8 Ways To Keep Wrinkles At Bay

There's nothing like your first few wrinkles to announce to the world that you're coming on in age. Some people wear them like a badge of honor, but unlike distinguished gray hair, there's hardly anything attractive about the process of slowly resembling a prune.

With these simple skin care tips, plus smart diet and lifestyle choices, you can fight the onslaught of wrinkles in a natural, non-invasive way.

1. Keep hydrated. As we age, our skin loses its elasticity, thus resulting in wrinkles and fine lines. If you never heeded Mom's admonitions to drink eight glasses of water a day, you'll start to see the wrinkling and dulling effects on your skin as early as your 30s.

An abundant intake of water naturally cleanses our system and flushes out the toxins, promotes better digestion, joint lubrication, and skin hydration. It's the cheapest skin care regimen ever.

2. Moisturize. Aside from hydrating from within, quench your parched skin with moisturizing oil or lotion.

For the body, pick moisturizers with organic emollients like shea butter and jojoba oil to soothe and smoothen skin. For the face, pick a moisturizer that specifically address fine lines and wrinkles. Use a light moisturizer to layer under makeup for daytime, and switch to a heavy-duty cream at night.

Oily-skinned individuals tend to skip this part of the beauty routine, but they need moisturizing, too. The solution? Pick light, non oil-based moisturizers that won't clog pores or contribute to the oil slick (try tinted moisturizers that do double duty), or simply just moisturize at night.

Do you have sensitive skin or easily break out in rashes? It's best to ask a dermatologist to recommend a moisturizer suited to your skin type.

(For more moisturizing tips, read "Why Everyone Needs To Moisturize")

3. Be sun-smart. The beach isn't the only place where we should be slathering on the sunblock. You can be susceptible to overexposure to the sun even while walking to your car, watching junior's soccer game, or having coffee at an outdoor café. Don't worry—these days, there's a whole range of sunblock in lower SPF and light formulations especially made for city living.

For those who don't like piling on the products, simply choose makeup with built-in sunscreen to make it easier to protect your skin against the damaging UVA and UVB rays. And don't forget to wear shades—aside from protecting your eyes, it prevents squinting, which can cause wrinkles.

4. Eat your greens. Collagen is the stuff that keeps our skin firm, elastic and smooth. As we age, our capacity to produce it drops, resulting in wrinkles, fine lines, and, saggy skin.

Boost collagen by drinking soy milk, eating Vitamin C-rich dark green veggies like spinach, broccoli, and asparagus, and red fruits and veggies, like tomatoes and beets.

Foods rich in omega fatty acids help stimulate the production of collagen, so load up on salmon and tuna, as well as almonds, cashew nuts, and even avocados.

5. Drink green tea. Instead of going for another coffee run, put the kettle on. While overindulging in coffee may dehydrate skin, sipping soothing anti oxidant-rich green tea protects skin against free radicals and helps delay the aging process.

6. Detox. Kick all your toxin-filled habits; clean living, blood-circulating exercise, and a healthy lifestyle can do wonders for your face. If you can't quit smoking for health reasons, do it for vanity. The more you puff, the more you snuff out the collagen that keeps wrinkles at bay.

Meanwhile, excessive alcohol consumption dehydrates and thins skin, causing wrinkles and that unattractive splotchy look.

7. Get some beauty sleep. Pulling all-nighters or constantly partying till dawn will translate to raccoon eyes and dry, lackluster skin—and not even the most potent moisturizers can repair the damage. Get at least eight hours of shuteye every night to give your skin a chance to regenerate, and you'll be rewarded with a supple, radiant glow.

8. Adopt a positive attitude. Sounds simplistic, but it's true! Worrywarts tend to develop deep creases across their forehead and between their brows from too much frowning. Whenever you catch yourself scrunching up your forehead, channel optimism, and feel your facial muscles relax instantly (bonus: this method helps headache-sufferers, too!).

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