Beauty and Skincare Tips That Keep Age at Bay

When it comes to anti aging, it’s a fact that most women (and men) think in terms of physical appearance before they do longevity and health. That’s natural – but you can approach anti aging from a total well being perspective.

Some of the things that make your beauty shine through are actually health tips that work from the inside out. Others are topical in nature, or choices you have to make consciously to reflect a more youthful appearance.

No one wants to look and feel old. It’s okay to project a vibrant man or woman whose age doesn’t hold them back. You can improve your appearance just by making small changes, such as standing up straight so that your posture isn’t bent over like someone who is older.

But there are other things that keep you looking young – from skincare to good fashion sense – so let’s take a look at how you can shave years off of your appearance quickly and easily.

Pamper Your Skin from Head to Toe

Your skin is your largest organ – and unfortunately, it’s also usually one of the most neglected ones. In your youth, you may have exposed it to hours and hours of harsh sunlight, never imagining that someday, those rays would take a toll on your beauty.

Tanning does make you look great in your younger days, but it then makes you look leathery as you get older. Not to mention, it can contribute to skin cancer – not just wrinkles.

No matter what age you are, you should starts using a strong sunscreen whenever you’re out in the sun (even driving in the car where your arm might be exposed to it).

You can find makeup that has SPF built right in, but it probably isn’t enough – so add an extra layer of protection under your makeup to maximize your benefits. Moisturizing is another thing you want to implement into your daily and nightly skincare regimen.

Wrinkles appear because skin looks dried up – like a raisin. You have to hydrate it, but topical solutions aren’t enough. You need to drink plenty of water so that your skin is plumped up from the inside, too.

Topically, you’ll be using a variety of moisturizers on your skin. They include eyecare, facial moisturizers, and body moisturizers. Some even specify whether they’re for day or night.

So a sample routine would be for you to apply a serum, cream or lotion meant specifically for the fragile eye area first. Then you would apply your facial moisturizer to include your neck area, and then a body cream for the rest of your body – such as your elbows, legs, and feet.

Facial moisturizers usually have a day or night application. The daytime ones offer more protection from harmful rays and toxins (like pollutants) that you encounter during the day.

Nighttime moisturizers go in and repair the damage that’s been done by the free radicals floating around in the air that you encountered. You want to make sure you’ve thoroughly cleansed your face before you apply it so that it can work on a clean slate and penetrate deep into your cells. If you sleep in your makeup, this won’t be effective.

Keep Your Hair Looking Youthful

Hair is one area of the body that shows your age, sometimes very prematurely. There are men and women in their early 30s who start losing their locks – or they begin turning gray too young.

There are some supplements, such as Biotin, which strengthen your hair (and nails). This can help you keep the hair you still have. You can also use saw palmetto to naturally promote hair strength.

Stress is a leading cause of hair loss. It’s usual for people to shed up to 100 hairs per day, but when it gets to be more than that, it turns into a problem. So pinpoint your stress and work on alleviating it so that your follicles stay resilient.

You want to have your doctor do a complete vitamin panel so that you can see if your body is low on any certain vitamins. Sometimes this is what results in a loss of hair, and it’s easy to fix if you start taking supplements.

Your doctor may want to test you for various diseases or health issues to see if they’re at the root cause of your hair loss. Thyroid disease, for example, can cause you to lose your hair.

There are over the counter hair loss solutions that you can try, too – like Rogaine. Your doctor might also prescribe something stronger, but it’s always best to attempt natural and organic solutions first.

As for the hair turning gray, this is an issue that is caused by a lessening of melanin, which pigments your hair strands. Some people lose their pigmentation sooner than others.

There are cosmetic changes you can use to look more youthful – you don’t have to settle for gray hair when you’re too young for it! There are rinses or hair dyes that can change the color from gray or white to whatever color you want – blonde, brown, red or even black.

If you’ve never dyed your hair before, it’s best to go to a salon and have a professional do it for you. They can match your hair shade to the tone of your skin so that it looks perfect.

While you’re there, have a frank discussion with your stylist about whether or not your hair is in line with your age. You may have seen makeovers on TV where a 40 or 50 year old women with hair down to her waist gets a shorter, shoulder-length cut, and instantly shaves a decade off of her appearance!

Is Your Fashion Too Dated?

When we wake up one day feeling like we look old, our first instinct is to go back to doing the same things we did in our youth. For some, that means dressing like they did years earlier – or trying to dress like younger men and women today.

That’s not a good look on a grown-up who is getting older. At the same time, you don’t want to look like your grandfather because you’re not p-to-date with current fashion trends for your appropriate age group.

