How to Prevent Wrinkles: 14 Tips

Women are vain when it comes to wrinkling, and we've got good reason for it -- society tends to judge us more harshly than men when they start to show. Fortunately, we know a great deal more about what causes wrinkles now than we did way back when. We can't totally prevent wrinkling, not even with plastic surgery, but we can do a great deal in terms of limited how, where and how much they develop. This article will explain some of the ways we can prevent wrinkles, and why they work. If you'd like to know how more about how wrinkles come to be, see my article on 8 Things That Cause Wrinkles.

Avoid the sun.

If you live somewhere like Texas, you're going to have difficulty avoiding the sun altogether, but even Texans can take precautions when it comes to things like sunscreen. It may be tempting to lay out in the sun during the summer, but it's just not a clever idea to do so for a significant period of time. You may look fabulous with your dark tan at 25, but you will wish you'd stayed indoors by the time you're looking 50 in the face. And that goes for more than just your face; the skin around your neck, chest, upper arms, etc will shrivel up and wrinkle in their own way, and you will not be able to moisturize your way around it.

Quit smoking.

Yes, it can be difficult to do. I know, I've been there. But I did it, and I am very glad I did. Fighting Father time is hard enough, why give the man extra assistance? Not only does smoking damage your skin from the inside, the smoke itself damages your skin and hair and nails from the outside. Yellow fingers and nails are no more sexy than crow's feet!

Don't smile.

Ok, I'm kidding. Mostly. I actually rarely smile, and I am quite sure that it's contributed greatly to my lack of wrinkles. And if I do smile, said smile rarely reaches my eyes because I am now conscious of this fact. You don't have to be a scrooge if you don't want to, of course.

Do your facial exercises.

Hey, they work. Yes, you look silly doing them, but if you do them in your bathroom, who the hell's going to see you? Obviously, you don't want to push and pull at your skin to the point you're stretching things out of shape, but if you follow a conservative facial exercise routine, you will see results pretty quickly. And yes, I do them, and I yes, I've seen results.

Drink your water.

To be honest, I hate water and I drink iced-tea instead, but if you can handle water, do it. Hydrating your skin from the inside out is a brilliant way of keeping things soft and smooth. Moisturizing from the outside helps, but to make the most of it, you've got to help it along from the inside as well.

Avoid soap on delicate areas.

I have not "washed" my eye area for probably 7 years now. No matter what face wash I tried, there was a drying. Drying is not what you want in the eye area. Instead, I cleanse the area with eye-makeup remover -- the results are instantly silky and smooth skin. (Careful, though, as too much of it can make you feel greasy.)

Avoid too much sugar.

Scientist say that a high-sugar diet affects the quality of collagen your body produces, reducing it to a short-term type which isn't conducive to healthy or beautiful skin. You don't have to avoid dessert altogether, but if you're on an ice-cream diet, you may want to restructure.

Exercise / stimulate the area.

Give yourself a head massage, an ear massage, a face massage or any other type of massage and you will see a difference. These things will improve your circulation and get blood and nutrients flowing to the places that may not getting as much attention as they should. Same goes for your body, if you can talk the husband into giving you a massage once a week, you will see an improvement in skin quality everywhere. (Don't forget to return the favor!)

Don't sleep on your stomach.

I am a stomach sleeper, and I am really trying to correct this. Why? Because those lines you get in your face overnight take longer and longer to disappear as you start to get older. Not only does it help break the skin down, it makes blood pool on the side of your face and can cause edema that will only help you look older. Sleep on your back if at all possible, as sleeping on your side isn't perfect, either.

Use sunscreen.

This doesn't necessarily mean suntan lotion. There are so many moisturizers that have SPF something-or-other scrawled across the label that there really isn't a good excuse for not using them. Especially if you're fair and freckled. Any extra SPF action you can get is a good thing, no matter what age you are.

Get a humidifier.

Unless you've go naturally super-oily skin, a humidifier will do wonders for you. Not only will it soothe your skin from the outside, it will help it retain moisture on the inside.

Quality anti-wrinkle cream.

This is high up on the list because I have been using Lancome's anti-wrinkle eye creams for a very long time now and I do not have wrinkles at 33, even when I smile. The lines I have are those you'd see when a teenager smiles deeply, and that's it. I don't have lines across my cheeks or near the temple, etc -- and while 33 may sound young, most people have something going on by now somewhere. You don't have to use $300 creams -- the one I use less than $50, and it lasts me for 2 months. Use whatever works best for you, but make sure it works.

Wear sunglasses.

If you're like me (someone who looks silly in a hat) make sure you're at least wearing sunglasses to protect the delicate eye-area from the sun's damaging rays. Not only will you look cool, you'll look less wrinkly by the time you're middle-aged.

Get plenty of sleep.

Have you ever looked at the face of someone who hasn't slept well for a few days? Yeah. It's not pretty. Put your skin through that frequently enough and it's going to start breaking down, priming it for wrinkles. Make sure you get the proper amount of sleep to prevent this.