Let’s embrace our beautiful selves and celebrate life in all its glory.
Part of this ongoing celebration is learning to adapt to the changes that time brings. We can’t turn back the clock but we can certainly adopt a proactive approach towards managing our overall well-being and skin health.
Remarkable in every way, our skin covers almost 1.6 m2-1.8 m2 area of our body. It protects us from harmful external elements from the day we are born until the last days of our lives.
Time ushers in change. Time, along with various external factors hastens the wear and tear of this remarkable organ.
But we’ve heard all that haven’t we?
How about we take a new stance on this inevitable aging phenomenon and tune into a pro-aging lifestyle that will minimize damage and promote longevity.
Let’s call it aging reimagined.
This approach will not only delay the processes of skin aging but help maintain a positive outlook towards life. Remember that we are celebrating life and our skin is a huge part of it.
What is aging reimagined?
Let’s explore some simple and practical steps towards a pro-aging lifestyle that in turn will reward us with a strong healthy mantle.
Power Trio
Retinols, Natural Acids and Vitamin C are without a doubt a power trio. Retinol increases cellular turnover, promotes collagen synthesis and renews skin from down up. Vitamin C acts as a potent anti-oxidant and super healer of sun damaged skin. It also acts as a skin brightener and has been shown to reduce stretch marks. Peeling acids efficiently remove superficial dead layers of the skin and speed up the cell cycle subsequently encouraging cell renewal and smoothening out skin with diminished hyperpigmentation. This power trio demonstrates transformative results across the entire cross section of the skin and it’s a good move to include these compounds in your regular skin care regime. These are all are clinically renowned compounds with proven pro-aging actions. Be sure to buy products that contain the right type and right concentrations of retinol, peels and vitamin C. There are some great brands in the market and your dermatologist or esthetician will be your best guide.
Gone up in Smoke
Smoking is the number one enemy of your skin and your over-all health. It drastically accelerates facial aging by narrowing micro-vessels in your skin, limiting the amount of nutrients reaching the cell and preventing effective removal of toxic wastes that have built up in the skin. The skin of smokers has increased levels of degradative enzymes that dissolve collagen resulting in pronounced damage to the deeper layers of the skin. Naturally occurring vitamin A levels within the superficial layers of the skin are lower in smokers than in non-smokers. The good news is that early intervention can result in a reversal of damage caused by smoking. So any age is a good age to kick the habit.
Let’s get Physical
Studies demonstrate that regardless of your age, physical activity will boost natural bio-physiological processes that promote general health and result in a glowing trouble free complexion. Sweating is the great detoxer that will flush out unwanted metabolites and stabilize barrier pH. Sweating removes dirt, harmful metabolites and toxins. Physical activity will boost blood circulation and deliver oxygen rich blood to the skin cells, allowing them to function and multiply optimally.
Deep Breathing
When you take slow steady deep breaths (known as yogic type of breathing), your blood pressure drops, your heart rate stabilizes and your spontaneous respiratory rate is reduced. Practicing the art of deep breathing will provide your body with a steady source of oxygen boosts that are precious to skin health as after the age of 30 our ability to produce and store oxygen is drastically reduced. This deep breathing practice can become a part of your pro-aging lifestyle.
Smart Sunlight Practices
Sunlight has some amazing benefits like stimulating innate vitamin D synthesis. It also provides the healing touch to skin disorders like psoriasis, eczema and some fungal infections. Don’t deprive yourself of a daily dose of sunlight but practice smart sun safety. Cool sunlight is preferred and it is best to avoid the mid-day sun as this will result in accelerated skin aging. Sunlight can be your friend but when you skip out on safe sun practices, it can become your skins worst enemy.
Conscious Food Choices
Gorgeous skin starts with your diet. A great diet for your skin would be one that involves eating vegetables of different colors, specifically red, purple, orange, black, yellow and leafy greens. Accentuate this with the assorted goodness of fruits. Supplement with botanical based sugar-free concoctions and probiotic raw power smoothies. Drink enough water to stay hydrated from within. For skin health, I recommend an anti-inflammatory diet that will slowly heal your gut. A healthy gut means healthy skin. Try to avoid processed meats, sugar, canned foods, extra spicy, salty and oily diets. A very interesting study examined facial wrinkle formation with relation to diets in a group of elderly women as a part of the Rotterdam study. It was concluded that diet conscious women who included good food choices in their diet were found to have lesser wrinkles than those who ignored better food choices. You are what you eat is not a myth and healthy skin and a healthy body begins by eating right.