Frumpy, comfortable clothes are something most people enjoy during relaxing moments at home – and we even develop our favorites that we don’t get rid of (even when we should).

But it will help you look and feel younger if you get some help updating your wardrobe so that you knock off several years and start dressing to impress. This doesn’t mean you need deep pockets to go buy dozens of outfits.

Start with the color of most of your clothes. You want to go with earth tones – but not head to toe beige. That leaves you looking frumpy. Use warm earth tones, and accent with a bit more color.

As you age, you don’t want to try competing with the 20-year olds who are wearing neon pinks and yellows. Just make sure it looks elegant and warm, not too drab and not too flashy.

Update your accessories. If you’re still wearing clunky plastic jewelry from the 80s, it’s time to invest in an updated look. Again, you don’t want to start wearing rubberband bracelets like all the kids do, but something attractive and timeless is perfect.

How long are your skirts? Do they all come down to your ankles? Or have you gone to the other extreme and are barely covering your butt with a too-short miniskirt? Find a skirt that comes right below your knees so that your legs are showing, but it’s in a tasteful manner.

Protect Your Dental Health as You Age

Your teeth are something you should never neglect. Not only do they worsen with age, but they can cause all sorts of other health issues if you don’t take care of them properly.

It’s not all about whitening, although that’s one of the first things that come to mind when they think in terms of anti aging. You’re worried about coffee stains, and that’s relevant – but it goes deeper than that!

There’s recently been evidence that poor dental care can cause memory problems as well as heart issues if you’re not careful, so it pays to give your teeth a little TLC.

The best thing you can do is keep your dentist appointments. Every 6 months, you should go in for a cleaning and have your doctor look for any signs of decay that he can repair where the enamel has worn down.

As for a self care routine, make sure you take good care of your teeth at home. You should always brush your teeth after eating. Sugary foods are notorious for leaving residue on your teeth that eats away at your tooth enamel.

When you brush, do it for 2 full minutes – and make sure you add flossing to your regular routine of tooth care. Flossing is what will help protect your heart because it removes harmful bacteria from entering your bloodstream from bleeding gums.

As we age, our teeth become more brittle due to ways that we’ve lacked attention to them (like decay). So if you notice things like grinding during the night, go to your doctor for a device that can help prevent that. The last thing you want is to have chipped teeth.

If you want to whiten your teeth, you can certainly do that safely using an over the counter remedy. Watch out for online mixtures that people tout as a way to get white teeth instantly through bleaching.

This can put your teeth at risk, so you want to go with a formula that’s been professionally prepared. Your dentist can also whiten your teeth for you, but this can get expensive if you’re on a tight budget.

Adjust Your Makeup for a Youthful Glow

If you’re a woman who wears makeup, you’ll need to adjust it as you grow older. Even in your 30s and 40s, it’s time to start making changes from your 20s. It’s weird, but the way makeup looks best on you almost comes in a complete circle.

As a very young woman, minimal is best. A little lip gloss, a dash of light blush… But over time we start getting more daring with bold, red lips and darker eyeliner with eye shadow that pops.

This is usually where we stay until one day we realize we have started to look harsh. There’s no other way to put it – makeup that’s too much, or too bold makes you look older.

So just as you did when you first started wearing makeup, you go back to a more natural look – something that brings your youthful glow to the surface. Part of the reason makeup starts to look different is because your skin changes.

In your earlier years, your skin might have been oily, so you used foundation for oily skin – paired with powder that concealed the oil from your face throughout the day.

But if your skin has become more and more dehydrated and wrinkles are beginning to show around your eyes and mouth, it’s time to ditch the powder and go with a foundation that has a dewy appearance.

Of course, moisturizer with SPF should be applied even before your foundation. After your base coat of foundation, sans the powder, apply your makeup in natural tones.

Now is not the time for bright blue eye shadow and hot pink or red lipstick. Peachy or light neutral, warm tones are perfect for grown women who want to capture their youthful look.

Watch the tones, but also watch how much makeup you apply. Caking on a thick layer of blush, even in a peach tone, will look bad if you lay it on too thick. Go back to your natural roots. It will take some time to get used to, but it will knock years off your appearance.

Beauty and skincare is something that evolves over time. From the moment we begin taking care of ourselves and styling our own hair, picking out our own clothes, and apply make-up to the day when it’s time to recognize we need a makeover – it can be a fun process if you let it!

