As the years roll by, you may expect to find the face looking back at you from the mirror to gradually sag, wrinkle, and roughen. In general, you accept that you may have to watch helplessly as the vibrancy and vitality of youth slips away.
The idea of getting older is not an idea most people love and wanting to look ones best with age is important to many. Everyone craves beautiful skin! Whether it’s a flawless complexion and radiant shine or simply feeling your skin looks as good as you feel. In our modern society, this often comes at a cost, both financial and potentially to your health.
The financial opportunity presented by this seemingly inevitable decline has not gone unnoticed and, as a result, there are entire stores stocked with the numerous pills, potions, and creams created to fight the effects of aging on your skin. Add to that the plethora of treatments, potions, fillers and injectables that have become widely popular by movie stars, social media influencers, and stay-at-home moms alike. Non-surgical facial procedures are also a burgeoning trend with younger folks looking to prevent wrinkles from forming in the future.
There are many healthier ways to care for your skin that are more in alignment with your Paleo lifestyle. Some lifestyle tweaks, treatments and specially selected personal care products can still provide a youthful glow and support slowing down the signs of aging.
If superficial solutions seem insufficient, you can always consult a recommended plastic surgeon who can simply nip and tuck your offending epidermis back in line.
A Paleo Lifestyle
What is often missed in the anti-aging conversation is the impact of diet and lifestyle on the aging process.
Natural beauty comes from within. Eat real, unprocessed, local, seasonal well-sourced food. Drink clean water and plenty of it. Move your body. Reduce your stress. Get plenty of sleep. These Paleo lifestyle basics will help build a solid foundation for vibrant living which will show up on your face and in your skin.
According to some estimates, the average American consumes 22 teaspoons of sugar each and every day, the vast majority coming by way of high-fructose corn-syrup sweetened soft drinks and snacks. It is relatively common knowledge that this can lead to diabetes and heart disease, but few consider the effect this can have on your face.
Inside the body, the effect of sugar is very destructive. Sugar molecules are highly reactive and when they come in contact with the protein collagen. They quickly attach themselves to the collagen in a process called glycation. Collagen is the major structural component of skin and other connective tissues and this attachment can lead to an accelerated degradation of the collagen matrix in the skin, and the body in general.
Once bonded with sugar, collagen becomes weak and fragile, forming compounds known as Advanced Glycation End Products (appropriately abbreviated as AGEs). Without its collagen scaffolding, skin has no choice but to sag.
It has been shown that with every 1mm increase in sugar per liter of blood, a person’s perceived age can appear to increase by five months.
Fortunately, a well-formulated Paleo diet low in processed sugars and refined carbohydrates keeps blood sugar levels in check, slowing down the formation of excess AGEs reversing process of accelerated skin aging.
Collagen and Bone Broth
Adding collagen to your diet can help slow down the aging process and make your skin look smoother. Collagen provides elasticity to the skin, helping it to appear more youthful and healthier. Bone broth is rich in amino acids and promotes collagen production, meaning it could help keep your skin youthful-looking. Incorporate collagen, gelatin and bone broth into your daily routine to keep skin looking smooth and firm and reducing wrinkles
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Sunscreen
Sun damaged skin ages faster. Protect your skin with a good quality sunscreen every day. Be sure to check out the EWG’s SkinDeep Database to determine how your current sunscreen rates for safety. Choosing a tinted moisturizer with SPF or simply ensuring your skin is well protected with sunscreen made with safer ingredients whenever you venture out will go a long way to maintaining a younger-looking complexion.
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Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion is a minimally invasive procedure used to renew overall skin tone and texture. It is one of the more recent skin-care techniques to have crossed over to the mainstream and is being advanced as an "instant facelift" -- an effective alternative to costlier and more invasive procedures like plastic surgery, chemical peels and injections.
Microdermabrasion is great for treating pore size, hyperpigmentation, acne scars, fine lines and wrinkles. During the facial, an exfoliating tool is used to gently sand the skin, removing the thicker, uneven outer layer.
