How to Reverse Aging Skin

July 22, 2022

Aging skin is caused by a number of factors including the loss of the fatty tissue between your skin and muscle causing the loosening of the skin, gravity, and loss of the proteins collagen and elastin that make the face look full and firm, causing lines and wrinkles. Aging skin also sometimes brings with it dark spots, sunspots, and uneven texture and skin tone.

As we age, we lose hyaluronic acid from our skin, which causes it to become dryer and less plump.

But, just as importantly, aging skin can be caused by exposure to the sun (which causes photoaging) and exposure to other pollutants such as cigarette smoke. All of these can produce free radicals, unstable atoms missing one electron which take that electron from healthy atoms in your aging skin, damaging it and causing premature aging.

Stress, repetitive facial movements, a poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking, and drinking, gaining and losing weight, and even the position in which you sleep can all contribute to aging skin.

The sad truth is, that we cannot completely control or reverse the aging process. But, with a little work, we can slow it down considerably, and even reverse some of the effects of aging, such as fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin. It may take a bit of work, committing to a few lifestyle changes, for instance. But, in the end, it will have been worth it.

Can you Reverse Aging Skin?

To a certain extent, yes, but not permanently. And, the best approach is always prevention.

The best prevention of fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots, and the like is to stay out of the sun. Don’t tan, it ages your skin prematurely. And, wear sunscreen every day, rain or shine, at least a broad spectrum SPF 30 which is water resistant. Sun exposure can lead to fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin, not to mention dark spots. This is called photoaging. It is due to the fact that the UV rays from the sun reduce the elasticity of the skin because UV light damages our elastin and affects our skin’s ability to stay firm, so it begins to sag.

In fact, a 2013 study published in the Journal of Clinical Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology found that UV exposure seemed to be responsible for 80 percent of visible facial aging signs.

Aging skin becomes thinner and drier. We lose elastin and collagen which causes our skin to become less firm and possibly sag. But your skin does have some ability to repair itself if you reduce the damage it takes from the sun.

Antioxidants can play a big role in this. You can get them in the fruits and vegetables that you eat, through supplements, or through antioxidant serums, like vitamin C serum, you apply to your face.

Antioxidants are extremely important in reversing aging skin because they fight free radicals and the damage they cause to your skin. They do this by supplying the missing electron to the free radicals before they can damage your healthy skin. This helps to prevent fine lines and wrinkles from ever forming.

How Can I Recover My Aging Skin?

One way is to develop a good skincare routine, including a vitamin C serum to fight free radicals in your environment. You begin by cleansing your skin gently. If you work at your skin too hard, you’ll irritate it and only make aging skin look older. Also, use a cleanser that is gentle on your aging skin.

As for when to use a vitamin C serum, that’s best used in the morning, on freshly cleaned and dry skin. Next, follow with a good moisturizer that is right for your aging skin. If it doesn’t contain a broad spectrum sunscreen of at least SPF 30, follow with a separate sunscreen. And don’t forget your neck and décolletage.

The reason you want to use your vitamin C serum in the morning is so it can fight the free radicals you come into contact with in your environment throughout the day. Also, you may want to use retinol at night to help with aging skin. Since it’s best not to mix your retinol with your vitamin C serum, and because retinol can make your aging skin more sensitive to the sun, it’s best used at night.

However, some people like to use vitamin C serum before and after sun exposure to best fight free radicals. This is fine if your skin can tolerate twice daily applications. If you are also using retinol at night, you need to wait at least 30 minutes before applying it after your vitamin C serum.

Can Aging Skin be Improved?

Most definitely. Using vitamin C serum is a great way to improve aging skin. Some vitamin C benefits are

It brightens skin generally and helps to fade dark spots, age spots, and sun spots seen in aging skin by interfering with the skin’s melanin production.
It stimulates collagen production to help smooth out those fine lines and wrinkles and tighten up sagging skin.
Universal C Eye Perfector, an under-eye cream, for example, reduces fine lines and wrinkles, taking years off your face. Vitamin C speeds up cell turnover, bringing fresh new cells to the surface, thus reducing the look of fine lines, wrinkles, and discolorations in aging skin.
In addition to helping to prevent photodamage through its antioxidant properties, it actually helps to repair sun-damaged skin.

How can I Reverse my Age Naturally?

There are many natural ways to reverse your age, though neither completely, nor permanently. Aging skin is just a fact of life. But with the right approach, you can look years younger than your chronological age.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Aging skin naturally becomes less hydrated and wrinkles, or can become looser or sag, so healthy skin requires more water. It also helps with those dark circles. Be sure to drink plenty, at least 8 glasses a day.
Get enough sleep. At least 8 hours. Both wrinkles and sagging skin can be caused by a lack of adequate sleep, not to mention those dark circles under your eyes.
Change your sleep position. If you routinely sleep on one side of your face, you can cause lines and wrinkles to form on aging skin. Sleeping on your back can prevent this.
Avoid sun exposure. Wear protective clothing such as a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses with UV protection. And always, always wear sunscreen, whether it’s added to your daily moisturizer or a separate application, make sure it’s at least SPF 30 and will protect you from both UVA and UVB rays (broad spectrum) Even on cloudy days, much of the sun’s UV rays will get through. UV rays will not only cause or contribute to aging skin but also may cause cancer if you don’t take preventative, protective steps now. And don’t forget to slather your neck. In fact, you should put sunscreen on any exposed skin every time you go out.
Don’t smoke, or if you do, quit. Smoking causes wrinkles and speeds up skin aging, contributing to the look of aging skin. It dries out the skin and leeches out the vitamin C in your skin as well. Also, smoking can produce free radicals which damage your skin and lead to prematurely aging skin.
Avoid repetitive facial movements. Repetitive facial movements, such as frowning and lifting your eyebrows eventually create permanent creases (wrinkles) in your face. Also, wearing sunglasses will stop you from squinting and help to prevent crow’s feet.
Avoid sugar. It causes a process known as glycation, resulting in advanced glycation products (AGEs) which break down collagen and result in aging skin.
Don’t drink alcohol. It dehydrates your skin and leads to damage and aging skin.
Avoid stress. It can lead to wrinkles, dark circles, and other signs of aging skin.
Eat a healthy diet. You need proteins and lots of healthy vegetables and fruits to keep your skin looking younger and more supple. This includes foods rich in antioxidants to help fight free radicals and oxidative stress.
Wash your face morning and night, and after sweating a lot. The sweat will irritate your skin, so you want to wash it off as soon as you can. Also, you want to make sure to remove makeup from your face at night as it can clog pores and irritate your skin. Anything that irritates your skin like that contributes to the unpleasant look of aging skin.
Try a banana mask. There are different recipes out there for how to make the mask, but the outcome is the same-your aging skin will look healthier.
Apply natural Aloe Vera gel to your face. This is a known anti-aging remedy that hydrates the skin.
Try facial massage. You can do this with a hand-held facial massager or with your fingers. It can improve the look of wrinkles and sagging in aging skin.
Olive oil. Whether you consume it regularly or apply it to your face, it can help to prevent the appearance of facial wrinkles, skin texture, and sagging skin.

Aging, and aging skin, are two things that cannot be avoided. But aging skin can be delayed, and even prevented or repaired (to a certain extent). Avoiding sun exposure is probably the most important thing you can do for your aging skin to keep it looking more youthful. Aside from that, the use of an antioxidant serum, such as vitamin C, can help tremendously in the fight to prevent damage and even repair aging skin. Lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy diet, avoiding stress, hydrating, and getting adequate sleep go a long way to smoothing and plumping aging skin as well.