Ageing of the skin is a difficult battle to fight, especially with environmental factors that lead to free radicals damaging to the skins cells.
Think of your skin like an apple — if you peel away the skin and leave it for a short while the apple turns brown and shrivels. Your skin is the same, so it’s important to protect your body’s layer and also understand some factors in your own environment that may be deteriorating and ageing your skin. Take control of ageing now.
Free radicals
Caused by cigarette smoke, pollution and sunlight, free radicals are unstable molecules created by the body that build up over time, damaging the skin cells and causing the skin to lose elasticity and wrinkle. The best way to fight free radical damage is to cleanse your skin morning and night, boost your antioxidant intake and always use a nourishing protective barrier on your skin.
Pillowcases
Do you always sleep on the same side of your face and find fine lines or creases in the morning where your face was pressed again your pillow? Research has found sleeping on a cotton pillowcase may cause permanent damage overtime. To combat, try sleeping on your back or switching to a silk case to soften the blow.
Drinking from straws
Regular pursing of your lips to drink from a straw has been found to cause premature ageing of the skin. Repeated facial expressions have been found to form fine lines and creases around the mouth over time. A glass is a fail-safe option.
Air conditioning
Office air conditioning dries out the skin, which can lead to dehydrated cells and flaking. To avoid this, drink plenty of water throughout the day, use a nourishing moisturiser, lip balm and hand cream. Also, keep a hydrating rose water spray on your desk for moments when your skin feels tight.
Soap
Cleansing the skin is super important to wash away free radicals and dirt that can build up on the skin. But, some soap can also strip away the protective barriers (the acid mantle) from the skin, and cause drying and dehydration on the surface.
“Over cleansing the skin will strip the acid mantle the precious oil and water barrier that protects the skin, it is referred to as the skins first line of defence, it protects the skin from bacterial invasion, it contains natural anti-inflammatory properties and it waterproofs the skin, stopping Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL) or what is more commonly known as dehydration,” said Debbie Dickson, DMK Danné Skin Care.
“Over cleansing will cause the skin to become red and reactive, rough and flat in appearance, fine lines and wrinkles can start to form. A youthful skin is plump and supple.” Try a chemical-free face and body cleanser that are both PH-neutral.
