As you grow older, your skin changes. The production of collagen and elastin slows down, which causes your skin to lose some elasticity. It becomes thinner, loses fat, and no longer looks as chubby and smooth as it used to be. The veins and bones become more obvious from underneath the skin. Scratches, cuts, or bumps can take longer to heal. Staying in the sun or exposure to the sunlight for a long time may lead to dryness, wrinkles, age spots, and even cancer. Also, a person’s ethnicity and heredity are contributing factors to how his or her skin ages.
Since age greatly affects your skin health as you grow older, there are certain skin care tips you should keenly observe to make your skin healthy.
Here are some of such tips specifically outlined to help you with your skin:
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LIMIT BATH TIME AND WASH GENTLY
Do not take an excessive number of showers to avoid damage and strain to your skin. Ensure to bathe with warm water rather than hot water as your skin becomes more delicate as you age. Using hot water will make your skin vulnerable to dryness, burns and injuries. You should use mild soap for shower or bath and mild moisturizer to keep the skin hydrated. More importantly, avoid bath oils as they make the tub slippery, increasing the risk of falling.
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USE SUN PROTECTION
Spend very limited time in the sun. Though sunlight exposure can help to make your skin healthy due to the Vitamin D your skin absorbs from it; too much exposure to the sun can cause more harm than good. You should always wear sunscreen and wear protective clothing before going out into the sun, even when planning to sit in a car.
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MAINTAIN A HEALTHY DIET
As you age, your body loses structural fibers that strengthen your skin; as a result, your body needs the right proportion of nutrients, vitamins and essential minerals to maintain and improve your skin health. For example, a diet rich in vitamin A helps to prevent infection in damaged skin by strengthening the tissues. A diet rich in vitamin C helps aid fast healing of wounds as it contributes to collagen formation, while a diet rich in vitamin E prevents damage to cell membranes. Some of such nutritious foods include green vegetables, nuts, melons, avocados, citrus fruits, melons, berries and oily fish like salmon.
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STAY HYDRATED
Taking enough fluid gives a lot of benefits to the body; one of them is that it helps to keep the skin healthy. When you dehydrate, your skin does, too; and this also increases the chances of injury to your skin because it tends to dry off due to dehydration. The best and most natural way to rehydrate the body is by taking enough pure water; as this will have a positive effect on your skin appearance and help maintain skin hydration levels. Hydration also helps to flush out toxins, reduce wrinkles, moisturize the skin’s surface, and so on — which are all vital to enhancing the health of a senior’s ski
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QUIT SMOKING
As a senior, if you want to maintain a healthy skin, you shouldn’t smoke or consume tobacco. In fact, smoking is unhealthy for person’s of all age groups as it can bring about diverse health issues and problems. Smoking damages your skin in countless ways. It brings about wrinkles, making your skin look older and dry; as it reduces the moisture content of the body. Smoking narrows the blood vessels in the outer layer of a smoker’s skin thereby sapping out the nutrients and oxygen important to the skin health. Smoking also speeds up the aging process as it damages the collagen and elastin, which provides elasticity in the skin.
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HUMIDIFY YOUR HOME
Using a humidifier helps to add moisture to the air so as to prevent dryness that can irritate or injure the skin. Incessant exposure of a senior to dry air can result in redness and breaking of the skin. It is advised that you should keep your room humidified, as this moisture helps keep your skin hydrated.
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MANAGE STRESS
As we age, we face unique stressors that may be related to changes in almost every aspect of our lives- most especially our health. If stress is not properly managed, the hormones that your body releases can lead to physiological changes that negatively impact your skin. It can also make your skin more reactive and triggers acne breakouts and other skin problems. Hence, ensure to maintain a healthy state of mind. You should get enough sleep, exercise and engage in activities that make you happy.
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AVOID FALLS
Seniors are susceptible to falls. Falls are the leading cause of injuries or delayed wound healing in seniors; as the skin has lost its elasticity due to old age. To maintain a healthy skin as you age, you should do everything possible to avoid falls. Hazardous materials such as broken chairs, broken handrails, loose wires and carpets or other sharp objects should be removed in and around the home. Also, you should also ensure to do away with icy, wet or slippery surfaces to avoid falls.
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USE NATURAL SKIN PRODUCTS
For you to keep your skin healthy as a senior, it is advisable that you make use of skin cream that is wholly made up of natural ingredients Most skin care products contain toxic chemicals, fillers, additives and other ingredients your skin can react negatively to. While shopping, make sure you only purchase skin cream or lotion made from natural ingredients such as cucumber extract, coconut oil, aloe vera, olive oil, vitamins A or E, herbs and other natural products.
CONCLUSION
Your skin may change with age. But it does not mean that your skin can’t look vibrant and healthy. If the above-mentioned tips are properly utilized, it will help to keep your skin youthful, glowing and healthy. This will greatly help to reduce the risks of skin injury or damage. Most importantly, check your skin often; and if you find any changes that worry you, see your doctor. Caregivers should also offer these helpful tips to seniors in order to help them maintain healthy skin.