These days the market is flooded with anti-aging products from serums to sprays to pills, so it can be a daunting task to figure out which treatments are necessary to ward off the early signs of aging. But there are three basic, simple things you can start doing today to keep your skin healthy.
- Moisturize Since a lot of women struggle with occasional bouts of acne, we often overdry our skin when preventing and treating breakouts. But you can hydrate your skin without clogging your pores. Keep your skin as hydrated as possible by using an oil-free moisturizer with an SPF in the morning, and then a moisturizing gel or hyaluronic acid serum in the evening to lock in as much moisture as possible while you sleep.
To see two more ways to start preventing the early signs of aging, read more.
- Exfoliate If you aren't exfoliating, you're not putting your best face forward. Removing the superficial layer of dead skin cells from your face can help with everything from acne to fine lines. A highly effective choice is an at-home microdermabrasion treatment done once a week.
- Sunscreen You already know that wearing sunscreen keeps your skin healthy. But for you sun worshippers out there, I want to remind you what the sun really does to your skin. A suntan is your body's response to injury caused by prolonged exposure to UV rays. This exposure irreversibly alters the structure of the DNA in your skin cells. When this happens, the injured cells can mutate and divide uncontrollably, which is how skin cancer forms. Protecting your skin from the sun is as much about your health as it is about beauty. Almost every moisturizer on the market these days contains some sort of SPF, so no more excuses! If you're on a budget, try the L'Oreal Oil Free Moisturizer SPF 15 ($10).
Christian Dior
Cath Kidston
Zucca
Great ideas! I've been trying to moisturize and use sunscreen more and hopefully it'll help my skin down the road.
1This year I am really trying hard to take care fo my skin! No tanning beds, always wearing sunscreen, no going to bed with my make-up on! So far it's paying off too!
2VERY important...
3i am totally with you on the no tanning thing, bella! i am very fair-skinned and my dad has had skin cancer so i am sporting the natural look. however, a lot of people give me crap about being pale in the summertime. i use l'oreal self-tanner but it seems to get blotchy every once in a while. are you planning on doing a post on sunless tanners soon to help those of us who choose not to tan?
4Great ideas, I have been using sunscreen since I was 12-Oil Olay. LOL, it was my moms.
5I now need to go check and see if the products I bought ensure what you've said above. Weird that this is in the press so much lately, I just started buying moisturizing stuff as my face was really dry lately. I always have used something but not the right things....
6People just look better with a tan. Thank god for sunless tanning products!
7I moisturize and use SPF EVERY day (2 in 1) and i wash my face twice a day with an all natural facial coal soap. (i dont know if it actually works but I bought it, i might as well use it all.
Bella, can u recommend an AT HOME microdermabrasion kit? has anyone tried any?
8Sunscreen with Mexoryl is the way to go
9I already do all of these things for the most part. I try to remember to moisturize on a normal basis, but I sometimes skip (which is bad esp. because my moisturizer has spf) because my skin is so acne prone.
10i use neutrogena oil-free moisturizer with spf 15 and sheer tint- i love it- i have been using it for year. if gives a hint of color, moisturizes AND protects.
11It pays off, girls! You'll thank yourself in 10 years!
I have never stopped moisturizing since I was 18 I think...
I just do it EVERYDAY!
Don't forget the eye area also.
I have had hormonal acne for.. ever! And it has never stopped me from moisturizing, I just had to find the right products for me, the ones that didn't make it worse (oil-free formula).
It's never too late to start!
12I'm all for sunscreen and I use it BUT never have I heard any comments about putting all these chemicals on your body everyday. Why eat organic or vegan to avoid pesticides then put on sunscreen. Just curious what other have to say.
13I'm glad to hear that not tanning will pay off down the road. I just stopped a year ago, but it's hard to adjust to and I hate how ghostly pale I look now. And I haven't found bronzer or a self-tanner that looks natural on pale skin. How can you look fresh and pale?
14I dont think the loreal sunscreen protects well enough from UVA (the aging, tanning, collagen-obliterating rays) since ensulizole is a weak UVA filter, and octocrylene is only a UVB (burning rays) filter. I think the best bet is something with mexoryl or helioplex, those protect much much better. Also, retinoids are key to antiaging skincare, they're the only things actually proven many times over to prevent and repair wrinkles (i.e., like retinol and retin A). Moisturized skin doesnt prevent aging, it just keeps skin looking plump.
15I do all of these things! Woot! And I have been doing since I was 16 or 17
I definitely prefer the natural pale look, and like missbecca, I do get some crap in the summer for not being tan, but I'm laughing myself all the way to a relatively
wrinkle- and skin cancer-free future.
I don't agree with fleurfairy, though - I certainly don't look better with a tan, natural (= perpetual reddish cast) or from a bottle (= mega-orange). Not all people do. It's cool.
16I've been doing all 3 of those things since I was 13! Maybe that will help prevent those nasty wrinkles when I age. I'm all for preventing instead of trying to fix them once the wrinkles arrive.
