How can I avoid wrinkles?
I am 27 years old. I have spent many summers working out in the sun. I notice that I already have lines on my forehead. I want to prevent further wrinkles so that I can look as young as possible. What products should I use? Help!!
Ok, here’s the skinny on what I’ve done and it’s worked amazingly well…I’m also not a fan of Botox so here’s what I do.
1. I started using Retina-A which is a product derived from vitamin A. It’s by prescription only but I was able to get it from my normal doctor without having to go through a dermatologist. You can get the generic version which, for me is not covered by insurance. There’s three different strengths (cost ~40 but the tube has lasted me over 3 months at a time. Now this doesn’t take away the deep wrinkles but it makes your skin look very youthful. It does however take away fine wrinkles and helps keep new ones from forming, it also REALLY lightens the sunspots from sun damage. Now with that said, sunscreen is a must. Nutragena makes an SPF 45 that protects against UVA/UVB and smells really pleasant.
2. Eating right is a must but but not always realistic. So I also take Flaxseed oil and a multivitamin everyday just to keep my skin hydrated and my body healthy.The flaxseed is filled with different types omega’s that skin craves. Also drinking water is always highly recommended. I live in a really dry cold climate so it’s an essential in the winter.
3. Do you sleep on your belly, side or back. I didn’t realize but wrinkles can be caused by your sleeping position. I sleep on my side and hate to sleep on my back, I’m not sure I can adjust just yet but I’m working on it. I read people who sleep on their belly’s (mostly men) get wrinkles on their foreheads while side sleepers get wrinkles on their cheeks and eyes. Another idea is to purchase Frownies. Look into them if your interested because they do work. I had a pretty bad 11 between my eyebrows, I use them at night and they took it away. They are these little pads, you wet one side and stick it to your forehead, it keeps you from making using those muscles that encourage the wrinkles. The foreheads are the most comfortable. Frownies.com sells them for 20 bucks a box (144 pads) but I got them off the internet for 14 or so. The down side of this is you can’t stop using them or the lines will come back. They make them for the side of the mouth and eyes but I think those are really uncomfortable to sleep in, not to mention it looks a little silly. I also read using a satin pillowcase is much better than cotton to help with those sleep wrinkles.
4. If you love to exercise then here’s one for you. Growth hormones really help keep skin young looking, but around the age 27ish it really starts to taper off. Now you can buy supplements but I would stay away from them. One way to increase your growth hormones is to exercise above your target heartrate ~85 % for 10 minutes three times a week (exercising in your THR does not increase this hormone). One great way is on a treadmill or jogging. My routine is a 5 minute warm up then jog for 20 minutes at my target heart rate then 2 minutes of walking followed by a minute or two running at ~85%, I do this on and off for about 10 to 20 minutes. There’s all sorts of ways to figure out your heart rate if you don’t already know. Just do an online search and you’ll find a million calculators. Anyways the research has shown that a person can increase their growth hormone levels by 534% by increasing their VO2 max (which I just described). I read this hormone is released when you are sleeping so it’s also important to get enough hours of rest in too. Apparently supplements can not increase it this much. Another way of increasing your VO2 is by weight training, It too has profound effects on this hormone. Circuit training with weights will really get that heart pumping as I’m sure you know.
Anyways hope this helps, I’m 33 and have spent a tone of time in the sun in my earlier years. My approach to wrinkes after much research is to not only take care of the outside but taking care of the inside I believe gives you much more bang for the buck. So far I’ve helped reverse the aging process more than I’ve expected not too mention fit in to jeans that were unthinkable for the last 5 years!
-good luck!!
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