Everything You Need To Know About UV Protection

Not a fan of those vertical lines that extend from your nose down to the sides of your mouth? Then read on for five ways to help minimize their appearance.

Smile lines might sound rather lovely and, in all honesty, most of us have some kind of fold – however tiny or etched in –  down the sides of our mouth. Do us a favor and dig out a picture of yourself smiling or laughing 20 or so years ago. Chances are, even then, they were apparent. But the thing is, smile lines, aka laughter lines, marionette lines or nasolabial folds come and go with your facial expression when you’re young and your skin is full of delicious collagen. Not so much as time ticks on. In fact, smile lines get progressively deeper as you age, often to the point where they’re always visible around the lips, even when you’re not smiling.

Many people can totally live with their smile lines. Some of you may even find that they’re an essential part of who you are. And we love that. However, that’s not the case for everyone. Smile lines, like crow’s feet and elevens (frown lines) can be a pesky annoyance for many of us. Sounds familiar? Then keep scrolling for some simple skincare tricks and lifestyle habits for helping to reduce the appearance of your smile lines. Just one thing, though. Don’t stop actually smiling in a bid to soften those lines. That’s just miserable.

Prioritize Regular Exfoliation

Exfoliation is one of the simplest ways to stimulate cellular turnover, remove dead skin cells and help improve the appearance of wrinkles by refining the tone and texture of your skin. Of course, in-office treatments like microdermabrasion offer the deepest type of exfoliation so they're always an option, but if you prefer to deal with your skin at home, our 6% AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant is a fabulous choice.

A leave-on liquid that’s best applied to freshly cleansed skin (but before serum), this lightweight treatment contains a super smart blend of exfoliating ingredients to do all the hard work without any kind of scrubbing action. The main ingredients in question are glycolic acid, salicylic acid and gluconolactone which are different types of exfoliating acids. Together, they work like clockwork to encourage collagen production, hydrate the skin and say a big, fat ‘ciao’ to dead skin cells.

It’s gentle enough to use daily but we always recommend starting slowly, then building up to frequent use as your skin acclimates.

Build Collagen With Retinol Or Bakuchiol

Collagen is extremely important for the health of your skin, giving it structure, support, strength and volume. You’re born with tons of fabulous collagen in your skin which is why baby’s skin is so soft and plump. However, as you age, your production of collagen gets slower and thus your levels get lower, making your skin become drier, thinner and less elastic. This happens from around your mid-to-late 20s onwards. Yes, that early!

Sadly, you can’t stop this inevitable natural aging process, but there are many ways to help keep your collagen from disappearing quicker than nature intended.

Two of the most important topical ingredients for collagen are retinol, or nature’s gentler alternative to retinol, bakuchiol. Both of these work at a cellular level to kickstart collagen and encourage a more efficient barrier function to help keep your skin hydrated and healthy. Our Retinol Facial Serum is an incredible nightly treatment for improving smile (and indeed all!) lines, or try our fabulous Longevity Regimen Bundle if retinol’s not your thing.

Stimulate Blood Flow With A Facial Workout

Daily massage around your mouth can be a super effective way to work out the muscles and help improve the skin’s texture in this area. Of course, it won’t miraculously make your smile lines disappear but if you practice it regularly you should see an improvement over time.

Here are three great exercises to try:

1. Create a fist with both hands and place them at the corners of your mouth. Apply gentle pressure, then smooth your fists up the cheekbones to your temples. Repeat 10 times.

2. Part your lips slightly and use the pads of your fingers to pull the corners of your mouth back towards your face while keeping your lips parallel. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 10 times.

3. Hook the corners of your mouth with your index fingers and pull your fingers apart about a quarter of inch while tightening the corners of your mouth towards each other. Hold the resistance for 10 seconds and repeat 10 times.

Shield Your Skin From Sun Damage

If want to choose just one wrinkle-reducing trick for preserving your collagen and therefore improving wrinkles, lines, folds and creases on your skin, sun protection is unquestionably it. Granted, it won’t get rid of anything that’s already formed, but it will prevent further issues from rearing their heads and will help stop your smile lines from getting any worse.

