How To Get Younger Looking Skin: 25 Simple Tips
I. Skin Care Tips To Look Younger
1. Follow A CTM Routine
Never forget the three most important steps of skincare – cleansing, toning, and moisturizing. Whether you are just starting your day or going to bed, always follow a proper CTM routine. Cleanse your skin thoroughly at the beginning of the day and prep it with a good-quality toner and moisturizer before you put on makeup. Don’t forget to remove the makeup, sebum, and dirt built up on your face and tone and moisturize it at night. This helps reduce breakouts and dullness. Also, use a separate eye cream to keep the under-eye area moisturized and prevent fine lines and wrinkles. Puffy eyes and dark circles can make you appear older.
2. Wear Sunscreen
Constant exposure to UV rays speeds up the skin-aging process and causes dark spots, freckles, hyperpigmentation, and wrinkles. So, apply sunscreen every time you step out during the day, even if it’s cloudy! Pick a sunscreen that has at least SPF 30 and PA+ (or higher) rating because SPF only protects your skin from UVB rays. Sunscreens with PA+ ratings protect you from UVA rays as well.
3. Get Products With Anti-Aging Ingredients
Retinoids and collagen-based skincare products are your secret weapon to keeping your skin looking young. Retinoid (or retinol) is a derivative of vitamin A that has anti-aging properties. It helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles and boosts collagen production (1). While retinol creams are easily available over the counter, you need a doctor’s prescription for retinoid-based products as they are a bit stronger. You can also invest in a collagen-boosting cream or serum or take collagen supplements. However, consult the doctor before taking any supplements. Note: Never forget your neck. Apply all your skincare (except for spot treatments) all the way down to your neck.
4. Do Not Forget Your Hands And Legs
The skin on the back of your hands is much thinner than on the rest of your body. So, even if your face looks young, your hands can give away your age! Apply sunscreen on your hands and legs as well before stepping out. To prevent dry skin on your hands, massage them with hand cream regularly. This also keeps your nails and cuticles nourished. At night, apply generous amounts of moisturizer to your hands and legs. Use body scrub once a week to remove dead skin cells.
5. Do Not Forget Your Lips
Chapped and dry lips can make you look dull. Moreover, because the skin on your lips is much thinner, it ages more quickly when not cared for. So, before hitting the bed, moisturize your lips with a good-quality lip balm. Wear a lip balm with SPF during the day. Always moisturize your lips before applying lipstick. This will protect them from any damage caused by the chemicals in the lipsticks.
6. Exfoliate Your Skin
Your skin needs to shed the dead cells in order to breathe easier and look fresh, and exfoliation helps in that process. You may use a scrub once or twice a week or go for chemical peels. Most skin clinics offer chemical peel services (containing AHA and BHAs) that you can go for as per your dermatologist’s recommendation to boost your skin radiance.
II. Hair Tips To Look Younger Than Your Age
7. Avoid Over Styling You Hair
You may love straightening or curling your hair or using too many products. But at a certain age, you need to stop doing it as it can damage the cuticles and make your hair appear dull and more prone to breakage. Also, avoid over-washing your hair as it can strip away its natural oils and make its look dry and lifeless.
8. Try Biotin Supplements
If you are dealing with hair thinning, you can try taking biotin supplements (2). You can also add biotin-rich foods to your daily diet. These include eggs, almonds, cheese, spinach, sweet potato, salmon, beef, and sunflower seeds (3).
9. Pick A Hairstyle That Makes You Look Younger
Avoid hairstyles that pull your hair away from your face. Instead, go for face-framing hairstyles. If you have shorter hair, you can go for a fringe or bangs to frame your face and make it look more youthful. Consult a stylist to figure out what styles will suit your face. You can go for a cropped cut, a chin-length bob, or a layered cut with bangs.
10. Color Your Hair
Coloring your hair can take years off your appearance! Choose the right hair color according to your natural hair color. If you have blonde or red hair, add some warm tones to it. If you are a brunette, go for caramel highlights. If you have black hair, then it’s best to talk to the stylist as picking a hair color for black hair is tricky. However, you may try chestnut brown or mocha.
III. Makeup Tips To Appear Younger Than Your Age
11. Go Light On Foundations
Avoid high-coverage foundations. Too much foundation can hide the natural radiance of your skin. Go for a foundation with sheer coverage. If you are over 30, pick a moisturizing formula. It won’t create any creases on your face and also give it a dewy finish. After that, you can apply an opaque concealer on spots that need more coverage. In this way, you can maintain a natural but flawless and radiant look.
