Crow’s feet, forehead wrinkles, necklines, jowling, aging...make it stop!  Aging is something that, unfortunately, we cannot stop from happening.  While we cannot fully stop this process there are a lot of things we can do to slow it down.  We can prevent deep lines, wrinkles, jowls, and stay looking younger longer!  Having a great skincare routine at home is just one piece to the puzzle.  Factors like diet, environment, and repetitive movements or facial expressions can cause sagging skin and wrinkles.  Making small adjustments to your life and daily habits now may help to keep you looking younger longer. Let’s start today!

Use the right skincare products and use them correctly!

Skincare products with irritating preservatives, fragrance oils, and other harsh ingredients throw your skin’s barrier off. When our skin’s barrier is unhealthy it cannot easily retain moisture or correctly produce healthy oils that support our collagen and elastin. Skin that is sensitized or thrown off balance from unhealthy products will show signs of aging, like fine lines and wrinkles, earlier than balanced skin.

When you’ve chosen the best products for your skin and skincare routine you want to make sure you’re using them correctly to avoid damaging your skin. Any products that contain retinol, vitamin A, exfoliating serums, or a pigment lightening ingredient call hydroquinone should be used in the PM only. This is because products like these can make your skin photosensitive and actually cause more damage than good if combined with UV rays. Antioxidant-rich serums, especially vitamin C serums, are perfect for daytime. These products protect your skin throughout the day from external damage from the sun and environment. A great general rule when thinking about moisturizers, exfoliators, and serums is: antioxidants and SPF in the AM and all your exfoliating, corrective serums, plus a moisturizer in the PM.

scrub me secret: here’s a little tip that will help keep your skin lifted as long as possible. when applying serums, moisturizers, spf, and makeup always make sure you’re either patting the product onto your skin lightly or massaging it in an upward direction. never pull your skin down towards your neck when applying. always pat it on or do a little lifting massage!

Prevent Sun Damage.

Yes, we know we are constantly lecturing on the damaging effects the sun can have, but how can we not?!  Sun damages skin so deeply that the effects can sometimes be irreversible.  While daily SPF is a great way to protect skin from rays, it doesn't protect you from all damage.  Some of us are absorbing a ton of UV rays every day without even knowing it.

Driving for extended amounts of time, whether you’re commuting or drive for a living, exposes the skin to sunlight for hours on a daily basis.  This can cause your collagen and elastin to deplete more rapidly and leave your skin with wrinkles or sagging jowls. Sitting by an outside facing window all day long can also have the same effect; we would definitely reconsider applying SPF if you have a desk job where you sit next to a window.

scrub me secret: after we apply SPF, it starts to oxidize as soon as it’s exposed to the sun.  this means after a few hours of sunlight your sunscreen will lose its effect and will need to be reapplied. if you’re spending extended amounts of time in sunlight, even if its a semi-cloudy day, SPF must be reapplied to keep skin from aging quickly.

Be Conscious Of Facial Expressions. 

Another way the sun can cause wrinkles is the constant squinting we have to do when it's bright out! We always have large shades or our favorite sun shield in our bag and car to avoid those "squint lines!"  That brings us to our next wrinkle-causing factor: repetitive facial movements.  Furrowing the brow, frowning, raising brows in surprise, pursing lips, and squinting are common expressions most of us make many times a day.  Some have more expressions than others, and unfortunately, you'll be able to see that in the face.  The reason why is that our facial muscles are being trained over the years to hold those positions.  That, combined with years of gravity, is what contributes to our expression lines.  Constantly frowning and furrowing the brows can pull facial muscles downwards causing sagging. While on the other hand, lifting the brows often can cause deep forehead wrinkles. Pursing your lips and frowning a lot can cause lines around the mouth. Try being conscious of your facial expressions!  Feel yourself frowning?  Pull the corners of your mouth upward in a slight smile, this will keep your facial muscles lifted and maybe even give you a little boost of happiness.  Being mindful to keep your face relaxed is not an easy habit at first but it will soon feel routine!  Remember, it's taking years off your face.

scrub me secret: the way we constantly look down at our phones and tablets can cause our neck to start to wrinkle.  the repetitive movement of looking down causes a small fold in the neck skin which can get deeper over time.

 Have healthy habits!

Facial expressions aren't the only habit contributing to wrinkles.  If you smoke, drink regularly, or have a high sugar/sodium diet, your skin is going to suffer for it.  We all know major toxins in cigarette smoke lead to deterioration of our skin's proteins which then leads to wrinkles.  How can our diet contribute to sagging and wrinkles?  Let's start with sugar.  When sugars are consumed our bodies break them down as best as possible and use them for energy.  When we consume too much sugar for our bodies to process it properly, this kicks off a process in our body called glycation; this damages skin and causes premature aging.

scrub me secret: when we aren't processing sugars correctly our bodies use a process called glycation.  Glycation is when the glucose that comes from the sugars and carbs we eat attaches itself to a protein.  This forms a new molecule that degrades the collagen cells.

When you have a high sodium diet your body is going to retain water. Water retention can make your skin look and feel puffy, causing crow’s feet around the eyes to look more prominent. Drinking alcohol often can also cause this problem. Drinking regularly also degrades skin health more quickly and can cause sagging and wrinkles earlier than desired. If you happen to ingest a lot of sodium or an excess amount of alcohol we suggest having a lot of water also. This helps your body reset more quickly.

What’s on the next blog?

Later this month we are sharing all our expert tips on how to stay looking young without getting botox or fillers!