We understand that applying sunscreen every morning can be a real pain in the butt, which is why we formulated our SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C to be a real joy to use. It’s non-sticky, totally lightweight, blends into your skin like a dream and doesn’t leave any annoying white marks. What’s more, it contains a cheeky boost of vitamin C to further protect your skin and add a little extra glow factor. Seems rude not to, right?

Practice Good Lifestyle Habits

Finally, the classic, skin-loving lifestyle habits must never be forgotten about if you want to hold on to young-looking skin for as long as possible. We’re talking, of course, about getting plenty of regular, quality sleep; staying hydrated with lots of sugar-free, caffeine-free drinks and water-rich foods (watermelon, anyone?); drinking booze in moderation; eating a fruit and veggie-forward diet; getting your fill of omega-3s and trying to keep your stress levels to a minimum.

Surely that’s not too much to ask, is it?

Read on for five of the most important skincare habits for preventing collagen loss.

Fact of the day: skin is nothing without collagen. It’s the most abundant protein in the entire human body and accounts for somewhere between 80 and 90 percent of all proteins found in your skin.

It is not to be taken for granted.

As far as your skin goes, collagen is what gives it strength, structure and support. It kind of holds everything together like a clever network of protein-based scaffolding. It’s really good stuff. Like, REALLY good.

One major problem, however: while super abundant during your younger years – hence that plump, firm skin you might just about remember – collagen production dramatically drops as you get older. This is all thanks to your natural aging process as well everything else the world throws at you – stress, the sun, environmental pollution and a cruddy diet to name just a few. And while you can’t stop or reverse time, all these other lifestyle factors are very much in your control.

On that note, below are five of the most important ways to help preserve your levels of collagen as much as possible. It’s time to take charge, people!

1. Be 100% Sun Smart

No matter how many times we stress the importance of sun protection there are still people out there who don’t apply daily sunscreen to shield their skin from the damaging ways of the sun.

Bonkers.

After the ticking clocks of time, the sun is the number one cause of aging skin. In fact, UVA rays, in particular, penetrate deep into the dermis of your skin where they really do a number on your collagen. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, damage from UV light results in over 80 percent of all your lines, wrinkles, textural issues and dark spots. Ouch!

The good news, however, is that you can block around 97 percent of the sun’s rays simply by applying a good, broad-spectrum sunscreen to exposed skin on the reg. And we make this super easy for your face. Simply slather on a good coating of SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C every morning as the last step in your skincare routine. Reapply every couple of hours if you’re spending a prolonged period of time in the great outdoors. And you are winning.

2. Don’t Smoke

Tobacco contains more than 7,000 harmful chemicals and substances that not only screw up your lungs, but are an absolute b*tch when it comes to your collagen levels and the health of your skin. Also, the more you smoke, the worse your skin will look, potentially giving your 40-year-old skin the wrinkles of someone in their 60s!

“Smoking slows the body’s ability to heal itself by decreasing blood flow and inhibiting inflammation,” explain experts at the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.

It also promotes the production of collagen-damaging enzymes and free radicals which eventually manifests itself in crow’s feet around the eyes, puckering lines around the mouth and that tell-tale ‘smoker’s face.’

Don’t. Do. It. Your skin needs you.

3. Choose A Collagen-Friendly Skincare Routine

Another great way to keep your collagen levels in check? With an awesome skincare routine. Some of the best skincare ingredients for collagen, IOHO, are retinol (literally the daddy of everything!), bakuchiol (retinol’s gentler, natural alternative), peptides (which help to encourage protein production), MSM (a very under rated collagen booster) and the mighty vitamin C (which laughs in the face of collagen-damaging free radicals). All of these have been studied and proven to stimulate your skin’s natural collagen production and inhibit its breakdown, so it’s wise to include at least one in your daily skincare routine. We love the combination of Smoothing Collagen Serum followed by Firming Collagen Day Lotion in the morning, and Retinol Facial Serum at night.

You could also try our fabulous Collagen Boosting Skin Supplement which, unlike other substandard collagen powders and pills contains vegetarian collagen only, alongside vitamins C, E, and biotin, a form of vitamin B known to promote cell growth and repair. This all adds up to a kick-butting blend that significantly and safely helps improve your skin’s natural production of quality collagen for a visible reduction in the appearance of wrinkles, better elasticity, superior hydration and brighter, healthier-looking skin.

