9 ways to fight skin ageing

Anti-ageing is the latest a buzzword and suddenly, people are doing whatever it takes to look young. People are now investing in a skin insurance policy and are adopting best practices to stop the inevitable.

However, with the advent of modern-day science and the uncovering of ancient beauty and health secrets, anything is possible.
Well, no one really cares about internal ageing. In the superficial world we live in, the external is what seems to matter. And the one single largest organ to show signs of ageing is the one that the world spends billions on, i.e. our skin. It all starts with the pigments, the lines, the deep lines, the wrinkles etc.

We have to realise no amount of external care is going to protect our skin. We must first learn to care for our body’s internal functions. The following tips can help you stay on top of your game:

1 Start your day right. What you put in your body is what will reflect on the outside. Did you know collagen is the single most important protein in the body?
It’s the framework and the building block of your skin that holds it together. A collagen breakdown results in the crumbling of our skin, sagging, wrinkles etc. So first we protect the collagen and replenish it.

2 Protect your skin from the sun. Exposure to the sun is one of the major factors that contribute to skin ageing. So no amount of sunscreen is good enough to protect you from that UVA/UVB radiation that causes the breakdown of elastin causing wrinkles, other than the pigmentation, sun spots and tanning. Use a hat that has a built-in UPF, a scarf and sunscreen. It does sound a bit much, but it will go a long way in skin preservation.

3 Start your day with a glass of water. You can add a tablespoon of olive oil, turmeric, apple cider vinegar and pink salt to it. This will help alkalise your body enabling better absorption of the vitamins and minerals you consume, later, optimising your food nutritional intake as well.

4 Take a collagen supplement. The new trendy superfood on the block is liquid drinking collagen. This is a craze among both Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities. The best collagen supplement is the liquid marine collagen which has the best bioavailability. It is 1.5 times more efficiently absorbed into the bloodstream because of its low molecular weight and size.

This superfood not only provides a foundation for healthy skin but has also extensive research showing it promotes the production of our hair pigment, even keeps the greys at bay. This ultimate anti-ageing potion also keeps the joints, cartilage and eyesight healthy.

Take at least 1,000 mg of vitamin C along with your collagen supplement. This enables better absorption and boosts collagen production.

6 Don’t forget to moisturise. Use a hyaluronic acid-based topical moisturiser. Don’t wash your face too many times. This will cause the skin to dry out and lose all the moisture.

7 Include healthy carbs such as potatoes and rice in your diet, and avoid dairy and gluten. Rice has an anti-ageing effect, the Japanese have said so and their skin speaks of the benefits.

8 Include a 30-minute exercise regime, cardio helps the blood flow in the body, enabling better absorption and assimilation of nutrition. Yoga and facial exercises, making some monkey faces, etc, also helps. It loosens the tightened muscles in our neck and jaw and the tight muscles pull down on our facial muscles.

9 Get a weekly massage. This will aid lymph drainage and make the skin healthy and glowing.

(The author is the founder of Skin Project)