Achieving naturally glowing and radiant skin is no easy feat. Across magazines and billboards models show off their flawless and blemish-free complexions, but without the helping hand of Photoshop, every woman battles to keep her skin looking healthy.
Diet, lifestyle and genetics play a huge role in how our skin will age. And with the ever increasing popularity of plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures, such as botox and collagen fillers, it’s no wonder women (and men) feel under pressure to have perfect skin.
Luckily, there are natural aids that could help slow down the signs of aging and help you look younger for longer without having to resort to going under the knife.
Here are our top tips for achieving great looking skin:
1. Drink plenty of water
Making sure your skin gets enough water throughout the day is essential if you want to keep it looking great. Not only does it help clear out impurities but it prevents the epidermis from becoming dehydrated which will eventually lead to wrinkles and crows feet around the delicate eye area. Try to get at least 2 litres of water a day and sipping on green tea and pomegranate juice is great for variety as they contain antioxidants that will clear up your complexion.
2. Stay out of the sun
Although we need a bit of sunshine to top up our vitamin D levels, the sun can have a serious damaging effect on our skin. The sun’s rays – UVA (those that age us) and UVB (those that burn us) can speed up the skin’s ageing process at an alarming rate. The British Skin Foundation recommends wearing sun protection that is at least SPF 30 and that has broad spectrum UVA and UVB filters. If you have particularly pale skin (red heads and those with freckles tend to have very pale complexions) a sunblock of SPF 50 is recommended by dermatologists. And don’t be fooled on cloudy days – just because you won’t burn doesn’t mean that the sun isn’t damaging your skin. UVB rays can affect us all year round so invest in daily moisturizer with a good SPF level.
3. Boost your omega-3s
Having a healthy diet is extremely important for having great looking skin, but did you know that essential fatty acids – also know known as the ‘good fats’ – like omega-3,6 and 9 are excellent for anti-aging. Fish like salmon and tuna have the highest level of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as walnuts, canola oil and flax seed. These fatty acids work within the cell membrane – whose job it is to act like a barrier to all things harmful, but to also allow beneficial nutrients to pass into the cell. But, the cell membrane is what influences the cell’s ability to hold water, therefore the better the cell membrane functions, the more moisture it can hold within cell making for healthier, softer and more supple and wrinkle-free skin.
5. Revitalize with oxygen
It may sounds simple, but ensuring you have enough oxygen in your blood cells will help your skin renew and replenish itself at a faster rate. On the market today there are hundreds of brands promoting skin care with oxygen boosting ingredients for your skin, similarly more intensive oxygen treatments are becoming available in spas and clinics across the country. For example, an oxygen shower treatment simply involves the beauty therapist guiding a jet of purified air over the body. For a much more accessible way to boost your blood’s oxygen supply, brands like OXYfit have created oxygen bottles that allow you to breathe in purified air whenever you need to.