4. Avoid Sugar

A well-rounded diet that’s high in lean protein, antioxidants and omega fatty acids is super important for the health of your skin. But one thing your skin, and in particular your collagen, really loathes? Sugar.

Studies show that overdoing it with sugar accelerates the accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in your body through a process called glycation. Glycation is a reaction that occurs when excessive amounts of sugar become too much for your natural insulin levels to handle. These sugar molecules then attack your skin cells, latching onto collagen (and elastin, for that matter!) and causing them to stiffen, weaken, break down and produce harmful AGEs. AGEs ruin your radiant, youthful complexion by causing dryness and exacerbating fine lines and wrinkles.

A good way to reduce your sugar intake is to swap out refined sugars for sweeteners that have lower glycemic index values – things like agave or monk sweeteners or great. Also, ditch the sodas, people. Water is your much better friend.

5. Master The Art Of Quality Sleep

Finally, underestimate the power of regular, quality sleep at your peril. When you sleep, your skin goes into recharge mode and collagen production speeds up big time to help repair damage from the day and prepare your skin for the next. Miss out on those valuable hours of shut-eye and your skin simultaneously misses out on all that fresh, skin-strengthening collagen it deserves.

Studies show that people who regularly get around eight hours of quality sleep each night have way better skin than those who only get five or so hours. But if you struggle, follow these simple fixes for a better night’s sleep.

* Stick To A Schedule – going to bed and waking up at the same time each day? Priceless.

* Keep Your Bedroom Cool – experts agree the ideal temperature for sleeping should be somewhere between 65 and 67oF.

* Limit Screentime – phones, tablets, laptops and TVs all emit light which makes it hard for your body to wind down at the end of the day. Switch them off a good hour before bedtime.

* Avoid Caffeine Before Bed – in fact, it’s often best to only drink caffeine in the morning. If at all.

Menopausal skin can be anything from slightly tricky to downright terrible. But wayward hormones needn’t get the better off you. You just need to know what to expect and get ahead of the game.

How times have changed. Rewind ten, maybe just five years ago and the ‘m’ word was never spoken about. This important life-changing period of time that happens to every single woman alive, literally brushed under the carpet as if it were some dirty secret. Total madness.

Thankfully, we live in different times and the menopause (there, we said it!) is now a topic we can openly talk about without feeling ashamed or, heaven’s forbid, old. Because it’s an important time and can bring a lot of unsettling uncertainties to any woman going through this perfectly natural stage of life. Hot flashes, weight gain, mood swings, zero energy, they can all go hand in hand with the menopause.

And then there’s your skin which also has its own challenges to contend with.

How The Menopause Affects Your Skin

The menopause can be split into three stages. Perimenopause begins first, usually in a woman’s 40s (although it can start as early as your 30s and as late as your 50s). This period of your life refers to the time in which your body starts to transition out of your reproductive years and into the menopause. Your body’s production of hormones (mainly estrogen and progesterone, but also testosterone to a certain degree) starts to decline, your periods become irregular and a few of the classic side effects may come to fruition. Fun times!

Then you obviously get the menopause which is when your body’s hormones cause you to completely stop menstruating (which can take many years) and all those fabulous (said with a side of irony) side-effects get stronger and more frequent. More fun times. Once menopause is over and you’ve stopped ovulating for a year you’re then said to be in the postmenopause and will be forever more.

As you progress through these different stages, your hormones are all over the place which is never great news for the health of your skin. You see, hormone fluctuations can affect your levels of sebum (cue dryness). Not only that but they upset your collagen production which is already declining as part of the natural aging process (cue wrinkles and sagging skin). Estrogen is also important for helping your skin to retain water so when these levels decrease your skin can’t hydrate itself as efficiently (cue dehydration).

Of course, changes in your skin depend on your skin type but, no matter what, you can inevitably look forward to some kind of ‘unpredictability’ during the menopausal years of your life.