Fight Back Against Age-Related Disease and Improve Your Longevity

Anti aging isn’t just about fixing wrinkles and finding something to cover graying hair. It’s about living life as long as you can – but not just any life – one that’s full of activity and enjoyment.

No one wants to live forever if it means they’re plagued with horrible diseases that interrupt their quality of living. No matter what age or gender you are right now – or what your current state of health is – you can turn back the hands of time by address some of the common aging health issues you might face.

Heart Attacks, High Blood Pressure and Strokes

Cardiovascular health is a topic that combines the potential for heart attacks, strokes, and high blood pressure. While technically different, these three issues are severe – and can be treated in much the same way.

When your heart doesn’t get enough blood and oxygen due to a blockage and the heart withers and dies off. It’s one of the top reasons why men and women die, but it’s preventable!

Plaque build-up is what causes you to have a heart attack, so to prevent this, you have to do things that help flush out plaque from your coronary arteries. Diet and exercise will work best.

Change your diet to one full of vegetables, fruits, nuts and whole grains. If you eat meat, make sure it’s lean – not fatty. Keep your dairy low-fat, too – including cheeses, yogurt and milk.

Stop smoking, too. Even secondhand smoke can contribute to you developing heart disease. Smoking constricts your blood flow, making it harder for your heart to get oxygen.

High blood pressure isn’t just something that affects the heart – it affects most other organs inside of your body. It’s the pressure of force that your blood has against the walls of your arteries.

You can fight this aging disease by implementing a healthy regimen in terms of both food and exercise. Cut salt from your diet as much as possible and get your weight down to a healthy level if you’re obese.

Strokes are similar to heart attacks. A heart attack happens when oxygenated blood doesn’t reach the heart and it dies off – and the same is true for a stroke, only the part dying off is your brain.

Some strokes are caused by blood clots, so it’s imperative that you start exercising to prevent it from happening to you as you age. Other strokes are caused by a rupture in a blood vessel – but both are due to a lack of blood flow, so you want to use exercise and diet to prevent plaque and keep your blood flowing safely throughout your body.

Diabetes

Diabetes has traditionally been something that affects an aging population – in terms of adult-set Type II diabetes. But as the years have gone by and obesity has become a plague, there are more younger cases of diabetes development.

The first thing you want to do is know your risk. If you’re overweight, if your family has a history of diabetes, or if you’re a sedentary person, then you’re at increased risk for developing this disease.

Make sure you have your doctor test for diabetes, because some people will develop it even if they’re at a normal, healthy weight. You might not show many obvious symptoms of it, such as extreme thirst, lethargy, or increased hunger.

How can you fight back against diabetes? If you haven’t developed it yet, then you’ll do the same things you would to protect your body against heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure – eat a healthy diet and get up and start moving!

Because diabetes has an all-over effect on your body, it can speed up the aging process. You want to nip it in the bud as soon as possible. If you already have diabetes, work on getting yourself to a state where medication isn’t necessary – essentially reversing this disease and putting an end to your hasty aging process.

One scary fact is that researchers are now saying that for the very first time in history, children could have a shorter life expectancy than their parents – all thanks to the onslaught of the sheer number of diabetes diagnoses.

If you’ve already been diagnosed, then take steps to keep your health intact as much as possible. Wear comfortable shoes, for example. Diabetics often have problems with their feet – and you don’t want it to get to the point of an amputation or infection.

Start watching for other diseases that are brought on due to the effect diabetes has had on the rest of your body. You don’t want to be so caught up in diabetes management that you don’t realize you’re experiencing symptoms of another age-related disease.

Cancer

There are many forms of cancer, but one thing that is almost a constant among them all is that your risk for development increases as you age. There are many ways you can handle this sad fact – from preventative measures to being vigilant for signs and symptoms.

The earlier you detect any kind of cancer, the better your chances are for survival. So it’s imperative that you watch for things, such as with skin cancer – when you’re on the lookout for a mole that is changing shape.

With skin cancer, you want to be wearing sunscreen on a regular basis. Even if you’re just going to the grocery store in the middle of the day, the rays will enter through your car’s windshield and affect your skin.

Have a head to toe inspection by a dermatologist who can take a peek at places you might not always see, like your back or scalp. They can tell you if anything looks suspicious and remove it before it becomes dangerous.

Screenings are very important. As you age, you will have different screening recommendations to follow. Make sure you adhere to these schedules:

In your twenties and thirties, get screened for cervical cancer. Other cancer screenings might start to take place at this age due to hereditary factors, so make sure you know your family history.

