The beauty industry has tried hard in the past several years to sell products that help reduce the signs and effects of aging. And they’ve succeeded. Now, while I have nothing against people who want to spend a small fortune on beauty products, I want to tell you that there are natural solutions for any skin problem.
And that includes wrinkles as well. Now, bear in mind, there is no magic wand for turning back the clock. You can’t look like you are 20-something years old when you are in your 40s. But you can look beautiful for your age.
Keep in mind that harsh treatments and chemicals can make matters worse in some cases. So, instead of buying injections and chemical peels that will take a toll on your wallet, let’s look at some of the natural solutions. I just have to warn you that the results don’t come overnight. Your skin reflects your overall health, and if you aren’t healthy, it’s only logical that you’ll have some skin problems.
SEE ALSO: Essential Oils for Wrinkles: How to Slow the Aging Process
Chronic stress, toxins in your food, chemicals in the environment, lifestyle choices—all of these affect the condition of your skin. Change one, and you’ll feel better. Change them all, and you’ll glow!
1. Stop smoking
One of the biggest causes of wrinkles and other signs of aging skin is smoking. All right, all right—some of us have to smoke every now and then. But cigarettes are full of toxins that affect the condition of your skin. Smoking will make you look much older than you actually are. Smoking affects the vascular system along with your skin pigmentation, elasticity, texture, brightness, and presence of lines.
When you stop smoking, you can’t turn back the clock. Your skin won’t look shiny from Day 1. But give it some time, and as your body flushes out the toxins, you’ll look much better.
2. Aloe vera gel
I said at the beginning that the beauty industry is trying hard to sell you $100+ products. All of them contain aloe vera gel. If you don’t believe me, just look at the labels. Aloe is a staple in skin care products. Facial wrinkles improve dramatically when you apply aloe vera gel on them. You can also consume aloe vera supplements.
The gel increases collagen production. And we know collagen is the most important ingredient for healthy skin. When your body produces enough collagen, your skin has better structural support. In addition, aloe prevents collagen from becoming damaged in the first place. With more than just phytonutrients, aloe vera gel will take care of everything skin-related.
As mentioned previously, you can apply the gel topically, but also add it to a smoothie.
3. Red ginseng extract
The ingredients in red ginseng extract include antioxidants, anti-aging agents, and immune boosters. With so many beneficial nutrients, the extract is widely considered to be one of the best natural remedies for wrinkles.
In addition to wrinkles, red ginseng will also improve the elasticity of your skin and help with pigmentation. Similar to aloe vera gel, the extract improves the production of collagen and increases collagen synthesis in the dermis.
In the Asian and Korean cultures, red ginseng has been known for many years to improve circulation. You can find it in tinctures, powders, capsules, and liquid extracts. I recommend tinctures as the best solution.
4. Pine bark extract
Pine bark extract will counteract the signs of skin aging. It’s available in most health food stores, but also online. An effective and safe solution, pine bark extract improves skin color and reduces pigmentation of age spots.
In addition to helping your skin health, pine bark extract will also improve your heart health, arterial health, and brain function.
5. Sleep on your back
I’ve already mentioned that certain lifestyle habits affect the health of your skin, and the way you sleep is one of them. Try to sleep on your back. If you aren’t used to it, work it slowly—you’ll get there eventually.
Sleeping on your stomach or side can cause sleep lines. They are etched into your skin, and they don’t disappear when you get up. As time passes, these lines will become a permanent facial fixture. In addition to sleeping on your back, make sure you purchase silk sheets and pillowcases to lessen the effect of sleep lines.
And if you need scientific proof, the American Academy of Dermatology has warned against stomach and side sleeping for years.
6. Change your diet
What you eat is what appears on your skin. You know the saying “you are what you eat”? Well, it’s true for wrinkles. As a general rule of thumb, you need dietary fat and vegetables. That means you need to consume more green and yellow vegetables. Doing that will reduce the number of wrinkles on your face.
As for fats, there are good fats and bad fats. Make sure to include good fats in your diet. You can source them from grass-fed meat, dairy products, fish, pastured poultry, eggs, coconut oil, olive oil, and other omega-3 rich foods.
As for vegetables, you want those that are rich in antioxidants and beta-carotene. They include spinach, broccoli, kale, yellow bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, winter squash, Swiss chard, mustard greens, cabbage, collards, and arugula.
7. Cut back on sugar
For your last lifestyle change, you need to lower the amount of sugar you consume. If you didn’t know it by now, sugar is one of the biggest causes of health problems. High sugar consumption leads to obesity, diabetes, heart problems, cardiovascular problems, and so on.
But sugar also affects our skin, and consuming a lot of sugar leads to facial wrinkles. The link is in a process called glycation, which is the chemical process that occurs when your blood sugar levels are very high. The molecules circulate in the blood, and they bind to other components.
When you reduce your sugar consumption, you improve your overall health. But in terms of skin problems, you protect your collagen and elastin. When either of those two is damaged, wrinkles appear. One important note: when you are trying to lower sugar consumption, make sure to check for foods with hidden sugar—you might be eating sugar without knowing it.
