There are two kinds of ageing :-

Intrinsic Aging which occurs with natural passage of Time

Skin gets thin and this is accompanied by a loss of collagen and elastic tissue. This is the inevitable thinning of our skin accompanied by a loss of collagen and elastic tissue – which is mainly responsible for firmness of skin or the lack of it.

Good News: This accounts for only 10 percent of the aging process and is the natural route to graceful aging. The solution – moisturize.

Extrinsic Aging is the cumulative result of environmental conditions, responsible for a staggering 80 per cent of aging.

1. Sun Damage: The sun’s penetrating rays have a direct effect on skin, injuring the cells and their contents. The skin shrivels and wrinkles in the same way and apple does when it loses moisture. And it doesn’t stop there. Expect a 20 per cent reduction in collagen levels in our lifetime if you like to tan – and this is just day-to-day sun exposure, not even active sun worshipping! It is the main cause as it accounts for 90 per cent of aging.

   Good News: It is easy to prevent this by controlling exposure to the sun.

2. Facial Expressions: You can blame all those furrows and crow’s feet on your facial movement. Control your expressions by changing the way you emote. Try not to grimace or frown too much- break the habit now!

   Good News: It just takes 14 muscles to smile, but over 70 muscles to frown.

3. Gravity: It doesn’t just work on the apple – it works on your skin too! The earth’s gravitational pull is responsible for the gradual elongation of our earlobes and nose. With age we lose underlying fat, so that the eyelids and jowls start to droop. Our bones shrink, resulting in loose sagging skin. Major weight loss also contributes to gravity inducing wrinkles – so avoid a drastic weight change in a short period of time. Bodies that are well toned and muscular age better than bodies that are not.

   Good News: Yoga can be used to a certain extent as a preventive measure since it involves anti-gravity exercises. Meditate on that.

    

4. Sleeping Position: The average person sleeps for one-fourth to one-third of his or her life. By the age of 60 a person would have slept for at least 20 years. So each night you spend six to eight hours pressing wrinkles to form. Chinese women slept on their back using concave porcelain pillows so that their heads don’t sink to cause wrinkles. You can sleep on your back, on propped up pillows and place cushions under your knees to give you support. Invest in a silky smooth satin pillow cover so that your skin does not stick to it like it does to cotton.

   Good News: No concave pillow for u – do it the easy way.

5. Smoking: Not only does it solicit cancer, it adds five years to your appearance it accentuates facial wrinkles. Tiny but prominent, they especially appear on the upper and lower lip. Crow’s-feet are accentuated and the cheeks and jowls hang because of the constant inhaling and blowing actions. Due to nicotine blood vessels constrict which is why a smoker’s skin turns leathery and gray.

Good News: You can stop smoking now!

Article By Ramandeep Sandhu