Repeated microdermabrasion treatment at regular intervals may influence the way the lower layers of skin grow, as well, removing deeper blemishes over time.
Microcurrent Facials
Microcurrent facials are one of the latest innovations to spark a conversation.
This beauty treatment uses electricity to promote cell growth in skin. The procedure is non-invasive, injection-free, and painless
Microcurrent is a low-level electrical current that simulates that of your own cellular bio-electrical output. This low-level energy helps stimulate the muscles of the face and neck increasing muscle tone and keeping your complexion firm and taut. Microcurrent facials are a non-invasive way of reigniting the muscle and keeping them plump and active. Microcurrent facials tighten and smooth the muscles and connective tissues in the face by increasing cellular activity, and have been shown to reduce wrinkles, mostly around the forehead area. They will also boost collagen and elastin production along with ATP, the fuel that cells need to function, by up to 500%.
Microneedling
Microneedling (also known as collagen induction therapy or microchanneling) is a natural treatment that helps rejuvenate the skin without surgery. The treatment uses a dermapen with 12 microneedles that penetrate the skin with a series of vertical “stamps”. The body recognizes that there’s been local trauma to the skin and during the healing process more collagen, elastin, growth factors, and fibrin are released into the area. Microneedling is used to reduce the appearance of dark spots, lines and wrinkles and acne scars and create a firmer, more toned appearance to the skin. It can also lessen dark circles, improve complexion and provide a natural glow to the face. While microneedling is a bit more invasive than microdermabrasion, it is an extremely effective way to stimulate the growth of collagen, helping fight and prevent the signs of aging
Red Light Therapy
The benefit of red-light therapy for the skin is supported by a robust amount of clinical data. Red light therapy (RLT) uses red low-level wavelengths of light to treat skin issues, such as wrinkles, scars, and persistent wounds, among other conditions. Some benefits of daily red-light therapy include increased collagen production, decrease in appearance of scars, decreased inflammation in the skin, and fading of sun damage.
Gua Sha
Facial gua sha is a massage technique designed to relieve tension in the muscles of the face, boost blood circulation and encourage lymphatic drainage to banish bloat. It helps break up fascia (the connective tissue that hugs muscles but can sometimes interfere with optimal circulation) and can even help to make your face look slimmer (albeit temporarily). Devotees swear by its ability to ward off headaches and jaw pain and brighten skin (due to the boost in circulation). It reduces inflammation, clears congestion, relaxes and smooths muscles, and improves elasticity of the skin. Some even consider it a Botox alternative for its ability to unkink settled-in muscle folds.
Safer Skin Care Products
What you put on your skin matters. It matters a lot. Luckily, there are now companies who are providing safer options for those who are concerned about what’s in personal care products To keep your skin looking its best, use clean beauty products made with safe ingredients that have been tested and are assured to not harm your skin, or your body. Since the chemicals added into many traditional beauty products are directly absorbed through our skin into our bloodstream, it’s very important to pay attention to the ingredients in our skincare. That’s especially true if you’re struggling to improve your skin!
Beautycounter is our all-time favorite safer skincare line because of their dedication to safer, contaminant-tested and high-performance skincare products. They are the skincare company for the person who cares about their skin AND cares about health and does not want to make sacrifices in either.
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For anti-aging, you need to do 3 things: exfoliate, hydrate, and nourish. A great way to exfoliate at home is with this overnight resurfacing peel. Hydrate and nourish with their newest skincare - Countertime Collection which features their own safer alternative to Retinol.
Embrace Aging
Aging is a natural part of life that everyone goes through and, on some level, needs to accept. This does not mean lying down and letting it all fall apart around you. Encourage yourself, however, to embrace every season in life and recognize that aging is inevitable. Eventually everyone will get wrinkles and grow older. Letting go of the attachments to youthful beauty can help you to embrace the more meaningful benefits of getting older. This acceptance can help you live a happier, more content life as you get older because you’re not obsessing about what you look like.
Slowing down the incessant forward march of time doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, if you are already following the Paleo diet and lifestyle you are already following the “Anti-Aging Protocol”.