Tips for Healthy Skin as You Age

Skin naturally changes as you age. You lose fullness, gain lines and wrinkles and notice dryness more often - and it's inevitable. What isn't out of your control, however, is how you treat your skin throughout your lifetime. There are dozens of factors that influence the way your complexion changes over time, and many of those come from lifestyle choices you made as a teenager and young adult, and carried on to your everyday habits. Beyond the natural wear and tear God expected to come of your skin, there are numerous ways to maintain healthy skin as you age and ensure overall wellness in your complexion. Here are a few tips: 1. Don't Think Twice About Unhealthy Habits If one thing's for sure, it's that smoking and drinking alcohol is detrimental to overall health. These two harmful habits are especially bad for the skin, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Drinking excess alcohol dehydrates the skin, while smoking causes wrinkles and an unnatural, yellow complexion. Consider this information more reason not to think twice about picking up these bad habits. 2. Prioritize Stress Management Too much stress can cause an imbalance in your hormones, ultimately making your skin more sensitive and prone to acne flare ups and other conditions. By prioritizing stress management through Bible study, prayer, relaxation techniques and hobbies that keep you happy, you can reduce blemishes in your complexion. 3. Stay Hydrated Whether you're drinking lots of water or relying on your primarily raw, plant-based diet to keep you hydrated throughout the day, either habit can positively benefit your skin. Proper hydration helps the skin retain elasticity and prevents it from drying out or becoming flaky, according to The Health Journals. 4. Maintain a Regular Skin Care Regimen If you don't already follow a normal day and night skin care regimen, now's a good time to consider one. Twice a day, use a mild cleanser to remove the dirt and dead skin cells from your face. Be gentle while cleansing and pat your face dry after rinsing to avoid irritation. Don't forgot to conclude the regimen with moisturizer - this will lock in the hydration and keep your skin smooth and firm. Exfoliating your skin once or twice a week gives it a rougher clean, buffing away dead skin cells that tend to cause clogged pores. It also reduces lines and wrinkles in your complexion. Be sure to follow up an exfoliation with moisturizer as well. 5. Minimize Makeup Use As if you didn't already have to worry about the harmful toxins and chemicals found in processed foods, makeup and other beauty products can have unwanted additives as well. To take best care of your skin, minimize makeup use at all costs. If you don't plan to stop wearing makeup, simply buy organic. Look for products labeled natural or organic and read the ingredients label to make sure the beauty supplies you use is free of parabens, phthalates, triclosan, oxybenzone and other harmful chemicals. 6. Follow a Nutrient-Rich Diet To keep your skin looking young and healthy, you must fuel your body with a nutrient-rich diet! Healthy skin relies on antioxidants like vitamins C, E, A and B complex. Tomatoes, citrus fruits, leafy green vegetables and carrots are excellent choices when it comes to skin care, but all of the plant-based foods we recommend eating on the Hallelujah Diet are safe and beneficial to the entire body. For more information on how to take the right steps to look and feel your best with age, sign up for one of our upcoming health retreats.