5 Ways To Care For Menopausal Skin

If you’ve started to notice that your skin is misbehaving a little more than it used to, chances are you’re in the stage of your life in which your hormones have become, shall we say, less reliable. Read on for a few effective ways to help keep your skin in check as your hormones are very much not!

1. Be Kind

The most important thing to remember? Don’t panic. Freaking out and overcompensating for dry skin, dehydration, breakouts or wrinkles that were never before is a sure-fire way to irritate your skin. Instead, be gentle with your skin, cleansing, toning and treating it with kindness and respect. Most importantly, avoid ingredients like synthetic fragrances and harsh alcohols that will strip your skin and generate further problems you didn’t sign up for.

A great way to do this? Switch out your regular cleanser for Soothing Cleansing Milk which is perfect for menopausal skin, nurturing and calming your barrier function while bringing vital hydration and even a little exfoliation to the table.

2. Moisturize To The Max

Research shows that the most common skin complaint during the menopause is dry, irritated, and often itchy skin. This is all thanks to lowering levels of estrogen (an important skin hydrator) as well as reduced sebum. Without both of these important moisturizing tools, water is able to escape more easily from the surface of your skin which leads to dryness, dehydration and everything that comes with it.

To help get ahead of this, you’re going to want to introduce a hydrating serum as well as a really good moisturizer into your daily regime. Try the kick-ass combo of our Multi-Vitamin Facial Serum and Renewing Longevity Moisturizing Cream every morning, and Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream before bed.

3. Use Smart Skincare Ingredients To Control Breakouts

Cell turnover becomes super sluggish during this time in your life which gives dead skin cells a free ticket to hang around at the surface of your skin and make your complexion look kind of dull. When it’s combined with wayward hormones it’s also asking for acne breakouts to do a real number on your skin. For most people these are mild and easily managed with healing, anti-inflammatory skincare ingredients like salicylic acid, niacinamide and tea tree oil – well, hello there Tea Tree Face Wash and Tea Tree Super Serum+.

If you feel like yours are more serious and out of control, however, seek help from a dermatologist.

4. Look After Your Collagen

It’s thought that skin loses a massive 30 percent of its natural collagen levels during the first five years of the menopause. Sound like a lot, right? Yeah, that’s because it is. And collagen is extremely important for the strength, firmness and elasticity of your skin so you’ve got to do everything you can to keep it healthy and plentiful.

How to do this? With a healthy diet, good sleep, marginal stress (preferably none at all, but it’s OK, we’re all human) and some smart skincare choices. Namely retinol at night (is there anything retinol isn’t good for?!), alongside our fabulous Collagen range which includes Smoothing Collagen Serum, Firming Collagen Day Lotion and our Collagen Boosting Skin Supplement which contains vegetarian collagen (none of that animal stuff for us, thanks) alongside skin-strengthening vitamins, biotin and acai.

5. Apply SPF Like Your Skin Depends On It

Because, heads up, it actually does. Dark spots are likely to get darker, bigger and more prevalent during your menopausal years as decades of sun exposure combine with wild hormones, causing your melanin to lose control of itself. Your fine lines and wrinkles are equally likely to suffer thanks to a lack of collagen helping to reinforce the strength and plumpness of your skin. Sigh.

Our advice? Don’t leave the house without applying SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C to your face and neck. It’s packed with sun-protective zinc oxide as well as aloe vera to hydrate and nourish your skin and a TruSkin favorite, brightening vitamin C. It’s basically a skincare must. Every. Day. Of. The Year.

Not a fan of those vertical lines that extend from your nose down to the sides of your mouth? Then read on for five ways to help minimize their appearance.

Smile lines might sound rather lovely and, in all honesty, most of us have some kind of fold – however tiny or etched in –  down the sides of our mouth. Do us a favor and dig out a picture of yourself smiling or laughing 20 or so years ago. Chances are, even then, they were apparent. But the thing is, smile lines, aka laughter lines, marionette lines or nasolabial folds come and go with your facial expression when you’re young and your skin is full of delicious collagen. Not so much as time ticks on. In fact, smile lines get progressively deeper as you age, often to the point where they’re always visible around the lips, even when you’re not smiling.

