Nnenna Okoye: What You Need to Know About Anti-Ageing & Why You Should Start Now!

When it comes to a woman’s beauty, the appearance of ageing is a huge concern. I know some friends of mine struggle with fine lines already and they really are not happy about it, just like a lot of you.

But there are many things you can do in order to prevent the early signs of ageing, and even things you can do now to slow down the inevitable. Thankfully I had someone who shared with me early enough, the things to do when it comes to ageing, and I’d love to share them with you.

I hope you find this helpful as I share tips on what causes ageing, how to avoid them for long enough, when you should start anti-ageing treatments, and how to treat signs of ageing.

Enjoy!

When should you start ageing prevention
Preventing ageing is something that is fairly unknown to many people, buy slathering moisturizing creams, lotions & scrubs on your face when you already have wrinkles and other signs of ageing, won’t offer much help. This is why you should never wait until you’re past the point of getting wrinkles before doing something about them. You should start taking preventive measures against ageing at the very least at the age of 28.

When you turn 28, your skin is still young enough to withstand wrinkles, and starting an anti-ageing regime at this point helps keep wrinkles away for longer.

What causes signs of ageing
There are actually many different elements in our environment that affect the way our skin matures. Not only are there outside influences, but genetics also plays a large role in this as well.

1. Dryness: The main thing that causes signs of ageing is dryness. Many people have very dry skin and they don’t even know it – especially those with very oily skin. This may sound weird, but even people with oily skin can have dry skin, because most of the oils you see on the surface is overcompensation for the dryness of your skin.

The Fix: Keep your skin moisturized at all times. Always apply a moisturizer after washing your face (and toning) in order to reverse the dryness of your cleanser. I know first-hand that whenever my skin even remotely gets wet, the skin starts to feel tight and dry afterwards. Locking in moisture not only keeps your skin looking supple, but it also helps your skin cells become rejuvenated.

2. Harsh Chemicals: Unfortunately, many of the harsh chemicals that are in cleansers nowadays do a number on the health of your skin – and not in a good way! These chemicals often strip your face of the natural oils used in preventing wrinkles, and leave it dry and damaged!

The Fix: Some chemicals are absolutely beneficial for your skin – I’ll be the first to tell you that. But what I’ve found that works best is using products that are mostly natural and only use chemicals that are designed for a specific purpose. For me Retinol is my go-to ingredient in any anti-ageing product I use.

3. Smoking: This is also a really big part of early ageing for many women. The amount of toxins found in cigarettes can cause so many wrinkles, and that is a leading cause of women looking older than they actually are.

The Fix: Quit! It’s as simple as that.

4. Alcohol: As much as we all love our wine nights, alcohol has a big impact on ageing us. It is extremely dehydrating, and hydration is so important in keeping your skin looking younger.

The Fix: Keep your drinking under control. I’m definitely not saying stop drinking altogether because let’s be real, that’s just not going to happen! Limiting yourself to only drinking a few glasses a week, and only drinking in excess every once in a while, will ensure that alcohol will have little effect on the ageing of your skin.

5. The Sun: Although you probably are aware of this already, the sun can cause early signs of ageing. When you get sun burns, it causes your skin to work hard in order to protect itself – which eventually wear down your protective barrier. Not just that, it also dries out your skin.

The Fix: Avoiding the sun is just not an option, clearly. The best way to prevent this kind of damage is to wear SPF on your face every day. I wear sunscreen every single day of my life, and I try not to wear anything less than SPF50.

How to treat signs of ageing

Moisturize
The best way to really combat your wrinkles is to moisturize your skin. And I’m not just talking about topically, either. Moisture starts from within. Drinking lots of water a day will work miracles on your skin and you’ll notice a difference within a week!

Face Masks
Face masks that are meant to tone and tighten your skin are a great option. One mask that I’ve found to work particularly well is an egg white mask with lemon. Mix egg whites in a bowl and add lemon juice, then apply a thin layer to your face. Once dry (it’ll feel tight) just rinse off with Luke-warm water. The egg will firm your skin and the lemon will give you a bright, radiant youthful glow!

Exfoliation
This includes both manual and chemical exfoliation. Another way to get rid of wrinkles and fine lines is by exfoliating. You can either exfoliate manually or chemically.

The difference is that manual exfoliation has to do with literally scrubbing dead skin cells off your face with a facial scrub, and chemical exfoliation is when you use products that contain certain kinds of acids like Glycolic acid, that break down dead skin cells and leave you with a glow.

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That’s about it! So guys, make sure you take things seriously and start early to slow down the process of ageing. This way, when you’re in your 50’s you’ll be living proof that ‘Age is nothing but a number’.

Till next time!

Photo Credit: Dreamstime/Lthomas57