Skincare tips for 20 year olds

Don’t look back on your 20s with regret. Retain your skin’s youth with this list of skin care tips.

Skin Care do’s

Look after your health
During study sessions and long work hours, many people stop exercising and gravitate towards junk food. A poor diet means your skin will be lacking vital vitamins, minerals and fats. These help to develop healthy skin cells and produce a protective barrier against the sun and infections. Exercise promotes blood flow which helps to regenerate skin during sleep. As a result, a lack of regular exercise and well-balanced meals affects your skin, leaving it dry and dull. Ensure you’re getting enough of both on a weekly basis.

Anti-ageing products
Despite its popularity amongst 40 year olds and up, anti-ageing products still produce favourable results in young individuals. After all, most of the damage done to your epidermis occurs during your 20s. However, these only become visible in your 30s and 40s. So, the sooner you begin treatment, the better the results. Using the correct products will help to promote collagen & elastin in your skin, which prevent sagging, they will also help to sustain the protective epidermal layer.

Skin Care don’ts

Change your skin care routine
During your 20s, you begin to truly understand your skin. So, you’re well-aware of what products will produce a favourable result, and what will not. However, this is the time that many individuals begin to experiment with new products. While this is fine to do so occasionally, constantly fluctuating between skin care products may irritate your skin. Instead, we suggest you find a skin care routine that works and stick to it.

Late nights
Many individuals in their 20s tend to indulge in a fair amount of drinking, socialising and partying. Unfortunately, this lack of sleep tends to affect skin’s health. Skin functions according to your body clock, known as your circadian rhythm. During sleep, microcirculation helps to circulate more blood and oxygen to your skin. This helps to regenerate skin and promotes the functioning of healthy skin cells. So, if you’re having a late night, ensure you’re home in time to get enough rest for the following day. Experts recommend adults get between 7 – 9 hours of sleep per night.

Sit with crossed legs
Varicose veins occur when valves in the veins are damaged and blood collects in these valves. While it depends on whether or not you have a genetic predisposition, crossing your legs can cause varicose veins. If your job or studies require long hours spent on your feet, ensure you switch your weight between both feet.

Stress
Whether it’s due to a late night of studying, personal problems or work, stress affects your skin as much as it affects your body. Stress causes a chemical reaction. It triggers the release of epinephrine and cortisol, also known as the stress hormones. As a result, your body tends to neglect the skin, leaving it vulnerable to infection. So, not only does it affect your ability to sleep, but stress can lead to breakouts, rashes and even cold sores.

Smoke
Despite the fact that it’s linked with numerous skin disorders and even cancer, at some point, most of the general population have tried smoking. If you are a smoker, the ideal time to quit is now. The longer you smoke, the more your skin becomes damaged, resulting in premature wrinkles. Here are the hard facts: Smoking causes vasodilation (the widening of blood vessels) and vasoconstriction (the narrowing of blood vessels). This reduces blood and oxygen supply to the skin, which affects the production of elastin and collagen and as a result, skin begins to show signs of ageing prematurely.