8 Anti-Aging Skin Habits You Need to Start Now

As many people say…isn’t it true that the two things we can be most certain of in life are aging and taxes? Personally, I’m all about aging gracefully but not any faster than I need to. While I embrace getting older, I’m all about preserving my youthful skin in every natural way that I can.

Even if you regularly visit your dermatologist or skin care specialist, here are some simple anti-aging tips that can help make a big difference in your quest for healthy, younger-looking skin. Incorporate these 8 habits into your daily routine and you’ll have smooth, healthy, more youthful-looking skin.

Wash Up

Are you sometimes guilty of not washing your face? Washing your face every day with a foam-free cleanser is critical, especially at night before going to bed if you’ve been wearing makeup all day long. When you sleep with makeup on you're clogging your pores while pollutants and other bacteria adhere to the makeup, causing stress and damage to your skin. Neglecting to wash your face and going to bed with makeup on can also exacerbate breakouts and cause your skin to age faster than normal. Remember, the best wrinkle is the one you never get, so wash up!

SPF Yourself Daily

Most sun damage happens before the age of 18. The sun is the number one culprit of aging, making daily broad spectrum sun protection a must. Kids are exposed to harmful UVA and UVB rays every day over almost two decades before they really think about protecting their own skin on a daily basis, not just when going in the water. In rain or shine, winter or summer, whether you have light or dark skin, your skin is always susceptible to sun damage. Wear a broad spectrum sunscreen or sunblock daily to protect against skin cancer as well as fine lines, wrinkles, large pores, and uneven skin tone. Remember to reapply your sunscreen/sunblock every couple of hours, especially if you’re outside, one morning slathering won’t last you all day. The earlier you start, the better!

Learn to Love Moisturizing

Moisturizing is such an important step in your skin care routine. Normal, dry, oily, and combination skin all require hydration. Moisturizing your skin on a regular basis will help you look and feel younger, you will have softer, more elastic skin, and it will keep your skin hydrated. The key is to select a product developed with your skin type in mind. Moisturizers for complexions that are oily or prone to breakouts should be more light weight. Dry skin will benefit from thicker creams, while light weight creams/lotions best serve combination and normal skin. Make it a habit to moisturize your face and body regularly, like right after getting out the shower while your skin is still damp. Make sure to wash your face and apply eye cream, lip cream, any serum treatments, and/or a night time moisturizer daily before going to bed.

Gently Exfoliate Regularly

With every passing year, your skin functions a little bit differently. Over time, skin cell turnover slows down. So much that by the time you hit 40, it could take 50 days or more for your skin to rejuvenate. You can compensate for this change by incorporating regular exfoliation into your routine. Skin experts even agree that exfoliation is one of the best ways to achieve and maintain a gorgeous complexion. However, if you do have sensitive skin, rosacea, or dermatitis, tread lightly if at all as using an exfoliating scrub for these conditions may cause more irritation to your already irritated skin. And if you have active acne breakouts, make sure not to over scrub or scrub too hard as this can aggravate acne breakouts even more.

No matter how great your skin care regimen; exfoliating your skin 2-3 times a week makes the results even better. Dead cells can really stand in the way of how well ingredients are able to penetrate your skin. Exfoliation allows other products to be absorbed better. Think of the surface of the epidermis and those dead skin cells on it as a barrier. You have to remove those dead cells for products to get in. With regular exfoliation 2-3 times a week, makeup goes on smoother. If you have blackheads or acne, it unclogs pores. If you have dry skin, your skin will be less dry because your moisturizer will penetrate better. Skin care products work so much better if there isn’t dead skin in the way. It’s always best to exfoliate in the evening since freshly exfoliated skin is more sensitive to sunlight. However, never scrub your face too hard with an exfoliator or use it too often. Over exfoliation can strip away your lipid barrier, making skin more susceptible to irritation and bacterial infection.

Exercise Often

Research suggests that low-impact exercise along with eating a healthy, balanced diet that includes lots of fruits, vegetables, and fish actually slows down the aging process not only for your body, but for your skin as well. Exercise tightens the skin on your entire body. Strength training and cardio help boost circulation and improve muscle tone, which results in younger-looking, toned skin. It also reduces skin damaging stress. However, remember to always wash your face after a workout. You wouldn’t want to negate all of the positive things exercise is doing for your skin by getting breakouts from not washing it after…

Retinol is Your Friend

Retinol is made from vitamin A and promotes faster skin cell turnover. It provides some of the most proven, effective, and powerful options for treating skin issues ranging from acne to signs of aging. Not all retinols are created (or even delivered) equally though. Oxygen ruins the efficiency of retinol. So when you’re using a tube, jar, or pump, the retinol becomes less potent each time that you open, squeeze, or press down on that pump and allow oxygen to get in there. Make sure to use a retinol product that doesn’t allow oxygen to compromise its effectiveness. An excellent one that I love to use is the REDEFINE Night Renewing Serum, which comes in capsule form. Each time you open a capsule, you put it on your face, it’s time-released, and you get the maximum efficiency with every use because there’s no chance the retinol will be compromised by oxygen.

Are You Rolling?

Did you know that around the age of 30 the amount of collagen you produce diminishes? This is why you may start to notice your neck a tad more loose, the area around your mouth start to jowl, and your cheekbones lose that definition you've always taken for granted. This is why I love using the AMP MD roller system. This particular system utilizes micro-exfoliation roller technology for visibly advanced skin-firming benefits. It helps skin appear firmer, and makes lines and wrinkles less noticeable for a more luminous and refined appearance. However, if you do have active acne breakouts or sensitive skin, I wouldn’t recommend using this roller system as it may cause more irritation to your already irritated skin. The roller is replaced once a year.

Get Your Zzz’s

Sleep is the time when your skin rejuvenates which is the key to beautiful skin. So get your 8 hours of sleep each day. However, sleep with your face up and on your back. Sleeping on your side or face down can cause permanent wrinkles.

Have any other anti-aging skin tips or tricks to share? Please comment below. I would love to hear them from you!