We all know that what’s on the inside is far more important than what we look like, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take care of our appearance. Especially our skin. It’s our largest organ and the most sensitive part of our body, so it’s essential to take the right steps to keep it healthy. Here are my top five tips to healthier-looking skin.
Discover the best beauty brands, products, and essentials that will keep you looking your best no matter what.
Be good to it
The first step to healthy skin is a good skincare routine. Following a daily CTM routine (cleanse, tone, moisturise) is vital. Using products from the same brand or set can be beneficial as they are made to complement one another on your skin. Most high street and designer brands offer complimenting skincare products, specifically tailored to older skin. I highly recommend these beautiful, long-lasting and eco-friendly sets by Arbonne:
- AgeWell set - complement one another and help our skin to age elegantly.
- Bio-Hydria set - four lightweight skincare products for savvy hydration.
Eat well
A balanced, whole-food diet does wonders for your entire body, skin included. It has been proven that Vitamin C brightens the skin, whilst foods that contain the antioxidant CoQ10 can help to reduce wrinkles. The three most valuable foods for healthy, glowing skin are salmon, spinach and sunflower seeds. This doesn’t mean we can’t indulge on a bit of chocolate now and again, but taking care of your skin is a whole-body thing. Similarly, drinking water is vital for the health of our skin as it needs moisture to keep it subtle and radiant.
Sleep well
You know those mornings when you wake up and barely recognise the person in the mirror? That’s a sign you’ve not slept for long enough or well enough. Lack of sleep leads to puffy eyes and dark circles. It can also cause dry skin and a decrease in growth hormone production - leading to a breakdown in the elasticity and collagen in our skin. This is how we develop sagging skin and wrinkles. We need around eight hours of sleep every night to function to the best of our abilities. Even when we get ‘enough’ sleep, if we haven’t slept well enough our bodies (and skin) won’t thank us either. There are lots of sleep remedies for nights when you’re struggling:
- Lavender sprays - aromatherapy to induce sleep and reduce stress.
- Heat packs - improves blood flow and circulation for a more comfortable sleep.
- Humidifiers - reduces dryness and congestion for a more comfortable, more peaceful sleep.
- White noise machines - silences the mind for a calm sleep environment.
Love the sun, love your skin
One of the essential tips that we’ve been telling our children and grandchildren forever: wear suncream and top up! If the sun is out, get the SPF cream out, even if it’s cold. Alternatively, wear makeup or moisturiser with an SPF factor built-in. As we age, our skin thins and becomes more vulnerable and sensitive. UV rays penetrate the skin and cause damage to our DNA cells. With thinner skin, the UV rays have much less to break through to cause this long-lasting damage. To add insult to injury, our immune systems weaken as we mature, meaning this damage is less likely to repair itself. Therefore, as we age, it is almost more important to break out the factor 50 when the sun has his hat on.
Sarah Sarsby, the owner of beauty and lifestyle blog A Woman's Confidence, advises: "You should be wearing SPF even when you're indoors, as UVA and UVB rays still reach you (yes, even if you're chilling watching TV!). SPF is the single most important thing you should be wearing on your skin, every day, to protect it from damaging UV rays. Remember to apply it every morning, and equally take it off every evening with a double cleansing routine. Getting enough sun is great for our mental wellbeing, but we still need to protect ourselves from it. Your skin will thank you for it!"
Mind, body and soul
It is so important to take care of ourselves from the inside out, top to bottom. Practising mindfulness and exercising regularly leaves us feeling fresh and motivated. Our skin involuntarily shows our emotions as raw as they come. It reddens with embarrassment, whitens with fear and breaks out with stress - to name a few. Meditation can help to combat a few of these betrayals. With a calm centre and a balanced mind, our skin will glow healthily. Both exercise and meditation help to improve the oxygen and blood flow throughout the body, which helps us to feel and appear more radiant.
It’s not about looking younger; it’s about looking healthier and loving the skin you’re in. Men and women over 50 are often misrepresented in the media. They are edited to appear smooth and shiny all over. In reality, ageing skin should be glorified just as much as botox and fillers are. Inevitably, we are all going to age, mo amount of invasive surgery can put a stop to that (yet). But we can take care of our skin, age gracefully, embrace the greys and create a beautiful, glowing generation of youthful feeling men and women.
