4 Skin Care Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Youthful Glow

Although skin aging is a natural process, targeted preservation, proper exercise, and a healthy diet, can help slow it down. Ground Picture/Shutterstock

Is there a fountain of youth for aging skin? Many commercial products certainly claim as much. However, with proper care, you can preserve a youthful glow naturally and without expensive creams.

Skin aging is a complex physiological process determined by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

During the natural aging process, the skin becomes thinner and drier with wrinkles and changes in color becoming more evident. Genes are the key determinant of these natural changes. This type of aging is called “intrinsic aging.”

Premature aging of the skin caused by environmental and lifestyle factors is called “extrinsic aging.” The effects of this aging on the skin can be slowed through good lifestyle habits.

To prevent premature skin aging, the American Academy of Dermatology offers the following recommendations:

1. Protect Your Skin From the Sun

While sun exposure is also beneficial to health in many ways, photoaging due to sun exposure is also the main “culprit” of accelerated skin aging, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

The sun’s UV rays can penetrate deep into the dermis (the middle layer of the skin), destroy collagen fibers, increase the production of abnormal elastin, and lead to the production of metalloproteinase—an enzyme that rebuilds damaged collagen but often malfunctions and degrades collagen, resulting in abnormal skin remodeling.

“When it comes to wrinkles, there are other much more impactful factors than genetics at play. For instance, up to 90 percent of visible skin changes are a result of damage from the sun called photo damage,” said Dr. Ivona Percec, M.D., a plastic surgeon at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, according to the Penn Medicine blog.

2. Quit Smoking and Only Drink Moderately

Smoking can greatly accelerate the rate of skin aging, leading to wrinkles and a dull, sallow complexion. Moreover, alcohol can dehydrate and damage the skin, leading to an older appearance.

An analysis of data from 3,267 women on three continents showed that both smoking and drinking alcohol had a significant impact on skin aging.

In July 2022, a genetic analysis published in Molecular Psychiatry showed that alcohol accelerates human aging by damaging DNA in telomeres.

3. Get Moderate and Regular Exercise

Moderate exercise can improve blood circulation and strengthen the immune system, leading to a more youthful appearance. Studies have shown that exercise helps reduce skin aging, and one study links these changes to improvements in the tissue’s mitochondria.

Dr. Emily J. Kirby, a plastic surgeon in Fort Worth, Texas, writes on her blog that exercise provides nutrients such as vitamins and oxygen to skin cells, which help collagen repair and reproduction. Exercise (especially weightlifting) releases a growth hormone that stimulates fibroblasts, a collagen producer in the skin’s cells.

4. Maintain a Healthy, Balanced Diet

A 2020 study published in Nutrients dovetails with what other studies have found—that skin health is closely related to nutrition. Nutrition and diet, when balanced, can repair damaged skin, it found.

To decrease skin aging, research shows that eating foods high in nutrients such as fruits and vegetables may be the healthiest and safest way to maintain youthful skin.

Even people who are already showing signs of premature skin aging can benefit from lifestyle changes. For example, protecting the skin from the sun gives it a chance to recover. People who quit smoking have reported that their skin looks healthier.

If you are experiencing increasingly severe signs of skin aging, such as wrinkles, sagging skin, age spots, or changes in skin texture, consider consulting a dermatologist.

It is important to remember that skin aging is a natural process, but with proper care, it is possible to improve the appearance of aging skin and promote skin health.

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the name of the American Academy of Dermatology Association. The Epoch Times regrets the error.