youthful skin 2

 

Aging isn’t something that we think affects us in our twenties, but the sad reality is that it does. I was completely oblivious to this until a few days ago. When, while I was choosing a new foundation, the lady serving me ask what anti-aging eye cream I was using. My response was a somewhat shocked “I’m only 23”, for her to then explain that we should be using anti-aging products from our early twenties. It seems that I missed the memo!

 

After a lot of research, it seems that she’s right – aging does start in our early twenties. The good news is that if you start with preventative aging care for your skin sooner rather than later, you can slow down the aging process. I’ve done the research so that you don’t have to, and have put it together in a handy guide below.

 

Want to know the best ways you can slow aging in your twenties, here’s everything that you need to know:

 

Cleanse your skin

 

Are you guilty of the cardinal sin of beauty – sleeping in your makeup? If you don’t already cleanse your skin at night, start. By the end of the day, your face is masked in layers of dirt, oil, dead skin, and makeup. This concoction of grossness doesn’t just cause spots; it’s much worse than that. This layer of grime, traps free radicals against the skin – these are pollutants found in the air, that then cause damage to the skin cells. Once the damage is done, it’s irreversible and can lead to premature aging. The good news is, if you cleanse at night, you won’t need to worry about this. For removing my makeup and cleansing my skin, I’m loving Garnier’s Micellar Cleansing Water right now. Give it a try; it’s great for removing dirt and makeup gently.

 

Quit smoking

 

Learn from other’s mistakes and quit smoking – as in right now. Seriously, if you don’t want to age prematurely, you need to put that cigarette down. The smoke from cigarettes can cause all sorts of damage to skin, leading to the early onset of wrinkles and age marks. As well as the nasty side effect of yellowing, smelly skin. I don’t smoke, so I can’t appreciate how hard quitting is. But if it means you’ll have youthful skin for longer, it’s worth it. The good news is that you can make it a lot easier for yourself by swapping to using an e cig instead of a traditional one. These use steam instead of smoke, and flavoured nicotine that comes in a range of strengths, to make quitting easier. Studies have shown that compared to traditional cigarettes, vaping does very little damage, if any, to the skin.

 

Don’t skimp on sunscreen

 

You most probably already know that the best way to keep your skin safe from early onset aging is sun protection. You might dab your face with sunscreen while sunbathing but the chances that you apply it every day are low. If you want to prevent fine lines making an early appearance, you need to wear sunscreen every day. Or using makeup that has SPF protection of 30 or above built into it. Sun damage breaks down the skin’s collagen, which is what causes early aging, especially around the delicate eye area. That’s why, as my friend at the foundation counter informed me, wearing an eye cream with SPF protection is a must as soon as you hit your 20’s.

 

These are the basics of slowing down aging in your 20’s – there are also lots of other things you can do. But even by making the changes mentioned above, you’ll reduce how quickly your skin starts to age.