Approaching 30 has never been more daunting, especially when you can physically feel your body change as you mature and progress. This means that we need to start actively thinking about how to take better care of our body – from our hair, our skin to our overall physical wellbeing, we should take protective measures to maintain our health and radiance.
Here are 5 things we can do in our 20s and 30s to keep ourselves from ageing prematurely.
- No smoking ever
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It goes without saying that smoking is terrible for your health, no matter your age. Aside from potentially causing lung cancer, when you smoke, the nicotine present in cigarettes causes blood vessels to narrow, reducing oxygen flow and nutrients to skin cells. Not to mention the heat and smoke from inhaling cigarettes can dry the skin and potentially damage it in the long run, leading to wrinkles and dead skin. As you get older, your skin’s elasticity deteriorates – so it’s best not to speed up the process by not smoking – or quitting the habit ASAP.
- Watch Your Heels
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AKA don’t wear stilettos all the time, if you can help it.
Stilettos, or high heels are exceptionally notorious in causing unnecessary strain on your body, especially because it has to force itself to adapt a different way of walking. Your gait and posture may be impeccable, but your feet and legs are probably suffering. Without getting technical, you are placing greater force on the ball of your feet and your toes in carrying your weight. This can cause you to develop varicose veins on your calves that can deteriorate the overall strength of your muscles, or worse, develop arthritis – the weakening of the bones.
Some podiatrists claim that wearing heels isn’t necessarily a bad thing – rather, it should be done in moderation, especially when you get older and your body grows weaker.
- Leave the Loud Music Behind
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Oh to be a teenager again going to concerts where the music is at least 20 decibels higher than the normal human threshold. Well, not anymore. Prolonged exposure to blaring music both in concerts and even in your earphones can lead to hearing loss and even worse, tinnitus.
Tinnitus is a condition where you hear ringing in one or both of your ears continuously, and it can be extremely annoying to the point of painful. While you can still go for the occasional banging gigs, consider reducing the number of hours you spend with earphones on, especially if you tend to blast music on the loud side.
- Moisturise and Use Anti-Ageing Skincare
In addition to minimising damage on skin, retaining moisture and rebuilding collagen are extremely important in maintaining a youthful exterior alongside preventing wrinkles and premature ageing. So it is very important to keep to a skincare regime that works for you. First and foremost, always ensure your skin is plump and hydrated, regardless what your age is. Drinking sufficient water and opting for water-based hydrating products are essential for maintaining youthful skin.
Anti-ageing skincare are plenty, but specifically, look for ingredients that can help boost skin rejuvenation and skin renewal. For example, retinoids, Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid are all wonderful ingredients within skin care that can help lock moisture in.
- Wear Sunscreen.
FULL SPECTRUM. What does this mean? It means start wearing sunscreen everywhere on the exposed parts of your body – yes, even the legs, ladies and gentlemen. The sun is the leading cause of issues pertaining to premature ageing such as hyperpigmentation, discolouration and wrinkles. This is because UV light penetrates into the skin and damages the skin’s barriers.
Signs of premature ageing begin to show in your 20s and 30s and can be accelerated greatly if you don’t incorporate sunscreen into your skincare. Thankfully, this can be prevented if you adopt a habit of applying sunscreen once every few hours throughout the day, particularly on sensitive areas such as your face, neck and arms.
A good all-in-one sunscreen product is the Sunplay Skin Aqua range, where they not only provide protection against harmful UV rays and micro-pollutants, but also long-lasting hydration because of the hyaluronic acid content. Furthermore, unlike many sunscreens, each have a lightweight texture that easily spreads and absorbs into the skin without leaving a nasty white cast on the face.
The Sunplay Skin Aqua range is free from irritants (like pesky parabens), and can also be easily removed with cleanser or soap: perfect for daily use and can be applied all over the body.
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Hopefully with these tips, we can all make better choices and age gracefully. It’s never too late to start taking better care of ourselves. As we approach another milestone in our lives, let’s all make an effort to maintain a youthful mind and body.