Ways To Reduce Lines And Wrinkles

Makeup may cover up the signs of aging and medical procedures can certainly undo some of the symptoms of years gone by, but when it comes to reducing fine lines and wrinkles at home there's actually more ways than you think to give your skin the upper hand. Some processes require product or treatments that you can do yourself in your home bathroom, while other methods of line reduction simply require you leading a healthier lifestyle and embracing better nutrition. Your skin may seem like an external part of yourself, but like the rest of your body and internal organs it requires vitamins, nutrients, and certain physical assistance to stay healthy and young. If you're having trouble with certain areas of your skin care you can speak to a dermatologist for some advice on which products you should be using; in the meantime read on below for 5 ways to reduce lines on your own.

Natural Masks

Using a face mask at home can be a relaxing and fun way to infuse some life into your skin. Get a bunch of girlfriends together for a night of face masks, nail polish, and gossip, or relax in a steamy bubble bath with some cream on. Although you can purchase face masks from most drug stores and department stores, some of the best ingredients found in these products can also be found in your home cupboards or refrigerator. Things like honey, yogurt, eggs, oatmeal, bananas, and avocado create great creams to spread on and allow your skin to soak up. Each item has different elements that help reduce wrinkles and create smoothness, nourishment and a healthy glow. Different vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants work together to tighten pores and even out texture and color.

Drink Up

Believe it or not, the amount of water that you consume throughout the day can have a huge impact on how healthy your skin is. You've probably heard that you should be drinking eight to ten glasses of water a day, but you may not have realized that it wasn't just for your digestive tract and overall hydration levels. Yahoo Shine reports:

Hydrating yourself daily will not only help to fight off aging, but also gives your skin a healthy glow. Skip the water, and you'll be stuck with rough and 'shrunken' skin.

Think about the reason that you rub in moisturizer every morning and night before bed; it's to rehydrate your skin. Drinking enough water throughout the day does the same thing, and in some cases saves you from needing too much extra help in this department as well. Take the time to drink water with every meal and whenever you feel overly warm or are exerting a lot of energy. A great tip is to bring a bottle of water with you to the office and refill it throughout the day; many people don't get up for a drink when thirsty based on inconvenience. If the bottle is right there in front of you then you'll be more likely to reach out and take a sip when needed.

Learn How To Wash

It may sound silly but many people endure skin problems due to the fact that they don't know how to properly wash their face. Yes it's a fairly basic procedure, but there are steps that shouldn't be skipped and a few tiny facts that shouldn't be overlooked. Exfoliating is one of the most important steps in a proper skin care regimen and yet many people completely forget it when washing their face. Sloughing off dead skin cells and ridding your complexion of the buildup of product, oil, and other residue left by the elements allows your new fresh skin to be exposed to your cleaning product and moisturizers. Another thing to keep in mind is water temperature; Bethany Verdone of Good Housekeeping says:

While many of us love super-hot, long showers, unfortunately they strip away the outer most layer of epidermis causing scaly and dried skin.

Go for warm instead of hot, and something to consider when rinsing is to use cool water rather than warm; at least on your face. Warm water opens the pores so that all the oil can be properly cleaned out, and cold water closes and tightens them back up so that other bacteria and buildup can't get inside.

Slather On Some Cream

One of the most common methods of wrinkle and line control are creams and lotions that are either medicated or pumped full of new and fantastic nutrients. As mentioned above, many of these vitamins can be found through natural methods in items found all over your house, but when you're looking for a fast acting topical treatment to moisturize throughout the day using a store brand is probably best. As far as what vitamins to look for; Gerlinda Grimes of How Stuff Works advises:

Vitamin A (a retinoid) appears on cosmetics labels as Retin-A (retinoic acid), retinol and retinyl. When applied as a topical cream, these ingredients increase collagen and elastin (proteins in the dermis).

Vitamin C and vitamin E are two other skin conditioning nutrients to keep your eyes open for when shopping for a good product. Remember that night cream and day cream are different and you should treat them as such due to the fact that at night in your bed you're less likely to come into contact with external elements like UV rays and wind.

Eat Your Wrinkles Away

What you put into your body is just as important if not more important that what you're putting on top of your skin. Unfortunately many people have been cutting out fat consumption in an effort to get thin or healthy without realizing that some fat is necessary. Of course you want to get rid of saturated fats, but other fats like omega-3's are crucial; Web MD explains:

These compounds fight damage caused by free radicals (unstable molecules that can damage cells), which in turn helps skin look younger and more radiant, and protects against some effects of photo-aging.

Other elements of your diet can also affect fine lines and wrinkles; eating more fruit with antioxidants like blueberries and pomegranates is another way to stave off signs of early aging. Try cutting back on coffee and having a mug of hot green tea in the morning instead.