BECAUSE WHO WANTS WRINKLES, RIGHT?
In the world of beauty, wrinkles and aging are taboo. No one wants them, but it’s just something that comes with getting older. So is there any way to actually stop the skin from aging with you?
Well, Beauty Gurus all over the world will give you about 100 different ways to cover those dark circles, smooth out those wrinkles and lift that face back to its youth. But who do we trust to get us there?
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular techniques to make our skin look smoother, fresher and younger.
1: Coming in first, let’s explore the obvious one: Botox and plastic surgery. There are many different forms of procedures that one can get to enhance their looks and obtain a younger appearance, botox being the most popular. These procedures can range from simple injections to fill out sunken areas of the face/ plumping the skin to actually peeling back the skin and lifting it to create a tighter ‘facelift’. As well as this, many choose to fill out their lips which thin as you age, in a time where full lips are desired this is understandable. There are even surgeries you can get to remove the appearance of under eye bags and dark circles. Crazy right?
Now the issue with these procedures is that they are obviously temporary, so to keep the desired appearance, one would have to have regular sessions ranging from every 3-6 months. Now, surgeries such as these aren’t cheap so you’d be looking to spend big money to keep your new youthful look. This technique is mostly popular amongst the rich and famous, with many celebrities and influencers coming forward and admitting to having work done now and again.
2: Next up we have Skincare: I believe this is the most natural way to attempt keeping the skin looking young and healthy. Now the beauty market has caught on to how desired youthful skin is and there are about a million different brands all trying to sell different versions of the same products. This can make it a little overwhelming, especially for someone just starting out with skincare. I know it was for me. In the age of social media influencers promoting products, it’s even more difficult to find the right products for you.
What I will suggest is keeping it simple, especially for beginners. Stick to the basics and forget about all the fancy products and millions of face masks and tools you see these influencers using (they’re being paid to promote 99% of the time anyway). Finding the right brand for your skin can also be tricky, luckily there are many ways to figure out what works for you. Speaking to a qualified dermatologist is the best way to find the perfect routine for yourself, however this isn’t accessible to everyone. Doing research on brands and finding one with minimal ingredients in the products and looking at reviews from dermatologists online is how I found the perfect products for me. One thing to remember is that products will take a while to start showing
results on your face, it won’t happen overnight and consistency is key.
CREDIT: LAYLA BIRD/GETTY IMAGES
Leading dermatologists have made it clear that the best routines are ones consisting of: daily cleansing (AM and PM), followed by serums of choice for your skin then a nice moisturiser, and of course you can’t forget the sunscreen. It has also been made clear that for someone trying to obtain youthful skin, Retinol and sunscreen should become your new best friends. Sunscreen protects the skin from UV rays caused by
sun exposure, and Retinol is a serum designed to treat the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
It is also important to remember not to over treat your skin, use masks 1-2 times weekly and don’t use over the recommended amounts of each product, as doing so can have reverse effects.
Skin care is complicated and does get pricey too, so finding a brand that’s good for your skin and your wallet is important. Still, it’s cheaper than spending £1000’s every few months on some needles.
3: Probably the most infamous method: Makeup. This one is mainly used by the women out there, however it’s becoming more popular for men to wear some makeup too. The one thing about makeup is that there are no rules. It’s creative and free to express how you want. Many use makeup to cover up imperfections of aging they are insecure about, such as dark circles. The one downside to makeup is that if applied
incorrectly it can end up making you look older than you are. It also isn’t very good at hiding fine lines and wrinkles for long as the makeup starts to sink into these crevices. This method is perfect for cameras, but in real life not so much. All in all it’s still a fun way to feel confident and express yourself.
4: This next method is only useful for social media. Filters and editing. If you go online right now, you’ll find millions of people posting their everyday lives. Now one thing you can almost guarantee is that these videos and pictures will be edited in some way to make their poster look more snatched and youthful. While there is nothing wrong with this, it doesn’t match reality and can end up causing some serious harm to your mental health. It’s easy to become obsessed with creating the perfect online image, editing and retouching until a
completely different person is in the picture looking back at you. This is why so many celebs and influencers are being called out for hiding the fact they edit and face tune their posts. They don’t look like this in real life and honestly that’s ok. I can assure you, the real you looks better than the edited version.
5: The last method we will look at today is: Balanced diets and lifestyle. It’s no secret that the nutrients you give your body don’t just help the organs inside stay healthy, but also what’s on the outside. Eating the right balance of foods and drinking plenty of water each day will clearly help your skin stay bright, fresh and hydrated. ALL important things to keep a healthy, younger appearance. This is especially important when
you have a busy lifestyle, as mentioned before, exposure to things like outdoors, and working out can affect your look. Although it’s good for your health and mental wellbeing, it can take a toll on your skin.
Sweat build-up can make your breakout and even de-hydrate if you aren’t keeping up with water intake
and washing your face regularly, causing the skin to look drier and more broken up. Sunlight obviously causes those wrinkles we hate to see. Another thing to perhaps start being aware of is the amount you touch your face, rubbing and pulling of the skin can cause the skin to stretch, losing the firmness it once had.
Try avoiding touching your face as often and when you do be gentle. When washing, use microfibre towels as they are softer on your skin, and maybe start changing out those cotton pillowcases for silk, which is often recommended due to the delicateness of the material.
These things balanced alongside skincare are the best ways to delay that old looking skin from appearing in the mirror.
One thing to always remember is that it’s ok to want to look younger and hold onto your early years, but it’s also fine to age and be confident in who you are growing to be. It’s a normal human thing to grow wrinkles and dark spots and looser skin as we age, and there is nothing we can do to permanently stop this. Our skin tells our story and that’s something you should be proud of.
Lauren is a content writer that is creating her own book and aspires to become a published author. While writing content, she also spends her time performing as an actress for different projects presented to her.
