5 habits that are ageing your skin and how to break them
Not exercising can actually make your face age prematurely.
Picture: iStock
Growing old is inevitable, but ageing before your time? That can be controlled.
By making some adjusts to your daily habits this new year and including a simple but effective skincare regime, the signs of premature ageing can be banished.
Founder of Nikel Cosmetics Mirjana Brlečić has developed a skincare range using only natural ingredients to address the skin concerns of modern living circumstances.
1. Keep your stress levels under control
Today’s busy lifestyles and demanding careers can take a toll on us both mentally and physically. When we become stressed, our body releases “fight-or-flight” hormones into our system, and if this stress response is activated too often or for too long, the result can be immune dysfunction, increased production of free radicals and DNA damage, all of which can contribute to skin ageing.
While removing stress entirely from your life isn’t possible, carving out some quiet time for yourself by incorporating just 10 minutes of meditation in your day can go a long way to relieving stress in the long term.
A nutrition-rich skincare regime can also work wonders for stressed skin. Brlečić says: “The Nikel Anti-Wrinkle Elixir with 12 Plants contains plenty of anti-oxidants from plant-derived vitamin E, olive oil, passionflower oil and immortelle oil, all of which help to combat the signs of ageing from stress.”
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2. Cut back on sugar
Refined sugar is found in many foods, including bread, crisps and even health bars. Eating too much sugar can lead to glycation, a process in which sugar molecules attach to your collagen, the main building blocks of your skin.
This causes the collagen to become hard and less flexible, causing premature wrinkling. Eliminating sugar completely from your diet isn’t easy, but why not make a start by not putting sugar in your coffee and tea?
Deeply nourishing the skin will also help to diminish fine lines and wrinkles. Brlečić recommends Nikel’s Nikelift Face Cream which contains hyaluronic acid to help the skin look plump and glowing again.
Picture: iStock
3. Get enough shut-eye
Our skin repairs and regenerates while we sleep because skin cells function on a circadian rhythm, similar to the sleep-wake cycle that makes us tired at night and wakes us up in the morning. If we don’t get six to eight hours of sleep at night, the process is thrown out of sync and the skin can’t perform at its optimum.
“If we don’t get enough sleep, our eyes reveal this tiredness and make us look older,” explains Brlečić, who suggests adding an eye cream to your nighttime skincare regime to help eradicate the fine lines that can easily appear in the very thin, delicate skin in this area. Nikel’s Nikelift Eye Cream works wonderfully to reduce puffiness and lessen the signs of ageing.
Picture: iStock
4. Keep hydrated
Never underestimate the importance of water – our skin cells are made of 64% water, so keeping hydrated is crucial. If you’re not drinking enough water, this will show in dry skin and chapped lips, which can lead to your skin ageing, with dark circles under your eyes and wrinkles appearing.
It’s recommended that you drink eight glasses a day, although this will vary depending on your unique body chemistry as well as your exercise level, weather and overall state of health. Adding cucumber, lemon or mint not only gives drinking water a delicious refreshing twist, it’s also very healthy.
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5. Keep moving
Exercise causes perspiration, which helps the body release toxins, which, if left in the skin cells, can cause degeneration and loss of collagen. Not exercising can actually make your face age prematurely.
Oxygenation, which occurs during exercise, helps skin regenerate collagen, lowers chronic inflammation throughout the body, and aids weight loss, all of which can keep you looking young.
Properly cleansing your skin post-exercise is also very important. “Use a natural skincare product that will help remove sweat and dust particles that stick to your skin during exercise,” Brlečić advises. “Nikel’s Cleansing Milk with Immortelle works perfectly to cleanse the skin and doesn’t need to rinsed off with water.”
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