6 Steps to Stay Young Forever

Oh to be forever young, right?! How amazing would that be? Though getting older does have its many perks and benefits, some of us just age better than others and there are most likely a few reasons as to why.

Unfortunately there is no magic potion we can drink like in the movie “Death becomes her” where the two characters obsessed with vanity and never aging find their answer in a little vial that will keep them alive and beautiful forever. Of course there are major consequences for getting just what they wanted; even they had to have a maintenance plan.

As a young girl I was always taught the importance of taking care of one’s skin. It is the one thing when we are in our late teens and early 20’s that we rarely even think about. Going to bed with makeup on, drinking, partying, laying out in the sun for hours, that was our beauty routine. Nothing mattered until one day you wake up and you say “Oh geeze I really need to do something about this face, I look old”. 

So today I will share 6 tips to staying “forever young” as the skin is our biggest organ we must take care of it the best we can. 

1. Wash your face at night

Yes, it sounds simple but the truth is about 56% of people do not wash their face at night. “The most important time to wash your face is before you hit the sack” says Doris Day, MD, a New York City-based dermatologist. Dirt, bacteria and makeup left on overnight can irritate skin, clog pores and trigger breakouts. Find the best face wash for your skin, I tend to change my face wash with each wash because my skin varies each day in its oil production. Washing your face free of the daily grime allows anti-aging skin care to penetrate deeper for better results. Because oil production dips with hormonal changes in your 40’s, cleansing twice a day can dry out your complexion, making wrinkles look more pronounced. For those over 40, I recommend refreshing your face with a splash of lukewarm water in the morning and using a toner suited for your skin type.

2. Be obsessed with SPF!

Nothing and I mean nothing is more important than wearing sunscreen daily, preferably SPF 30. It doesn’t matter if it’s 30 degrees, overcast, rainy or the most gorgeous day out there, YOU CAN STILL GET BURNED! UV damage doesn’t target a specific weather condition for ruining your skin it loves every opportunity it can get. Even those lovely fluorescent bulbs in stores and at work can damage our skin, so make sure to wear a moisturizer with SPF 30 or if you can’t find one you like, layer SPF 30 on after your moisturizer.

3. Manage your stress 

Yes, easier said than done! We have to remember to take a little time out of our day for ourselves to decompress and let the day go. Stress can cause us to look 5 years older than we need to. Constant anxiety increases the stress hormone cortisol, which causes inflammation that breaks down collagen. It also triggers a chain of responses that can lead to facial redness and acne flare ups.

To suppress inflammation, eat anti-oxidant rich foods such as berries, oranges and asparagus. Always remember to take a few deep breaths when feeling tense. Find what ways help bring you down and back to a more peaceful place every day. Find something maybe once a week that you can do for more than a few minutes to really let that stress go. I love hiking, going home to my fur-babies, a good Netflix movie with ice cream and cuddling up under the blankets with a good book. Find your inner happiness and try not to worry if you don’t get something done today. Your well-being is more important.

4. Use a Retinol

Notice I didn’t say a retinoid, I believe that retinols are a lot healthier for the skin. Retinoids require a prescription and are a much stronger concentration of the Vitamin-A derivative.  With everything else we have going on in our lives; I say stick with something that will get the job done and keep your skin healthy. Retinols will speed cell turnover and collagen growth to smooth fine lines and wrinkles and fade brown spots.

My favorite is Epicuren Retinol Anti-Wrinkle complex, light weight and non greasy it has never upset my skin; I use it twice a week to push those bad little lines away.

5. Microcurrent Facials

Receiving facials is important in the fight against aging, adding microcurrent technology into your facial is icing on top of the cake. Microcurrent re-educates the facial muscles back to a tightened, toned and lifted state. It produces collagen and ATP by delivering low level electrical impulses deep into the belly of the facial muscle. Microcurrent is cumulative, meaning you must do a series of treatments then do maintenance as per your esthetician’s instructions. Here at 7E we offer Microcurrent facials as well as a professional grade At Home Myolift MD for in home use. Microcurrent facials are almost as good as a magic vial full of everlasting beauty. It’s painless, non-invasive with no downtime with long lasting results. I love it, my friends love it and so will you. 

6. EXERCISE!

Yes! Good ole exercise, studies have found that women who work out regularly have tighter, firmer skin than those women who don’t. The reason: exercise infuses skin with oxygen and the nutrients needed for collagen production. To keep your skin toned, make time for 30 minute workouts 3x’s a week.

So there we have it 6 simple ways to keep your skin from that horrible downhill spiral we call aging. Til the next time we meet!