
Your Ticket To Bouncier Skin Is Right Here
No matter what you do, skin will naturally lose firmness and elasticity as you age. But all is not lost because there are many ways to dial that bouncy skin right back up again.
When it comes to the look and feel of your skin, life has a tendency to come up and bite you on the booty. You blink and suddenly that hydrated, bouncy skin you took for granted in your 20s is suddenly no more. Where’s the fairness in that?
Skin ages because time does not stand still. But the good news? It’s the same for everyone. Sure, some people like to use Botox and fillers to keep their skin looking as young as possible – and if that’s your jam, good on you – but everyone’s skin will intrinsically age, no matter what. Over time, it will naturally lose collagen, elastin, hyaluronic acid, ceramides and, well, basically all the good stuff that keeps it looking young, springy, soft and firm. That’s life.
But it’s not just time that ages up the skin. In fact, there are tons of lifestyle factors that affect the rate at which your skin ages. Your diet, levels of emotional stress, your sleep patterns and of course, environmental factors like pollution and UV radiation all play their part. Some more than others (*cough, sunlight).
Thankfully, unlike that ticking clock, these are the things you can control. So read on for some important ways to do just that.
What Is The Definition Of ‘Plump Skin’?
Let’s get one thing straight: plump skin isn’t something only the under-20s get to enjoy. In fact, your skin can be plump at any age – fine lines, wrinkles and all. All it means is that your skin is fully hydrated, full of life and imparts a healthy glow. When you touch it, it feels soft, moisturized and springs back to life. And when you look at it, it looks dewy and radiant.
Sounds perfectly doable, right? That’s because it’s well within your reach. You just need to make a few lifestyle changes…
Bouncy Skin Lesson #1: Think About What You Eat
Diet plays an important role in how much (or little!) collagen your skin produces. Pack your diet with sugar-laden treats and fried or highly processed foods and quality collagen you will not get! This is because an excess of sugar in your system encourages the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the skin. AGEs are harmful compounds that attack your skin cells and cause collagen and elastin to stiffen and weaken. Bad news.
Salt is another one-way ticket to dehydrated, puffy (and not in a good way!) skin so that’s another thing to cut down on.
So, what about the good stuff? Foods that help stimulate collagen production or help your skin stay moisturized? Well, superfoods that are chock full of antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids are your true friends here. These include dark leafy greens, berries, eggs, oily fish, nuts, seeds, watermelon and avocados.
Bouncy Skin Lesson #2: Figure Out Ways To Manage Stress
When you’re stressed your brain releases cortisol into the bloodstream. Cortisol, aka the ‘stress hormone’ is great for boosting your energy first thing in the morning or keeping you on your toes during a job interview, but when you’re constantly stressed, your levels of cortisol go up… and they stay there. This not only disrupts your sleep (more on that in a minute), but it compromises collagen and elastin production, increases inflammation and screws up your skin’s barrier function. None of which will help your retain plump, bouncy skin.
There are many ways to help stay on top of emotional stress including meditation, yoga, reading and breathing exercises. Some of these practices might work for you, but others won’t, and that’s OK. Simply find the thing that makes you happy and that you actually enjoy doing. Otherwise you’ll get stressed trying to fit it into your daily routine and, well, that completely defeats the purpose.
Bouncy Skin Lesson #3: Get More Quality Sleep
A good night’s sleep is literally one of the best things you can do for the health of your skin. Period. This important time is when you skin restores itself: blood flow increases, collagen production amps up, antioxidants kick in and cellular turnover accelerates. If you miss out on the recommended seven to nine hours of quality shut-eye, you reduce the time in which your skin gets to regenerate and renew itself. Not only that but a lack of sleep also impacts hormone production and weakens the immune system which sends your skin all out of whack.
To help you sleep better, get into a rhythm of going to bed and waking up at similar times each night and morning. Ensure your bedroom is dark, quiet and at a comfortable temperature, and avoid heavy foods, caffeine and screen time for a good few hours before hitting the sack.
Bouncy Skin Lesson #4: Plump & Protect Your Skin
It goes without saying that what you put on your skin plays a massive part in how bouncy it will look and feel. So what should a bouncy skin routine look like? Well, it’s all about caring for and maintaining your collagen while concentrating on hydration, protection and radiance.
Feast your eyes on these dream products for getting the job done…
5 Of The Best Skin Plumpers
If there’s one thing your skin absolutely needs in order to look plump and bouncy it’s hydration. And one of the finest ingredients for crushing this is hyaluronic acid. A powerful humectant, hyaluronic acid draws water to the surface of the skin, visibly plumping it up and adding a real pep to its step. Our uber-hydrating serum combines a plant-based botanical hyaluronic acid with other moisture-boosting ingredients like cica and aloe vera. It’s like an instant wake-up call for tired skin.
Retinol is the queen of collagen rejuvenation. Ask any skin expert and 99 percent of them would agree. And the other 1 percent? Well they’d just be wrong ;)
You see, retinol has a very clever way of ‘communicating’ with your skin at a deep, cellular level, boosting the skin’s natural renewal process and simultaneously encouraging collagen synthesis. By doing all this it helps to strengthen the skin while improving tone, texture, firmness and reducing the visible signs of aging. Hello plump, youthful-looking skin! Try our Retinol Moisturizer to get your fix.
Sun exposure is your skin’s arch enemy, causing sunburn, hyperpigmentation, skin cancer, wrinkles, you name it. It’s also a killer on your collagen supplies, accelerating the formation of free radicals which like to do a real number on the structural proteins in the skin if you let them.
So don’t.
Of course, holing yourself away in cave isn’t realistic, but you can wear protective clothing, stay in the shade whenever possible, and shield your skin from the sun’s damaging UV rays with a high-quality, broad spectrum sunscreen. And we’ve just the guy for the job: NEW SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen Facial Serum which is so lightweight and silky smooth that it slots seamlessly into your morning skincare routine with zero effort. Obsessed? Us? Hells yeah.
While we’re at it, why not feed your skin from the inside with our fabulous Collagen Supplements? Formulated with clinically studied vegetarian collagen, combined with skincare favorites like brightening vitamin C and soothing vitamin E, it helps to promote healthy collagen and elastin production while protecting the skin from environmental damage. Simply take two capsules each morning with your breakfast. It’s as easy as that.
Exfoliating once a week – more if your skin prefers it – encourages your skin to shed dead cells which can otherwise outstay their welcome and leave your complexion looking flat, tired and lackluster. Nobody wants that so grab our Vitamin C Gentle Face Scrub and show those dead skin cells (as well as other built-up debris) the door. The great thing about this scrub is that it won’t over-stimulate your skin or cause irritation. It just calmly goes about its business giving you the plump, glowing skin you rightly deserve.
Can we have a group hug for that?