Try These Natural Options to Help With Avoiding Wrinkles

As time marches on, everyone experiences a natural aging process. Most men and women are concerned about the effects that aging will have on their bodies. This is especially true of the facial area. Women spend a great deal of money on creams, lotions and potions to work on preventing wrinkles. Some of these products may help to somewhat reduce the appearance of wrinkles and age spots. However, their effects are often disappointing. After all, there really is no substitute for youth, and it's not possible to avoid all causes of aging skin. Even so, there are some natural options that can definitely help minimize or even prevent wrinkles. It's more effective to prevent certain signs of aging skin than it is to try to treat them once they appear. This article will cover some natural methods that you can use at home to protect your skin from wrinkles. All are simple, free or low-cost things that anyone can do.

1 - Avoid refined sugar

Young skin looks smooth and plump. The fibers holding the skin together provide a kind of scaffolding, or support structure, for skin. When these fibers become weak and decrepit, wrinkling and sagging are the visible results. When you consume refined sugar, also called sucrose and white sugar, these sugar molecules attach to the fibers in your skin, forming a toxic compound called Advanced Glycation End Products, or AGEs. These AGEs damage the skin, resulting in wrinkling and sagging. AGEs also promote chronic inflammation, which can damage not only the skin, but other organs as well. Refined sugar is high in calories and provides no nutritive value. It's best to eliminate it from your diet as much as possible.

2 - Try naturally moisturizing

You can actually make your own economical anti-aging skin moisturizer. There are various oils readily available online. Some closely resemble the skin's natural oil, called sebum. It's naturally high in vitamin E and fights fine lines and wrinkles. You will need a small, clean, dark container with a dispenser cap. Just place a few drops into your palm, rub them together and apply to your face and neck. Don't use too much. You can also add a couple of drops to your favorite moisturizer. Try adding some essential oil, also available online for enhanced skin benefits. Some essential oils to try are lavender oil, rosehip oil, frankincense oil and pomegranate seed oil.

3 - Protect your skin from the sun

The sun causes a type of skin damage called photoaging. Most of the visible signs of skin aging are due to sun exposure. You can control and prevent a great deal of future wrinkling, dark spots, sagging and leathery texture by protecting your skin from the sun's UV light. Other than avoiding the sun, your best option is a good sunscreen. There are many great products available at an affordable price. Choose one with an SPF, or sun protection factor, of around 50.

4 - Use satin pillowcases and cleavage pillows

Purchase a satin pillowcase and use it nightly. The smooth surface will prevent the facial skin etching and eventual wrinkling that can occur from standard cotton and polyester cases. Prevent cleavage wrinkles with a cleavage block or pillow. These ingenious little devices are placed in the cleavage area before sleep. They prevent the unsightly wrinkles that can result from the nightly compression of the breasts together when women sleep on their sides. A topical vitamin C cream may also be applied to the face, neck and cleavage area at bedtime to nourish skin cells damaged by photoaging.

5 - Fight free radicals with fruits and veggies

Free radicals are toxic compounds formed when the body's cells use oxygen for vital cell processes. Free radicals are associated with inflammation, skin damage and even cancer. Free radicals can be neutralized with compounds called antioxidants. To get them, consume at least five servings of colorful raw fruits and veggies every day. Tomatoes, carrots, oranges, acai berries, blueberries, kale, spinach and cranberries are chock-full of skin-damage fighting antioxidants. Vitamins A, C and E are powerful antioxidants, too. It can be hard to get enough vitamin E from diet alone, so a quality multivitamin supplement is a good idea.