How to stay young looking? A guide to looking younger

Americans in general are concerned about the way they look and spend hundreds and thousands of dollars in improving their looks. One aspect of looking beautiful is looking youthful. Most people spend lot of money on anti-aging creams and treatments.

Well if your signs of aging like saggy skin and wrinkles are more obvious then you will have to spend money. But along with that if you incorporate the tips mentioned in our blog post then you can stay young looking no matter what your age. Thirty is usually the age when signs of aging appear, so you can read our post on looking younger at 30.

Proper skin care routine

To prevent signs of aging or even to reduce them the first thing to do is to incorporate a good skin care routine. We have a four step process for you. Remember to use this process on your hands, neck and face. Click here to know whether you look younger than your age.

Facial cleansing

The first step to do is to cleanse your face with a good facial cleanser. This will clear your pores of all the makeup, pollution and dirt that is present. You have to do this daily

Moisturize abundantly

Hyaluronic acid is present in most dermal fillers. This acid moisturizes your skin and keeps it hydrated. Dehydrated skin can lead to dry skin which can in turn lead to formation of wrinkles. Therefore it is important to moisturise your skin properly as moisturizers contain hyaluronic acid.

Type of moisturizer depends mostly on your skin type. With increasing age, you may need to replace your creams with fatter varieties. Read how to choose a moisturizer here. You have to do this daily

Exfoliate your skin

This step actually comes after facial cleansing and before moisturizing. But you have to follow this step only once a week. By exfoliating your skin you will get rid of the dead skin on your face.

Exfoliation also opens up the pores of the skin which will in turn allow the nutrients from moisturizer to seep deeper into the skin. Read about methods to exfoliate your skin here.

Use sunscreen

When we move out in the sun we come in contact with the suns UV rays. These rays create free radicals in our body. Free radicals damage the protein collagen which is responsible for giving strength to the skin. As a result we get saggy skin and wrinkles.

By using sunscreen we can prevent this sun related damage. You will have to use a sunscreen of SPF above 30. Reapply sunscreen after every two hours of staying out. Also don’t move out in the open during afternoon time as 90 percent of the UV rays are present during this time.

By using the above four steps you can stay young looking for a long period of time.

Sleep for 8 hours

This is another important thing that you have to do to stay young looking. When you sleep there is an increase in blood flow throughout your body and skin. This allows your skin to create more collagen which is needed for firm skin.

Also melatonin a hormone that regulates sleep is known to get rid of free radicals. If a person sleeps for less than 6 hours then that person will have twice the number of wrinkles compared to a person who sleeps less than 8 hours.

Foods to eat

There are three types of foods that you must consume to stay young looking. These foods concentrate on boosting collagen and skin hydration.

First of all you must eat foods that are rich in collagen. Collagen is a protein and is found abundantly in certain protein rich foods like egg whites, chicken and bone broth.

Secondly you must eat foods rich in antioxidants. As mentioned above free radicals damage the collagen in our body. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals.

Foods rich in antioxidants are blueberries, strawberries, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, avocadoes and papayas. Most of the fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants.

Lastly you must eat foods rich in water content to keep your skin moisturized. For this eat foods like watermelons and cucumber. Also foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon and mackerels can help preserve moisture in your skin.

Foods to avoid

Glucose and fructose present in sugar bind with collagen present and damage it. So you must avoid foods that contain processed sugar. Examples of such foods are doughnuts, sugar pastries, carbonated sweet drinks, fruit loops, chips and cookies.

Stress free life

Being stress free is also important to stay young looking. When we stress a hormone called cortisol is made in our body. This hormone is known to damage collagen present in our skin. Therefore you must stay stress free to look younger.

You can play your favorite sports or practice yoga and meditation to relax your mind.

Improve your posture

Aging has its effects on our back bone. This starts in our childhood when we slouch or carry heavy school bags which leads to stretching of supportive muscles and ligaments. The result is a stooped posture.

This posture makes one look older than their age. By improving your posture you can stay young looking. You can try the following exercise to improve your structure.

Goalpost Squeeze

While sitting upright, lift your arms up into a goalpost position with your elbows bent at a 90 degree angle even with your shoulders. Relax your shoulders down, and then pull the elbows towards the back of the room. Imagine that you’re squeezing a marble in between your shoulder blades as you work the upper back. Release. Repeat 10 times.

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A common mistake you make is to push your butt out too much and tilt your upper body forward, which puts an unnecessary strain on your back. Instead, try to keep your eyes peeled forward and push your hips forward a little. Then you get a straighter posture and stabilize your back.

White teeth 

In order to keep the youthful appearance for as long as possible, we should pay attention to our dental care. White teeth makes us look fresher and more active.

We are not talking about the white teeth like our Hollywood superstars. We are talking about normal well-groomed teeth. The secret to having such teeth is visiting your dentist on a regular basis.

As a home remedy you can get yourself a toothpaste with a whitening effect (if you don't already have it). 

Play Sports for youthfulness

We have something called our biological age. It’s our age according to the condition of our body. Regular exercise reduces it. It also enhances your health and makes you beautiful. If we take the time to exercise every two days, we reduce stress hormones and at the same time strengthen the cardiovascular system. 

The effects of exercise lasts for about 48 hours, hence it is advisable to give body a day off each day. A study by the Cologne Sports University showed that 12 minutes of jogging is enough to strengthen the cardiovascular system. 

Personally I feel it is better to lay sports then to exercise as you will enjoy the same. Go for your favorite childhood sport. This will result in sweating and pores of your skin will drive the dirt and makeup from them.