17Hi ur momm for micro dermabrasion I HIGHLY recommend a product that I have been using since 2002 that has made a huged difference in my skin. Its called Youthful Essence - I am sure you have seen the infomertials on TV (youthfulessence.com). Its a battery operated machine with a a nozzle that has a sponge that you dip into a cream that is very finely granulated. You then turn the machine on and massage the cream all over your face then wash it off. Your skin will look all polished, smooth, glowing. I now get soooo many compliments on my skin. Neutrogena now makes the same product so you can buy it at any pharmacy. I personally prefer the cream that comes with the Youthful Essence machine. Also you just need to use it twice a week. I also apply vitamin e oil( you can buy it at a Vitmain Shoppe) and your skin will look great.
18thanks so much cristina, i may check that out
19i moisturize daily and exfoliate a few times a week. i've gotten better with the sunblock though i really only use it on weekends in the warm weather when i know i might be outside. cause really- right now i drive to work and the sun is barely up and i drive home and the sun is on its way down. i see very little daylight lol and i have yet to find a sunblock for my face that i like.
actually bella- i'm going to mexico in 2 months and i need a good strong facial sunblock with an spf between 30 and 45 that isn't greasy and won't clog my pores and is a good texture- can you do a post?!!
20my biggest problem is tanning.
21Megln1022 — I would seek out La Roche-Posay Anthelios. It's what I use every day and I LOVE it. It's photostable, blocks UVA and UVB, and doesn't have that greasy feel. plus, it absorbs quickly and doesn't cause acne. I would seek it out online — the version sold in the US is only SPF 15, but you can get SPF 30 and higher from Canadian shops. MAC also makes Prep + Prime SPF 50, which is what Dita Von Teese uses, but I'm not sure if it is photostable or not. Have fun in Mexico!
22thanks bella!!
23what in the world does "photostable" mean?
24i don't know...i used to love tanning but fell in love with scarlett johansson and her attitude of "pale & curvy & proud of it". now, i'm a lot better in regards to taking care of my white irish skin
25i've fully embraced my pastiness. viva SPF 45!
26i am 13 and i wear sunscreen EVERY DAY. It was actually bella that convinced me to. All my friends call me crazy, and make fun of me. but thats ok :]
27and i moisturize twice a day, more if my skin is dry, and in the winter. and i exfoliate once a week.
28great tips. I moisturize daily and exfoliate two or three times a week
29I moisturize and (other than a brief year in college) I've been really good about sunscreen... but the exfoliation has been a problem. I'm super fair (esp now that I keep away all that damaging sun) and every time I start up a regime of any microderm I feel like after a few weeks my face is red and chemical burned. I don't leave it on long and I don't push very hard. I have tried the drugstore L'Oreal kit and tried that, and I've tried the philosophy microderm cleanser and the microdem weekly kits. I am trying to cut down to nothing (my face has been freaking out) and am down to cetaphyl (rather than anything stronger) and olay moisturizer with sunscreen.
I have always liked how my face felt right after (polished, smooth) and how the moisturizer part went on all creamy afterward... but ultimately red/burned face is bad and I need to start respecting that aftereffect and find a better balance.
30Using microdermabrasion too frequently will age you. The microderm is actually making mircroscopic tears in your skin so that new skin in generated quickly to help heal the wound. It will smooth out your skin with fresh new skin, HOWEVER over doing it with microderm can cause hyperpigmentation and loss of elasticity and collagen. I am a licensed esthetician and personally totally disagree with the philosophy of microderm. I don't think you should have to hurt your skin to make it better... You need to love your skin to make it better! Vitamin A and also Vitamin C is amazing to help with aging. I put Vit C in almost all of my skin care products. It brightens your skin to even out your complexion and also helps rebuild collagen so you remain nice and plump!
31do yo have any specific anti aging products that work well?
32That is so smart. I exfoliate like once or twice a week and moisturize everyday. Lately i have been using a moisturizer with a SPF 15 (Clean & Clear Soft Daily Moisturizer SPF 15) but I was wondering, does anyone know a good (non-expensive) moisturizer with a longer SPF than 15?
33I am bad with moisturizing, but I am definitely getting better. I have a bunch of different kinds of moisturizer, and in the winter when I am not outside often, I don't do sunscreen. In the summer, I use a moisturizer with sunscreen in it. I don't do microderm, but I exfoliate with sugar and it is a godsend! My mom uses Youthful Essence microderm kit, and she looks great and loves it. I have tried it as well, and I will definitely be using something similar when I get older.
34I just wanted to point out that when it comes to exfoliant scrubs, those with the microbeads in them are not good for the environment (with one or two exceptions). They are essentially tiny pieces of plastic that are washed back into our waterways where they stay forever, and are often consumed by ocean life with fatal results.
Bella, maybe you could do a post about which scrubs use organic beads, and which use toxic ones?
35Ok--I never post anything but I am so excited to report that something is actually doing what it says it does--I feel like I have to report it!
36I'm 37, have been noticing a few lines here & there around my eyes, laugh lines & forehead. I've been using moisturizer with spf in it for a few years in hopes of warding off any new lines.
I did kiehls, chanel, sonya dakar, etc. I thought the most expensive was gonna do it. Recently in a daze in a Duane Reade i bought the cheap stuff--Neutrogena. I bought the Anti-Oxidant age reverse night cream, eye cream & day lotion w/ SPF 20. I can honestly say nothing has ever worked so quickly or so well! Radiant skin. Beautiful even tone--plumper skin. I almost didn't want to share & then I fought my inner cattiness & starting writing. Try it if you want--won't bother me! he he!
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