What Causes Our Skin to Age?

What causes our skin to age? It’s the age-old question…no pun intended. Without getting too scientific it boils down to two primary factors: intrinsic and extrinsic.

Intrinsic refers to the internal or biological aging that naturally occurs. Extrinsic is external – aging impacted by exterior elements like the sun, pollution, smoking, lifestyle, and things we put on our face. In other words, all things we have some control over.

Environment– our environment can have a serious impact on our skin’s aging. Extreme weather – hot, cold, dry, and wind – can dehydrate the skin making it appear prematurely aged, which, depending on how old we are, may or may not be a good thing.

Pollution– car exhaust, smog, particulates in the air – is also a culprit of aging. It causes free-radical damage, essentially breaking down our skin’s ability to regenerate. Pollution can also dehydrate the skin.

Lifestyle – you’ve heard it before, but it bears repeating. Inadequate sleep can significantly age the skin. So too can insufficient fluid intake (namely water) and poor nutrition. What we choose to eat not only impacts our waistlines and health, it can also have a destructive impact on the skin.

Smoking – Smokingis a big free-radical producer. It actually affects intrinsic (biological) and extrinsic aging. It is not only toxic to the skin and body, but it also dehydrates the skin and causes deep lines to form around the upper lip. Attractive huh?

Sun Exposure – Most importantly is sun exposure. Excess sun exposure is responsible for 90 percent of aging. It is the most damaging of all extrinsic factors. UVA and UVB rays destroy the skin, stripping it of all hydratioin and depleting the nutrients in the skin. This hinders the skin’s natural ability to regenerate.

So what can we do to slow or reverse the aging process? For one, try to eliminate as many of the factors that cause free-radical damage as possible – lack of sleep and fluid intake, smoking and poor diet. For those that can’t be avoided like pollution, weather, sun exposure and chemicals in everyday products, the key is to protect the skin and counteract the damage with antioxidants. Protect with a good physical block like zinc and support healthy cell development with powerful antioxidants like superoxide dismutase, soybean protein and boldine, to name a few.

For more see the Complex VI and EnviroProtect. Also check out Radical Redux, a very effective topical corrective cream that reduces wrinkles, smoothes texture, refines pores, increases hydration, and brightens your skin tone.