse your skin.

Clean skin allows you to have healthy skin.  Remove dirt by using a mild cleanser to make sure that you do not end up with dry skin.  Avoid using soap for your face as it has been known to dry your skin, thereby aggravating your wrinkle problems. Some skin experts say that sometimes, you can just use warm water alone, no soap or other chemicals, to clean the face.

Apart from cleaning your face, you should also gently exfoliate your skin using a mild exfoliant.  This keeps dead skin cells off your face.

For women who use make-up, you have to check the cosmetics you are using to ensure that you do not clog your pores.

2. Moisturize your face.

Dry skin is one of the leading conditions for wrinkles to appear.  Make sure that you use a facial moisturizer to combat dry skin.   Further, you should avoid sodas and other liquids that rob skin of moisture, and instead drink more glasses of water each day.

Moisturizing your face not only helps you avoid wrinkles, it can also make existing wrinkles less visible.

3. Use sun block.

The sun can severely damage your skin by damaging collagen fibers.  More than 90% of the symptoms that are related to premature skin aging can be directly seen after exposure to ultraviolet rays from sunlight, including wrinkles.  Make sure that you wear sun block to protect it from the harmful rays of the sun.  Sunscreen should be applied 15 minutes to half an hour before going outdoors.  Reapply sunscreen every two hours or more frequently if you are doing some exercise under the sun or when you are swimming.

However, make sure that you get around 10 to 15 minutes of direct sunlight every single day.  Sunlight activates the Vitamin D in your body, which is very necessary in the absorption as well as utilization of calcium.

4. Consult your dermatologist.

For really stubborn wrinkles, you would need stronger treatments.  Visit your dermatologist and find out what facial skin regimen you can use.  More commonly, dermatologists can give you prescription retinoids that help buff fine lines while also enhancing collagen production.  Some retinoids are also thought to reduce wrinkles.

Chemical peels and laser peels can also help in eliminating severe and stubborn wrinkles.

Facial treatment products like collagen implants, fat implants, and topical creams may also be prescribed to you.