Look Fabulous at any age

Happy New Year dear readers!!

Clock is ticking and aging process is happening every second of every day. Can some simple routine things in our daily habits help us slow the process a little bit? Answer is Yes, simple things like proper daily skin care and eating healthy can contribute a lot to our skin and aging process.  Here are few tips on how to take care of our skin and look fresh naturally in 2012.

If you're in your 20’s: You’re at your prime. You’re blessed with effortlessly glowing, supple skin so preservation is the name of the game.

• Sun protection is more important now than at any other time of your life so use a good sunscreen, preferably with zinc. Don’t rely on the SPF in your cosmetics—those are chemical sunscreens that don’t offer enough photoprotection.
• It’s critical to wash your face before bed, especially if you struggle with acne. Leaving makeup, sweat and pollution on the skin overnight leads to breakouts and dirty skin build-up. 
• It’s common to want to dry acne out, but excessive drying leads to inflammation and ultimately more breakouts. Try a lightweight lactic acid moisturizer to rid the skin of excess debris and regulate oil production.

In your 30’s: Your skin is still radiant and youthful and if you start a smart anti-aging regimen now, you’ll set the course for a lifetime of good skin.

• Washing thoroughly with warm, not hot water. 
• Use retinol products.
• Trade in after-work cocktails for pure spring water and green tea are small daily changes that can keep skin vibrant. 
• Lifestyle and nutritional changes are the fountain of youth for women in their 30s. 
• Eat high-quality proteins, take Omega-3 fish oil capsules, cut out sugary and starchy foods and coffee and get regular exercise.

In your 40’s: While lines may have started forming in your 20s and 30s, now is when you start to see laxity. The good news is, the whole range of in-office dermatological treatment options: lasers, Botox, injectible fillers will now benefit you more than anyone.

• Use an SPF with antioxidants as well as prescription Retin-A. Retin-A speeds up cell turnover to get rid of damage below the skin that begins to surface now. 
• Specialized treatments like mesotherapy, stem cell treatments and plasma cell treatments help to rejuvenate and extend youthfulness.  
• If you want your skin to glow take Omega-3 fatty acid supplements.

In your 50’s: This decade is about knowing your skin type and specifically what you want to address. While everyone is concerned with wrinkle prevention, blotchiness and acne are also major concerns for women in their 50s. Target each concern individually for maximum results.

• Use products with peptides and retinoids to stimulate collagen and regain a vibrant complexion.
• If you get blotchy, products with hydroquinone will prevent irregular pigmentation—apply especially well over bony areas. 
• And just like when you were in your teens, salicylic acid is still the best treatment for acne.

Eat Yourself Young

Remember putting your best face forward starts with making healthy skin start from the inside out. Unless your skin is getting the nutrients from food that it needs, it just won't look its best. Instead of just covering a blemish or hydrating a dry patch, head them off entirely by tossing these power foods into your grocery bag.

Almonds:

Hey, guess what? Almonds are seeds, not nuts, and they're stuffed with vitamin E, a potent sun blocker. A study done at the Yale University showed volunteers who consumed 14 milligrams of the vitamin per day (about 20 almonds) and then were exposed to UV light sunburned less than those who took none. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant that helps to protect skin cells from UV light and other environmental factors that generate cell-damaging free radicals.

Suitable Switch 2 Tbsp peanut butter; 1/2 cup broccoli


Carrots: 

Think of them as orange wonder wands—good for eyeballs, good for clearing up breakouts. Credit vitamin A. It helps prevent the overproduction of cells in the skin's outer layer. That's where dead cells and sebum combine and clog pores. Another reason to snack on carrots: Vitamin A also reduces the development of skin-cancer cells. Nibble on a half-cup of baby carrots (that's about 16) per day.
Suitable Switch Milk (1 cup); cheddar cheese (1 slice)

Dark Chocolate: 

It's medicine—so of course you need it! Flavonols, the antioxidants in dark chocolate, reduce roughness in the skin and protect against sun damage. In a study published in The Journal of Nutrition, women who drank cocoa fortified with 326 milligrams of flavonols (equal to a standard Hershey's Special Dark bar) had better skin texture and stronger resistance to UV rays than those who drank cocoa containing just a small amount of the antioxidant. You need just a few ounces a day.
Sort-of-Suitable Switch Blackberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries—though you'd have to eat a huge amount.

Flaxseeds: 

These wee seeds contain omega-3 fatty acids, which erase spots and iron out fine lines. The British Journal of Nutrition reported that participants in one study who downed just over two grams (about half a teaspoon) of O-3's in six weeks experienced significantly less irritation and redness, along with better-hydrated skin. The fats are believed to stifle your body's response to irritation and attract water to skin cells to plump up the skin and reduce wrinkles. Sprinkle seeds on oatmeal or veggies.
Suitable Switch Flaxseed oil (1 Tbsp with sauteed veggies); salmon (4 oz); walnuts (1 oz, or about 14 halves)

Green Tea: 

What can't green tea do? OK, your taxes. Anyway, when it's hot, the bionic brew releases catechins, a type of antioxidant with proven anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. (The tea's antioxidants start to degrade as it cools, so drink it while it's hot.) A 2007 study in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry found that drinking two to six cups a day not only helps prevent skin cancer but may reverse the effects of sun damage by neutralizing the changes that appear in sun-exposed skin.
Suitable Switch White tea

Safflower Oil: 

The omega-6 fatty acids found in safflower oil can be the ultimate moisturizer for people who suffer from painfully dry, flaky, itchy skin. They keep cell walls supple, allowing water to better penetrate the skin. Scientists have found that this oil may help people who suffer from severe conditions like eczema. So shoot for an amount that gives you 5 to 10 percent of your daily calories.
Suitable Switch Cooking oils like borage, soybean, or corn oil

Spinach: 

You could probably build a fortress against the Big C with these leaves. In a study published in the International Journal of Cancer, people who ate the most leafy greens actually had half as many skin tumors over 11 years as those who ate the least. It's thought that the folate in these veggies may help repair and maintain DNA—basically bolstering cells' ability to renew themselves. That reduces the likelihood of cancer-cell growth. The added bonus to Popeye's fix: The water in greens penetrates cell membranes—which makes for plumper and less wrinkled skin.
Suitable Switch Collard greens

Sweet Potatoes: 

They not only pack a big yum; they're also loaded with vitamin C, which smooths out wrinkles. Vitamin C is essential to collagen production and the more collagen you have, the less creased your skin looks. In fact, a recent study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that volunteers who consumed about four milligrams of C (that's about half a small sweet tater) daily for three years decreased the appearance of wrinkles by 11 percent.
Suitable Switch Carrots (1 large or 16 baby); orange juice (6 oz)

Tomatoes: 


Sure, they're swell on salads, but cook them down and these plump little beauties can help save your skin. Why? Lycopene, the phytochemical that makes tomatoes red, helps eliminate skin-aging free radicals caused by ultraviolet rays. Your body gains the most sun-shielding nutrients when the vegetable is heated. Just a half-cup of cooked tomatoes or pasta sauce has 16 milligrams of lycopene; along with ample sunscreen, that daily dose should help keep you out of the red.
Suitable Switch Watermelon (1/16 of a whole melon) 

Tuna in a Can: 




Your favorite sandwich melt has a little secret: selenium. This nutrient helps preserve elastin, a protein that keeps your skin smooth and tight. The antioxidant is also believed to buffer against the sun (it stops free radicals created by UV exposure from damaging cells). Three ounces, or half a can per day, can help.

Suitable Switch Brazil nuts (about 12); turkey (1 cup)