What Makes Us Look Older?

There are a multitude of daily factors that have a significant impact on the health of our skin and the rate at which we appear to be aging. Generally taking care of your health and body will translate to younger-looking skin. Activities such as drinking, not exercising or eating healthily, smoking, and not staying hydrated will all often cause us to look older than our age. Our faces are typically the first things people see, and the skin on our faces will be one of the first areas to show signs of aging.

Our faces can appear to age with the development of fine lines, wrinkles, creases, sagging, age spots, and discoloration or even textures. As we age, our facial skin starts to thin and produce collagen more slowly, causing the appearance of sagging and often making the bones appear more prominent. Doing activities such as drinking more than a recommended amount of alcohol, smoking cigarettes, exposing your skin to harmful UV rays, having a poor sleeping position, or not getting enough sleep, in general, can all have a significant impact on how quickly you appear to be aging as they cause dehydration in the skin or premature wrinkles. These are just a few of the factors that notably make a huge difference in your complexion, but they all come down to general self-care and reflect how you are taking care of your skin and body as a whole.

While there is no exact timeline for when the appearance of aging starts to progress, most people will start to notice the most substantial changes closer to their 40s and 50s, though this is dependent on their lifestyles and habits. It is not uncommon to start noticing changes in your appearance due to aging while in your mid to late 30s. Around these ages, more noticeable fine lines or wrinkles can start appearing, potentially alongside some sagging of the skin and the development of age spots. These changes will likely be developing gradually, just becoming more noticeable over time. When we are around 25 years old, the production of collagen in our skin slows down immensely, so the rate at which our skin appears to be aging after that relies more on our habits and lifestyle.

The 7 signs of aging all have to do with the texture and tone of the facial skin and if it appears to be more even. The first sign of aging is fine lines and wrinkles, which appear on the face most commonly as frown lines, smile lines, and crow’s feet. Moisture levels have a lot to do with the “glowiness” that the skin appears to have, referring to the dullness developed in the complexion as we age caused by the lower levels of moisture that are retained in our skin. The duller the skin, the more we appear to have aged, making dullness and lack of moisture a couple of the common signs of aging. Our skin tone can become less even with age caused by the development of age spots, small spots of melanin that appear to have clumped together, causing us to appear older. Two of the signs of aging are uneven skin tone and blotchiness, or age spots, making it clear that these are very common tell-tale signs of aging as well. Lastly, skin texture will also make a significant impact on how we appear to be aging, as it strays from being “baby-bum” smooth. Many people will develop more visibility for their pores as well, adding to the textural imperfection and finalizing our list of 7 main signs of aging.

The simplest and easiest way to prevent premature aging in the facial skin is to make sure that you are taking proper care of your skin and body in general. Avoiding smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption, and protecting your skin through a strong enough SPF or proper coverage from harmful UV rays will make a massive difference in the health and appearance of your skin. As well, it is recommended that you stay hydrated to compensate for the moisture that your skin loses as you age, sleep in a position that does not cause your skin to crease or sag from gravity if possible, and maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen, you can avoid further premature aging. Stress is a huge factor in causing aging too, so try to avoid unnecessary stress wherever possible.

For more information, contact us or book an appointment online. We are located at 1199 E College St, Seguin, TX 78155. We serve clients from Seguin TX, San Antonio TX, McQueeney TX, San Marcos TX, New Berlin TX, Kingsbury TX, New Braunfels TX, Santa Clara TX, Marion TX, Zuehl TX, Austin TX, Houston TX, and surrounding areas.