Therefore it is necessary to have a good bath after playing sports as the nutrients in your skin care routine will penetrate deeper in your skin. Also remember to use sunscreen if you are playing outdoor sports.

Playing sports will also help you to lose fats especially around your belly. This will make you look younger as you will start to look slimmer.

By the way, if you do sport once a week, you are not only doing something good for your health, but also for your self-confidence. An American study claims to have found out that one sports unit per week boosts one's own self-confidence. Read about exercise for skin here.

Stop smoking

Everyone knows that smoking is unhealthy. It increases the chances of lung cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and infertility. It leads to a grayer complexion. Quitting smoking is a very important step towards a healthy and younger looking lifestyle.

Smoking leads to disturbed oxygen supply. This is the reason for the gray complexion. The worst thing is that passive smokers are also affected when they are in the vicinity of smokers. All reasons that speak against the fag - right? 

Take it easy with the alcohol

Anyone who drinks alcohol knows how thirsty one feels the next day. This is due to the dehydrating effects that alcohol has on your body. Dehydration saps your body of moisture and leads to sagginess, dryness and wrinkles. So drink alcohol in moderation to stay young looking. If there is a party then don’t forget to drink lots of water.

FAQs on looking younger

We get a lot of questions about looking younger. So we have answered many of them here.

Is it better to look younger or older?

For a woman it is better to look younger. This is because men find younger women more attractive. So you will have more suitors if you look younger.

Can you look younger by losing weight?

Yes losing weight is a good way to look younger. A slimmer woman usually looks younger. But you need to be careful to not lose weight suddenly. In such a case you will lose fats from your face and develop saggy skin and wrinkles.

Can I look younger?

Yes if you follow the suggestions provided above then you can surely look younger.

Can you look younger at 50?

Yes you can look younger at any age. At 50 one of the steps that you can take to look younger is to improve your posture. You can use the exercise mentioned above.

You can read this post to look younger at 50.

Can I look younger at 40?

Yes you can look younger at 40. First step that you can take to look younger at 40 is to start using a retinol based anti-aging cream. You can use our guide to choose an anti-aging cream.

The second step that you can take is to do more love. If you make love for more than three times a week then you can look at least 10 years younger. 
You can read this post to look younger at 40.

Which hormones make you look younger?

There are three hormones that can make you look younger. They are estrogen, melatonin and progesterone. Estrogen improves the hydration levels in your skin and keeps your skin moisturized. This plumps up your skin and reduces the appearance of wrinkles. Eat cruciferous vegetables, nuts and whole grains. Also sleep and remain stress free to boost estrogen levels in your body.

Melatonin makes you look younger by boosting collagen levels in your body. This happens as they boost the supply of antioxidants to your body.  You need to sleep for 8 hours a night to produce more melatonin.

Lastly progesterone gives you glowing skin and prevents loss of elasticity. So you need to boosts it’s levels by eating eat beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, nuts and pumpkin.

What helps you to look younger?

The best tip for anyone who wants to look younger is to use a sunscreen. Use it when you move out of your house. Re apply after every 2 hours of staying out.

Why Japanese look so young?

Japanese look so young because of some of their dietary habits. They drink a lot of green tea which is loaded with antioxidants. These antioxidants help a person to get rid of skin aging due to sun damage.

Japanese eat a lot of fish which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. This helps to increase moisture levels in your skin, which in turn diminishes the appearance of wrinkles.

Why vegetarians look younger?

The vegetarian diet consists of fruits and vegetables which are loaded with antioxidants. As a result vegetarians have better protection against sun related aging.

Will I look younger if I quit smoking?

Yes, definitely. Smoking creates free radicals in your body which damages the protein collagen in your skin. This results in saggy skin. Also when you smoke you tend to purse your lips which puts pressure on the area around your lips. These creates wrinkles around your mouth.

Will I look younger if I stop drinking?

Yes, definitely. When you drink you become dehydrated. This reduces the moisture content in your skin. As a result your skin become less plump and wrinkles become more visible. Therefore you will look younger if you quit drinking due to increased moisture levels.

Will I look younger if I quit vaping?

Yes. When you vape nicotine enters your body. Nicotine constricts the blood vessels in our body. This reduces the supply of blood and along with blood oxygen and other important nutrients to our skin. This will result saggy skin.

Also vaping raises the temperature in your body which will sap the moisture in your skin. This will in turn make your wrinkles more visible.

So yes you will look younger if you quit vaping.

Will we look younger in the future?

In the future there will be more advancements in the field of anti-aging skin care. Whether it is creams or treatment option, will be far more advanced. Also we will know more reasons that make us look older.

So we will know what lifestyle changes are needed to look younger.

Will I look younger if I stop eating sugar?

Sugar is known to damage the collagen in your skin. So yes you will look younger if you quit eating sugar as you will prevent collagen damage. This will in turn prevent wrinkles and saggy skin.

Why Chinese look younger?

Chinese drink a lot of tea instead of sugary drinks. Sugar as mentioned above damages the collagen in our skin.

Also their teas are loaded with anti-oxidants which prevent skin aging due to sun.

Why Koreans look young?

The reason Koreans look young is the same as why the Chinese look young. Drinking special teas.

In conclusions

There are many steps that you can take to stay young looking. This along with any anti-aging creams or treatments that you take can help you look at least 20 years younger than your actual age over a period of time.

So try all our steps to have a more youthful appearance.