Content
The premature aging of the skin happens when, in addition to the natural aging caused by age, there is an acceleration of the formation of flaccidity, wrinkles and spots, which can happen as a consequence of life habits and environmental factors, for example.
So, to avoid premature aging and keep the skin of the face and body firmer and hydrated for a longer time, it is recommended to focus on attitudes such as eating a diet rich in vegetables, drinking lots of fluids, always removing makeup and cleaning and skin, for example, because in addition to increasing the levels of antioxidants, which are nutrients that fight aging by neutralizing free radicals, they leave the skin looking younger and healthier.
Main causes
The premature aging of the skin can happen due to several situations and happens when there is an increase in the amount of free radicals produced and circulating in the body, causing damage to the health of the tissues.
Thus, some of the situations in which there is an increase in the amount of free radicals and which are directly related to premature aging are excessive sun exposure without protection, pollution, smoking, physical inactivity, stress and poor diet.
Symptoms of skin aging
Aging is a natural process, however there are some signs and symptoms that indicate that the skin is aging earlier than it should, the main ones being:
- Wrinkles and expression lines on the forehead, around the lips (Chinese mustache) and eyes (crow's feet): appear due to the loss of collagen and elastin, causing the skin to lose its usual firmness and flaws;
- Dark spots: they are caused due to excessive sun exposure and without photoprotection, since UV rays are aggressive to the skin, or also due to hormonal changes in pregnant or elderly women, which stimulate pigmentation;
- Excessive sagging: premature aging makes the skin thinner and without firmness, due to the lack of hydration and loss of its fat layer, which makes it without shine and vitality.
- Presence of dark circles: the region around the eyes suffers a lot from the effect of aging, so intense or worsening dark circles can be a sign that the skin is not healthy.
In addition, the bleaching of hair strands can also become worse due to the action of free radicals, stress and lack of vitamins and minerals, in addition to genetic and hormonal causes.
Take the following test and find out if your skin tends to develop wrinkles:
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Start the test
Do you have wrinkles on your face?
- No, not even when smiling, frowning or raising eyebrows
- Only when I smile, I move my forehead or raise my eyebrows
- Yes, when making expressions and some at rest
- I have wrinkles even if I don't make expressions
How old does your mother's face look?
- 5 to 10 years younger than your age
- Her age
- 5 years older than her age
- More than 5 years older than your age
- Not applicable
How old does your father's face look?
- 5 to 10 years younger than your age
- His age
- 5 years older than your age
- More than five years older than your age
- Not applicable
How old does your maternal grandmother's face look?
- 5 to 10 years younger than your age
- Her age
- 5 years older than her age
- More than five years older than your age
- Not applicable
How old does your maternal grandfather's face look?
- 5 to 10 years younger than your age
- His age
- 5 years older than your age
- More than five years older than your age
- Not applicable
How old does your paternal grandmother's face look?
- 5 to 10 years younger than your age
- Her age
- 5 years older than her age
- More than five years older than your age
- Not applicable: I don't remember / I was adopted
How old does your paternal grandfather's face look?
- 5 to 10 years younger than your age
- His age
- 5 years older than your age
- More than five years older than your age
- Not applicable
Have you ever exposed your skin to the sun continuously, for more than two weeks a year?
- Never
- 1 to 5 years
- 5 to 10 years
- More than 10 years
Have you ever been exposed to the sun on a seasonal basis, two weeks a year or less?
- Never
- 1 to 5 years
- 5 to 10 years
- More than 10 years
Based on the places where you lived, how much time of daily sun exposure did you receive in your life?
- Little. I lived in gray or cloudy places
- Some. I lived in climates with little sun, but also in places with regular sun
- Moderate. I lived in places with a good amount of sun exposure
- I lived in tropical or very sunny places
How old do you feel your skin looks?
