In an era that celebrates mature and mindful beauty, the word ‘Beauty’ itself has gone through a steady change. Beauty is not what just meets the eye. It is not something that can be achieved by ‘reversing’ or ‘correcting’. But, it most certainly is what rises to the surface by way of a healthy diet, lifestyle and mindset, with just a little help from simple, topical solutions in the everyday. Use these as a guide for healthy, younger-looking skin. We suggest you make copious notes to self and add reminders as you read through!
1. Pay attention to your gut- It is not for nothing that doctors and wellness practitioners call the gut our second brain. A healthy gut is quite literally the centre of good health, and thus, healthy skin. Anything that inflames the gut – sugar, processed foods, too much dairy… the list goes on, should be consumed in absolute moderation.
2. Eat your vegetables – Our mothers were right! Incorporating a healthy portion of vegetables at mealtimes is integral to skin-health. Fruits and vegetables are the richest, as well as the most accessible source of antioxidants. A study conducted in Japan has found that a high intake of green and yellow vegetables can increase skin elasticity and reduce wrinkles and skin aging. So, go ahead, stock up on the dark-green leafy vegetables, luscious tomatoes, and bell-peppers.
3. Swap Soups with Bone Broth – When meat and poultry bones are cooked for an extended period, they release collagen – one of the most essential elements in maintaining younger, supple skin. If you follow a non-vegetarian diet, try to incorporate a cup of bone-broth once or twice a week with your meals.
4. Switch To Olive Oil – While the base ingredients of your meals – fruits, vegetables and meats, are important; equally key is to pay attention to how you cook them. Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids. It keeps your heart healthy and reduces the risk of diabetes and other metabolic issues. Physiologically, young and healthy skin is also a by-product of uninterrupted blood circulation to the skin tissue. Every micro-step taken to help this matters.
5. Not all fats are bad – Especially when they are eaten by way of fatty fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, and herring. These fish are the richest natural sources of Omega-3 fatty acids known to man.
Omega-3 helps in nurturing heart-health and minimizing risks of cardiovascular diseases. They can also reduce the risk of inflammation caused by UV-rays exposure and have a photoprotective effect, thus protecting our skin from sun-damage!
6. Eat Dark Chocolate! – So many of us cannot resist dessert after meals. But instead of going for a piece of sugary candy or a processed milk chocolate, give dark chocolate a try the next time a sweet-craving hits.
Chocolate contains flavonoids that help reduce blood pressure and improve insulin sensitivity and artery functions, thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Which again means improved blood circulation, leading to more oxygen and younger, healthier skin.
7. Relax– We mean it. Get everything done, meeting deadlines, success at all costs…these busy badges do more harm than good in the long-run. Stress is proven to cause inflammation in our bodies, causing a plethora of health issues, taking a toll on everything from your mental health to your skin. So, before you stretch yourself thin, take a moment to actually stretch! Take frequent breaks through your workday, be it to sip on your tea and listen to an ASMR sounds podcast or to take a few cleansing deep breaths. Once again, relax!
8. Move your body – Besides releasing endorphins aka happy hormones, exercise is the only way to alleviate lifestyle concerns like obesity and disorders that tend to accompany it. The good news is that exercise need not be confined to the sterile environs of a gym. Take the stairs at work and when you are out shopping. Create your own standing desk with a pile of old magazines! If you are a pet-lover, help a neighbour walk their dog.
9. Drink Plenty of Water – If you are a plant-lover, you know that hydration is non-negotiable for a life-form. Can we see you nodding, and then promptly picking up a mug of coffee? May we suggest you swap this for a cool drink of water. Staying hydrated is essential to keep our metabolism running, which further results in younger-looking, glowing skin.
10. No smoking please – Smoking has been directly related to premature skin aging, hair loss, and skin issues such as acne and psoriasis. Now would be a good time to follow through on that new year’s resolution!
11. Sleep vs Sleep well – Irregular or short sleep times may indicate an active social life. Sadly, it does not bode too well for your skin. Poor sleep adversely affects the skin barrier, causing dull, dry and inflammation-prone skin. Adults do need 7-9 hours of sleep to thrive. While we sleep, our bodies work to recharge and replenish.
12. Follow A CTM Routine – The most important solution to younger-looking skin is the most foundational. Use a gentle yet efficacious cleanser on your skin every morning, prep it with a toner and then finally, lock in the hydration with a moisturizer before you put on makeup. And repeat once you take the makeup off at night. No short-cuts!
13. Develop a skincare routine – While the products that you use on your skin are super important, so is the timing when you apply them. Cleansing and then immediately using hydrating ingredients on the skin helps lock in and retain moisture to give you supple, young skin all day long.
14. Wear Sunscreen – Every. Single. Day. And we mean, even in the monsoons when it’s cloudy.
15. Read your label for anti-ageing ingredients – While adding beauty products to your online shopping cart, read up about the ingredients. Retinol, Hyaluronic acid, Collagen…these help in hydration, strengthening the skin barrier and increasing suppleness of the skin. This is in turn slows down the occurrence of fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and dull, dry skin.
16. Exfoliate Your Skin - Your skin needs to shed dead skin-cells to be able to breathe. Exfoliation helps reach into the minute skin pores and clean them. The result is fresher, healthier, younger-looking skin with a smooth texture. You may use a face scrub once or twice a week to do this at home.
17. Get a facial – No we don’t mean that you book a spa appointment right away. Even simple, upward strokes with a gua sha stone or jade roller increases blood circulation and helps with lymphatic drainage to make your skin glow.
18. Stop touching your skin – We know that supple skin is too tempting not to check on if it’s real. But once you’ve completed your skincare routine, let your skin be. Picking at a bump, constantly rubbing your skin with the (dirty) pads of your fingers…all of this just leads to minor skin infections and surface inflammation.
19. Keep your makeup and makeup tools clean – After the first time that you use them, makeup brushes, palettes, and sponges are all home to dead skin cells, oil and grime from your skin surface. Needless to say, keep Sundays to clean your makeup kit for the sake of healthy skin
20. Warm water for the win – Everything in moderation does not apply only to our diets. Washing your face with hot water can leave it dry and depleted of natural oils. And if you read somewhere that dunking your face in a bowl of ice-water works wonders for your skin, it does. But it will not cleanse the makeup and dirt particles from your pores. Tune your faucet to the centre just before cleansing your skin with moderately warm water.
While all of us can only hope that some day we could arrest ageing, for now let’s work with the finite knowledge that ageing cannot be avoided or reversed. While the tips we have shared are gateways to younger-looking, healthy skin, there is just one last thing we suggest – smile!