Pillow Talk
Poor sleep results in an increase in stress hormones that can exacerbate existing skin conditions or trigger new ones. Poor sleep downregulates your skin functions resulting in loss of radiance, freshness and firmness, as cellular turnover and collagen production slows down. Beauty sleep is the oldest secret to a radiant complexion, optimal brain functions and reduced anxiety. Do maintain sleep hygiene. Poor hygiene, dirty sheets, old mattresses, soiled pillows will all harm your skin by introducing an unhealthy environment where germs and parasites can breed. You will sleep sounder when your environment is cleaner. Another neat aspect of sleep is dreaming. Keep a dream diary and make a note of your dreaming patterns. When you are in a happier state of mind, your dreams will reflect it. Your body talks to you in mysterious ways.
Positive Thinking is Miraculous
Positivity helps to reduce stress and enhance social activity. A positive outlook leads to better lifestyle choices that in turn lead to transformative effects on your well-being. Positivity is infectious. Yes, it’s true. If you radiate good vibes, it will spread all around and inspire others. Never forget to inspire people, because that one good act might be a life saver to someone in need. Positive thinking can extend your lifespan by allowing the cells of your body to vibrate at higher energy levels and keep anxiety, depression and stress at bay. Positivity can also perform wonders on your immune system. A pro-aging lifestyle should certainly include this little drop of wisdom.
Upbeat about Music
Music has been shown to dramatically reduce stress and anxiety. Listening to your favorite beat will instantly elevate your mood as endorphin surges reduce cortisol levels allowing your mind to attain inner peace and joy. There is a reason why music therapy is practiced regularly at esteemed health institutes all over the world. A study reported that regular music therapy led to reduced levels of physical pain and alleviated feelings of fear and stress in chronically ill patients. So why not include music in your everyday life and reap the therapeutic benefits that a sweet melody can provide?
Love and Kindness
The kindred souls who regularly practice love and kindness are in tune with their inner soul and find peace in everything they do. As they say, heaven is a place on earth. Take time out and spread the light.
Chuck out Chemicals
Harsh detergents, harmful house cleaning products and toxin laden cosmetics are all detrimental to your health and the condition of your skin. Try using safer more natural alternates for a cleaner house and healthier work environment. Irritant and chemical dermatitis, eczema, itchy rashes are just a few of the painful skin conditions caused by harsh chemicals that may be present in your house or work environment. So chuck out the chemicals and be toxin-free.
Home Based Devices
Ever tried LED, US, Micro-needling, Iontophoresis, RF, and massage devices at home? Why not give these gadgets a try and rejuvenate your skin non-invasively. Look out for high quality home-based devices that can complement your daily skin care ritual and enhance the efficacy of your products. Be sure to read instructions and contraindications. There are some fantastic FDA approved home gadgets in the market. So being a high-tech skin junkie has its advantages!
The Right Products
Selecting the right products for your skin care routine is essential to overall skin health. First and foremost make sure that you have worked out your skin type whether it is oily, dry, sensitive or combination. Your skin care steps will involve cleansing, toning, exfoliating, treating, moisturizing and sun protection. The key is to look for products that contain safe, high efficacy evidence backed ingredients that will show results and be safe for your body at the same. Do not overload your skin, give it time and allow it to adapt to new products. Rule of thumb is to allow a full skin cycle to see if the products are helping you or not. Some ingredients will take longer to work and others are quick acting. Don’t worry, your skin is pretty clever and it will warn you when it doesn’t like something. The best products are ones that contain just a few hard working ingredients without overburdening your skin. A sensible skin care regime and the right products will reward you with a beautiful complexion for years to come.
Aging Reimagined is a Science as well as an Art
The ability to understanding your body constitution and what works best for you as well as cultivating soul nourishing practices and celebrating the joy of living is as much a science as it is an art.
So let us look at aging through a new set of lenses.
Let us reimagine the passing years with positivity and renewed vigor.
Let us align our inner sanctum with the outer universe in order to promote longevity and enhance the quality of life.
Numerous studies indicate that active, happy, peaceful individuals lead a long, joyful and fulfilled life. Life will bring changes and present challenges, but with the right attitudes, nothing will seem daunting or impossible.
Remember, we cannot isolate our skin from this continuous equation of overall well-being. When you attain true health, you will attain truly harmonized skin health.
I guess that this is the best way to sum up a pro-aging lifestyle in a nutshell.
Are you ready to celebrate life with me?
Consultants at Cuticonscious
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