The Anti-Aging Skin Care industry for men and women has become a 20 billion dollar industry. This is primarily due to the longer living baby boomer generation-individuals born between the years 1946 and 1964.
The youngest members of this group are approaching age 50. Most people by this age have some concerns about some of the outward appearance of aging, such as wrinkles and lines on the forehead.
There are a multitude of companies that have anti-aging skin care lines. Most of the products do something to minimize the signs of aging, such as smoothing out the lines in the forehead, at least as long as you are using the product.
However, you can begin to make changes in young adulthood that will promote healthier skin and minimize the effects of the aging process
Primary vs. secondary aging
Signs of aging, externally and internally, become apparent between the ages of 40 and 50. However, the process of aging begins much sooner.
The biological or primary aging process is one that is programmed genetically. Humans as with all species are genetically programmed to age in a similar way. As individuals, our unique genetic makeup also influences our biological aging process.
Some of the aging processes that are inevitable as it relates to the skin are facial lines, less elasticity, thinning, and a decrease in moisture.
However, what you do or do not do in terms of lifestyle habits can influence how quickly or slowly these natural aging processes occur. This aspect of aging that you have a lot of control over is referred to as secondary aging.
One of the biggest lifestyle habits that can dramatically accelerate the natural aging process of the skin is spending any amount of time outside without sunscreen on, even in the winter time. The UVB rays from the sun are one of the major sources of aging. The UVB rays have a damaging effect on the skin’s cells and also increase the risk of skin cancer significantly.
Logically, individuals who don’t use sunscreen and spend a lot of time outdoors at the beach, skiing, or engaging in others sports are at greater risk of an accelerated aging process of the skin as well as a higher risk of skin cancer. But individuals who spend less time in the sun without sunscreen are also at risk. One of the worst effects of excessive sun exposure without sunscreen is leathery and wrinkled skin. The tricky part of this is that these unwanted effects appear decades after the excessive sun exposure.
Ways to promote healthy skins
So it’s a no brainer that you need to use sunscreen all year round and on a regular basis. But what else can you do to promote healthy skin? Maintaining a healthy diet, exercising, and drinking plenty of water are three important ways to keep your skin healthy. Washing and moisturizing your face twice as day is also essential.
Men tend not to moisturize their skin on a regular basis. Many men view putting on moisturizer as far too feminine behavior. Men generally have more moisture in their skin, especially later in life than women. However, it is still important for men to keep their skin hydrated. Hydrated skin not only looks better, it heals faster.
Showering at least once a day is also essential for healthy skin. But long hot showers along with some types of soap can cause dryer skin. There are many ingredients in soaps and body washes that can irritate and thus cause problems with dry skin.
Choosing healthy skin care products
Like soaps and body wash, there are many skin care products that can irritate the skin. Also, many chemicals that are routinely used in skin care products such as parabens and formaldehyde donating preservatives have been linked to an increase in the risk of cancer.
It’s important to be mindful of the fact that you put on your skin goes deeper than just the outer layer.
Arbonne International is a company that makes premium quality skin (including anti-aging) and body care products that are formulated with a lot of fruit and vegetable extracts. No parabens, petroleum based products, animal or animal by- products are used in the products.
For more information on Arbonne products go to www.arbonne.com.
For more information on causes and treatments for dry skin go to the National Institute of Health’s Medline website http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/004014.htm.
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