We can’t stop skin from ageing, but there are things you can do to help. As we age, there are several ways your skin changes. You may notice fine lines, your skin isn't as smooth and as collagen production slows down, your skin may lose elasticity and firmness. Other signs of ageing include wrinkles, skin sensitivity and age spots. But fear not, it’s not all bad news. A healthy lifestyle and a good skin care routine can help minimise the signs of ageing. Here’s our guide to defying time and more youthful, radiant skin.

Manage Your Stress

Stress can have ageing effects on our skin. With busy lifestyles, women over 30’s are more likely to experience stress due to responsibilities in their career, caring for children and their family, and of course the external pressures and expectations to juggle it all. As our bodies naturally grow older, stress is more likely to cause skin to age at an accelerated rate. It can be hard to avoid stress, but there are steps you can take each day to reduce its effect on the skin, body and our lives. Get enough sleep, stroll to the park, beach or rainforest, reduce alcohol, avoid too much caffeine, set your work hours and commit to starting and leaving on time, share with friends, find time for regular exercise and yoga, learn to meditate to slow down and revitalise your complexion.

Face Yoga

Did you know, there are yoga exercises you can do for your face? Try our favourite anti-ageing facial poses to banish fine lines, sagging skin and wrinkles. Set aside a few minutes each day to practice. The following exercises can generate a smoother and tighter complexion and delay the onset of wrinkles.

The Eye Massage

Reduce dark circles and release eye muscles tension. Apply Sanctum Firming Eye Balm before starting.

Technique

• Close your eyes
• Close your fists while holding the thumb upright
• Place you left thumb to the left of your eye
• Place your right thumb to the right of your eye
• Gently create circular motions to massage the areas around your eyes and on top of your eye lids, with both thumbs, for 30 seconds to 1 minute

The Mouth

Relax the muscles around the lips and cheeks and brighten up the face.

Technique

• Smile. Stretch your mouth as wide as you can
• Close your mouth. Press your lips tightly together and kiss!
• Repeat 20 to 25 times

The Smile Smoother

Reduce cheek lines and sagging skin.

Technique

• Make an ‘O’ shape with your mouth to hide the teeth with the lips
• Smile widely while keeping the teeth hidden
• Repeat six times

Don’t smoke

As non-smokers, we know how easy it is not to smoke. As smokers, it can be a difficult, shameful and a scary process to stop the addiction. Knowing the affects smoking can have on your skin and its appearance, as well as your insides, can help kick the habit. Tobacco smoke contains thousands of substances that will damage your skin and accelerate skin ageing. This results in facial wrinkles, uneven skin colouring and dryness. The habit of smoking can lead to getting ‘smokers face’ which is characterised by a dull appearance to the skin, deeper wrinkles around the mouth and eyes, and loss of tone and elasticity. Call the Quit line, cut down, or read Allan Carr’s Easy Way To Stop Smoking. Cigarettes can kill you, and also make you look a lot older in the process.

Use certified organic, anti-ageing skin care

Certified organic means no toxins, everything is good for you! Choose organic skincare to keep skin youthful, naturally. Replenish lost moisture and restore youthful radiance with our HY C Intensive Repair Cream. Perfect for mature, dry and dehydrated skin, the formula works on three levels to help promote cell renewal, hydrate the skin and protect against the ageing effects of the environment. Use HY C Intensive Repair Cream morning and night, after cleansing and toning. For best results apply HY C Recovery Serum first.