- 1 to 5 years younger than my age
- My age
- 5 years older than my age
- Over 5 years older than my age
During the past 5 years, how often did you intentionally tan your skin through outdoor sports or other activities?
- Never
- Once a month
- Once a week
- Daily
How many times have you been to an artificial solarium?
- Never
- 1 to 5 times
- 5 to 10 times
- Oftentimes
How many cigarettes have you smoked (or been exposed to) throughout your life?
- none
- Some packs
- From several to many packs
- I smoke every day
- I never smoked, but I lived with smokers or worked with people who smoked regularly in my presence
Describe the air pollution where you live:
- The air is fresh and clean
- Most of the year I live in a place with clean air
- The air is slightly polluted
- The air is very polluted
Describe the length of time you used facial creams with retinoids:
- Many years
- Occasionally
- Once, for acne, when I was younger
- Never
How often do you eat fruits and vegetables?
- At every meal
- Once a day
- Occasionally
- Never
During your life, what percentage of your daily diet consisted of fruits and vegetables?
- 75 to 100
- 25 to 75
- 10 to 25
- 0 to 25
What is your natural skin color (without tanning or self-tanning)?
- Dark
- Average
- clear
- Very clear
What is your ethnic group?
- African American / Caribbean / Black
- Asian / Indian / Mediterranean / Other
- Latin American / Hispanic
- Caucasian
Are you 65 or older?
How to fight premature aging
To combat the action of free radicals on the skin, preventing premature aging, it is important to focus on attitudes such as:
1. Use sunscreen daily
The use of sunscreen, preferably with SPF 30 or more, is essential to protect the skin from the action of UV rays, preventing not only aging but the formation of skin cancer. The ideal is to choose an ideal filter for each type of skin, whether oily or dry, to avoid other unwanted effects, such as the formation of acne.
Learn to choose the best sunscreen for your skin and how to use it.
2. Do skin cleansing
Daily cleaning of the face with specific products, such as soaps and lotions, helps to keep the skin soft and invigorated. It is also very important to remove makeup always after use, especially before bed, with removers and washing with soap and water. This is very important to prevent dryness and damage caused by the accumulation of products on the skin.
In addition, make weekly or weekly exfoliations peels journals help remove layers of dead skin and renew the skin. Check out the steps to clean your skin at home.
3. Consume antioxidant foods
Care with food is essential to allow the skin to be young, acting from the inside out. Thus, antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, zinc, isoflavones and resveratrol, for example, found in vegetables, greens and fruits, such as carrots, beets, grapes, tomatoes, apricots, papayas and eggplants, for example, help not only slowing down skin aging, but also maintaining a healthier body.
Check out which foods are rich in antioxidants.
4. Do skin treatments
Skin treatment techniques, guided by the dermatologist, are great ways to not only fight the signs of aging, but help to give a younger appearance to the appearance, as they are able to reduce expression lines and eliminate blemishes. Some of the main recommended treatments are Radiofrequency, Carboxitherapy, Chemical peeling, Pulsed light, Micro needling or acid treatments, for example. Learn more about the techniques used to fight sagging face.
If these treatments are not enough, an alternative is the treatment of facial filling with hyaluronic acid or botox, for example, or, in the last case, resorting to plastic surgery, it is important to talk to the dermatologist about the available alternatives.
5. Having healthy habits
It is proven that harmful habits such as smoking, consuming alcoholic beverages in excess, physical inactivity, stress and lack of rest impair the appearance of the skin, and it is very important to reverse these attitudes so that the skin tissues are well nourished, hydrated and healthy. Thus, it is recommended:
- Practice physical activities 3 to 5 times a week;
- Drink 1.5 to 2 liters of water a day;
- Do not smoke;
- Sleep well, avoiding losing nights;
- Avoid excessive stress.
In addition, it is recommended to keep routine medical assessments up to date, in order to control diseases that can worsen the appearance of the skin, such as hormonal disorders, vitamin deficiencies or circulatory diseases, for example.