12. Don’t Use Too Much Powder
The powder can make your skin appear dry and accentuate the lines on your face. If you have oily skin and you don’t want excessive shine on your face, go for translucent powder. It won’t build up on your face. Also, avoid dusting it on your face with a brush. Use a powder puff to use it on specific areas, such as the T-zone.
13. Add A Hint Of Blush
A hint of blush on your cheeks works like magic to add a youthful flush on dull skin. However, you need to pick the right color for your skin tone. If you are fair-medium skin tone, pick a peachy shade, and if you have a medium to dark skin tone, go for coral blush. Avoid anything that shimmers and pick cream formulas. Always be subtle with a blush as the idea is to add just a hint of a flush on your cheeks.
14. Focus On The Inner Corners Of Your Eyes
When you brighten up the inner corner of your eyes, your face brightens up automatically. So, even if you plan to go bare-faced, apply a concealer on the inner corners of your eyes and cover the dark circles. You may even line the inner corners with a white eyeliner.
15. Enhance Your Natural Lip Color
Dark, matte lipsticks make your lips appear thinner and add years to your face. On the other hand, nude lip colors may wash out your face. So, pick a shade that is close to your natural lip color and just use your fingertips to apply it so that the edges of your lips look softer. Soft berry shades work great. If you want to add a glossy finish, apply lip balm. If you are using a lip liner, try to overdraw your lip line subtly to make your lips appear plumper.
IV. Nutrition Tips To Stay Younger
16. Go Green!
Vegetables are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. They contain antioxidants that reduce the risk of many diseases and improve your skin quality. A study conducted in Japan has found that a high intake of green and yellow vegetables can increase skin elasticity and reduce wrinkles and skin aging (4).
17. Drink Bone Broth
When you cook meat and poultry bones for an extended period, they release collagen that breaks down into gelatin. Drinking this bone broth helps promote collagen production in your body, which, in turn, makes your skin look younger (5).
18. Switch To Olive Oil
Olive oil is very popular in the Mediterranean diet. It is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids. It keeps your heart healthy and reduces the risk of diabetes and other metabolic issues. Moreover, it promotes healthy aging and improves your longevity (6).
19. Eat Fatty Fish
Fatty fish – like salmon, tuna, mackerel, and herring – are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce the risk of cardiovascular conditions and keep your heart healthy (7). They can also reduce the risk of inflammation caused by UV-rays exposure and have a photoprotective effect. Thus, they protect your skin from sun damage and photoaging (8).
20. Eat Dark Chocolate!
It sounds like sweet relief! Chocolate contains flavonoids that help reduce blood pressure and improve insulin sensitivity and artery functions, thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases (9). The flavonol in cocoa also improves the flow of blood to your skin (10). This means your skin gets more oxygen and stays healthy and appears younger!
V. Lifestyle And Health Tips To Stay And Look Younger
21. Relax And Take A Break
Stress reduces your quality of life and induces inflammation in your body. As a result, you may experience health issues such as depression, a decline in brain function, diabetes, and metabolic issues (11). This can show up on your skin. So, take a break and relax. Meditate, travel, spend time with your family, watch a movie, go out with friends – do whatever helps you relax.
22. Exercise
You do not need to hit the gym for this. The idea is to keep yourself moving. This helps you tone your muscles, maintain a healthy weight, and relieve stress. Go trekking, hiking, cycling, jogging, dancing, or indulge in any activity that will give your body a good workout. This will keep lifestyle diseases – like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease – at bay and make you appear younger than your age!
23. Drink Plenty of Water
If your body is not hydrated properly, your skin will look dull, dry, and patchy. This can make you look older than you actually are. Staying hydrated is one way to maintain your metabolic functions and keep your skin looking healthy and glowing from within.
24. Quit Smoking
Smoking tobacco not only causes cancer but also causes premature skin aging, hair loss, and skin issues such as acne and psoriasis (12).
25. Sleep Well!
Poor sleep quality can affect skin barrier function and cause skin aging (13). Once the skin barrier is compromised, your skin becomes dull, dry, and prone to inflammation. You need to sleep at least 7-9 hours a night to keep your skin healthy and maintain a youthful appearance.
Takeaway
What ages a woman’s face the most? Stress, an unhealthy lifestyle, vitamin deficiencies, certain makeup products, lack of sleep, and not using sunscreen may contribute to premature aging in women. At what age do you start looking old? It differs for different people. Not everyone has the same lifestyle, genetics, and skin type. However, the biggest changes occur in the 40s or even begin in the mid-30s. Why does my face look old and tired? There may be several reasons for looking old and tired. One of the most common reasons for dull skin is dehydration. Drinking enough water and hydrating your skin help improve your skin.