In your forties, mammogram screenings should start taking place to look for signs of breast cancer. Of course, you should be doing frequent self exams on your breasts to spot changes, too.

In your fifties, prostate and colon cancer screenings come into play. Both men and women will have colon cancer screenings. Doctors vary on how often they provide screenings, but make sure it’s in line with your peace of mind.

What are some ways you can stave off cancer? It all boils down to the same healthy habits – good nutrition and good exercise. Implement those into your life and you’ll decrease your chances of getting cancer.

In the nutrition portion, make sure you’re eating plenty of foods rich in antioxidants. Look for a rainbow in the produce department – meaning, select foods that cover the spectrum of colors – red radishes or tomatoes, blueberries, yellow squash, and green pears.

Stop smoking if you are smoking, and if you’re around someone else’s smoke, try to create an environment where you don’t have to breathe in someone else’s bad habit.

Dementia

There are different levels of forgetfulness. Temporarily misplacing your keys is nothing to be alarmed about. Then there is a level where you have a very mild impairment of the mental capacities. And finally, full blown cognitive failure such as Alzheimer’s disease.

The simple forgetfulness like misplacing something is what happens to everyone from time to time. It’s just that, when you were 18 and forgot where you placed your keys, you didn’t panic – because you weren’t thinking about it being something more worrisome.

Dementia is reserved for individuals who have an alarming loss of function with their mind. For example, if you go to your favorite mall and suddenly you can’t find your way around, it’s a sign of dementia.

If you keep asking the same questions or telling the same tales like you’re on a loop, then it’s a sign that something could be wrong. Some dementia patients fail to take proper care of themselves – they don’t eat, bathe or groom themselves properly.

What causes a loss of memory? New evidence is coming out every day, but there are certain things that contribute to a more likely diagnosis, such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.

Genetics play an important role, too. If family members have suffered from dementia, then there’s a strong possibility that you will, too. You want to be on alert for signs that it’s occurring and male a plan while you’re still cognizant.

Some of the recent research shows that many things affect your chances of developing some form of dementia, including:

Dental health
Fried or grilled foods
Stress and depression
Isolation

You want to work on exercising your brain the way you exercise your body. Play strategic games or do puzzles that put your mind to work. Embark on a continuing education journey where you’re always stretching your mind to learn more.

Osteoarthritis and Osteoporosis

The prefix osteo means “of or relating to the bones,” so let’s talk about aging diseases that can affect your bones – and how you can prevent or alleviate the symptoms.

Osteoporosis is more widely known in terms of aging bone diseases. It’s when your bones become brittle and fragile, resulting in more possible fractures. There is a bone density scan that can tell you if you already have osteoporosis – but most people rely on a fracture to bring it to their attention.

Early warning signs might include withering in size (getting shorter because your bones are causing you to walked in a stooped over position), fractures, and aches and pains.

What can you do to prevent it? Stop smoking for one. Make sure you get plenty of vitamin D and calcium – and even though you’re worried about fractures, exercise!

With osteoarthritis, which is a chronic and debilitating painful disease, you’ll have bones that cause friction, pain and sometimes immobility to some degree. If you’re overweight, it increases your odds of developing this disease, but genetics also play a role.

Work on strengthening your core, getting your weight at a healthy level, and exercising each day. If it becomes painful, don’t overdo it – you don’t want to put more pressure on your joints than what your body will allow.

Eyes, Ears and Mouth

Part of your anti aging regimen should be to pay close attention to your eyesight, hearing and dental health. Not only should your dentist be doing regular cleanings and repair, but he or she should adequately screen under the tongue for cancer.

Your eyesight will degenerate to some degree, but hopefully it’s just a matter of you needing reading glasses once you hit 40 years old. Other aging individuals will experience things like cataracts or macular degenerative disorder.

Diabetes can wreak havoc on your eyes, and glaucoma and dry eyes are other issues you might have to endure. The best treatment for this is a healthy weight – and regular eye exams.

Hearing loss is something that people joke about in terms of aging, but there’s nothing humorous about not feeling like you can understand and communicate with people anymore.

The Hearing Loss Association of America says that by age 65, one out of every three people has significant hearing loss. How can you prevent it, though? Start with any medications you might be taking.

Everything from aspirin to antibiotics and intense chemo meds can cause a certain amount of hearing loss. You also want to keep noise to a minimum, even if it’s on the job noise. Wear earplugs to protect your hearing.

Get tested for your hearing. You never want to sacrifice your quality of life by being too stubborn to don a set of hearing aids. The ones they have today are so discreet, no one ever needs to know that you’re wearing them.