Many people can totally live with their smile lines. Some of you may even find that they’re an essential part of who you are. And we love that. However, that’s not the case for everyone. Smile lines, like crow’s feet and elevens (frown lines) can be a pesky annoyance for many of us. Sounds familiar? Then keep scrolling for some simple skincare tricks and lifestyle habits for helping to reduce the appearance of your smile lines. Just one thing, though. Don’t stop actually smiling in a bid to soften those lines. That’s just miserable.

Prioritize Regular Exfoliation

Exfoliation is one of the simplest ways to stimulate cellular turnover, remove dead skin cells and help improve the appearance of wrinkles by refining the tone and texture of your skin. Of course, in-office treatments like microdermabrasion offer the deepest type of exfoliation so they're always an option, but if you prefer to deal with your skin at home, our 6% AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant is a fabulous choice.

A leave-on liquid that’s best applied to freshly cleansed skin (but before serum), this lightweight treatment contains a super smart blend of exfoliating ingredients to do all the hard work without any kind of scrubbing action. The main ingredients in question are glycolic acid, salicylic acid and gluconolactone which are different types of exfoliating acids. Together, they work like clockwork to encourage collagen production, hydrate the skin and say a big, fat ‘ciao’ to dead skin cells.

It’s gentle enough to use daily but we always recommend starting slowly, then building up to frequent use as your skin acclimates.

Build Collagen With Retinol Or Bakuchiol

Collagen is extremely important for the health of your skin, giving it structure, support, strength and volume. You’re born with tons of fabulous collagen in your skin which is why baby’s skin is so soft and plump. However, as you age, your production of collagen gets slower and thus your levels get lower, making your skin become drier, thinner and less elastic. This happens from around your mid-to-late 20s onwards. Yes, that early!

Sadly, you can’t stop this inevitable natural aging process, but there are many ways to help keep your collagen from disappearing quicker than nature intended.

Two of the most important topical ingredients for collagen are retinol, or nature’s gentler alternative to retinol, bakuchiol. Both of these work at a cellular level to kickstart collagen and encourage a more efficient barrier function to help keep your skin hydrated and healthy. Our Retinol Facial Serum is an incredible nightly treatment for improving smile (and indeed all!) lines, or try our fabulous Longevity Regimen Bundle if retinol’s not your thing.

Stimulate Blood Flow With A Facial Workout

Daily massage around your mouth can be a super effective way to work out the muscles and help improve the skin’s texture in this area. Of course, it won’t miraculously make your smile lines disappear but if you practice it regularly you should see an improvement over time.

Here are three great exercises to try:

1. Create a fist with both hands and place them at the corners of your mouth. Apply gentle pressure, then smooth your fists up the cheekbones to your temples. Repeat 10 times.

2. Part your lips slightly and use the pads of your fingers to pull the corners of your mouth back towards your face while keeping your lips parallel. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 10 times.

3. Hook the corners of your mouth with your index fingers and pull your fingers apart about a quarter of inch while tightening the corners of your mouth towards each other. Hold the resistance for 10 seconds and repeat 10 times.

Shield Your Skin From Sun Damage

If want to choose just one wrinkle-reducing trick for preserving your collagen and therefore improving wrinkles, lines, folds and creases on your skin, sun protection is unquestionably it. Granted, it won’t get rid of anything that’s already formed, but it will prevent further issues from rearing their heads and will help stop your smile lines from getting any worse.

We understand that applying sunscreen every morning can be a real pain in the butt, which is why we formulated our SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C to be a real joy to use. It’s non-sticky, totally lightweight, blends into your skin like a dream and doesn’t leave any annoying white marks. What’s more, it contains a cheeky boost of vitamin C to further protect your skin and add a little extra glow factor. Seems rude not to, right?

Practice Good Lifestyle Habits

Finally, the classic, skin-loving lifestyle habits must never be forgotten about if you want to hold on to young-looking skin for as long as possible. We’re talking, of course, about getting plenty of regular, quality sleep; staying hydrated with lots of sugar-free, caffeine-free drinks and water-rich foods (watermelon, anyone?); drinking booze in moderation; eating a fruit and veggie-forward diet; getting your fill of omega-3s and trying to keep your stress levels to a minimum.

Surely that’s not too much to ask, is it?