When I was about 20 years old one of my friends told me she woke up one day, looked in the mirror and noticed wrinkles in her face. I was immediately worried about getting wrinkles, and thought I should stop laughing, frowning and wrinkling my forehead to avoid getting those dreaded lines. Stopping frowning may have been a good thing (I try to be an ultimate optimist!), but laughing—no way!

Fast forward to the present; here are other ways that have shown to help prevent premature aging:

  • Eat healthy: As a healthy eater, I was happy to read that the American Academy of Dermatology Association advocates eating vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean protein to help prevent premature skin aging.
  • Establish normal eating schedules: A study published in ScienceDaily reports normal eating schedules may help protect you from UV rays during the daytime. Skin biology is affected by circadian rhythms; abnormal eating schedules, such as late-night eating, can cause a harmful shift in your skin clock.
  • Sunscreen: UV rays can cause DNA changes to the skin that promote skin cancer and premature aging. Broad spectrum sunscreens can protect skin from UVA /UVB rays. SPFs of at least 30 is recommend to aid in protection.
  • Talk to your dermatologist for specific measures you can take: They may recommend creams such as retinol creams, specific skin cleansers, and other at-home methods to help prevent premature aging of your skin.
  • Clothing: One of the easiest and most stylish ways to slow down aging of your skin is by wearing the “supercool” sun-protective collection of clothing from Coolibar. No creams, no procedures, no regular routines, just great year-round clothing with UPF 50+ fabric technology to protect you from harmful UVA and UVB rays. It’s never too late to start wearing this line of clothing, and never too early, either- as they have selections for children, men and women. It’s so effective, they were the first sun protective clothing company to have received The Skin Cancer Foundation’s seal of Recommendation!  If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me!