5 things to do right now, to hit pause on ageing

Ageing is a marathon, not a sprint. The signs creep up on us slowly and over time until one day you look in the mirror, and see fine lines, crow's feet, age spots, and thinning hair staring back at you. Ouch!
Fortunately, addressing the signs can be much faster. Here are five things you can do right now that will have a huge impact on how you look, both today and in the future. Don’t wait, get started immediately!
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#1 Quit sugar
No, bh isn’t just jumping on last year’s anti-sugar bandwagon; there’s a legit anti-ageing skin care reason for limiting your intake. “Too much sugar in the diet causes insulin levels in the body to rise sharply, resulting in an increased concentration of sugar in the blood,” explains Jenny Millar, the Brand Manager at BABOR.
This sugar rush then reacts with proteins and peptides in the body, resulting in a hardening of collagen fibres, a process that’s known as glycation. Rigid collagen fibres are less springy and more susceptible to breakage, and “so lines and wrinkles start to develop”.
All types of sugars behave this way, though high-fructose corn syrup – a sweetener used in many food and drinks – is believed to cause more damage, Jenny says. “Foods very high in sugar content need to be reduced in the diet – avoid cakes, biscuits, snacks and alcohol.”
Instead, load up on antioxidant-rich vegetables (leafy greens are ideal), nuts and seeds, rolled oats and lean meats. As well as being rich in nutrients, Jenny notes that, “a diet rich in free-radical-fighting antioxidants helps to keep sugar from attaching to proteins.”
And it’s not only about what you eat, as skin care plays a role too, Jenny notes. She says that L-carnosine is a good skin care ingredient to help minimise the effects of glycation on the skin, while marine collagens can help to keep the skin’s collagen fibres strong.
bh recommends: philosophy time in a bottle for eyes, Vanessa Megan Marine Collagen Anti-Ageing Night Cream, Babor High Skin Refiner Lifting Extra Firming Cream
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#2 Get serious about sun protection
We know you know that the sun is the number-one culprit when it comes to skin ageing. Lines, wrinkles, age spots and discolouration – all are largely thanks to that yellow ball in the sky.
But did you know this: one recent study from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research found that daily application of SPF15 or greater can actually delay the visible signs of ageing.
In the study, a group of people were asked to diligently apply an SPF15+ (or higher) every day. After four years, they were found to have no detectable changes in their skin.
That’s right, none. Not an extra line, wrinkle or patch of pigmentation in sight. Imagine if you’d done this four years ago. Start getting serious about SPF today, and your future self will be very pleased you did.
But the trick is to be super diligent. Those people in the study who applied SPF only when they felt like it didn’t see the same results.
bh recommends: NIVEA Sun Light Feel Every Day Sun Lotion SPF30, Environ Skincare Sun Care Alpha Day Lotion, Pelactiv Ultimate Protection SPF50+
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#3 Ditch the shimmer
Let’s be honest, who hasn’t picked up a shimmering metallic eye shadow or illuminator and thought: “maybe it’ll bring some sparkle to my eyes”? Sure, it sounds good in theory but beyond a certain age, it’s rarely advised says Melanie Burnicle, Revlon’s Makeup Director for Australasia. The reflective particles will quite literally highlight (and sit in!) any fine lines and crepiness.
Ditto with too much colour. Although Melanie recommends neutral and earthy shades for eyes and lips, she does encourage you to play with colour, as long as it’s done “in a more modern and subdued way. For example, you might like to do an eyeliner with a navy blue or mahogany shade”, rather than teal or royal purple.
And speaking of those pesky fine lines, a good primer worn under all your make-up is the fastest way to make them look smoother and the skin more flawless.
bh recommends: Revlon DNA Advantage™ Powder, John Plunkett Instant Primer, Eye of Horus Goddess Pencil
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#4 Pump up your volume
Skin isn’t the only place to show the signs of ageing – hair can cop it, too, in the form of thinner and weaker strands. A multifaceted approach is the best way to tackle it, says Aveda’s National Educator, Mathew Wickham, including making adjustments to your cut, colour, styling and hair care.
The right cut is one way to see quick results. According to Mathew, you want a style with a strong, bold shape to create the illusion of thickness. “A bob is a great solution to make hair look thicker,” he says, “but don’t over-layer, especially around the face.” Avoid ‘dos that are too short or too long – they can start to look straggly when hair is very fine – and keep length on the crown to get some volume happening around the front.
When it comes to colour, the sweet spot is again in the middle, rather than being too dark or too light. Skilled colourists may recommend a slightly lighter shade for the centre and darker around the edges, which is “almost like contouring the hair colour”. Clever!
Take extra care when styling thin hair, as it can be more susceptible to damage and breakage. Mathew recommends using a good-quality cushioned paddle brush, and never brushing hair when it’s wet.
And while volumising products may be your new best friends, there are a couple of other tools to add to your arsenal. The first is a scalp exfoliant, as Mathew points out that sometimes the hair follicle can become blocked, which actually prevents hair from growing through. The second is a fortifying treatment, which actually helps to strengthen hair over time. Result: strong hair, don’t care!
bh recommends: Aveda Invati™ Scalp Revitalizer, TIGI Catwalk by TIGI Your Highness Shampoo, Viviscal Gorgeous Growth Densifying Elixir
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#5 Take up meditation
Many years ago, I met and interviewed Paul Wilson, author of the best-selling The Little Book of Calm. Paul had loads of interesting things to say about meditation but to be honest, what I remember most from that encounter was his incredibly smooth, radiant and line-free complexion. Could meditation really be responsible for that? Actually, yes.
Meditation has been found to lower the levels of cortisol – aka the stress hormone – in our blood. While cortisol is needed to get us through stressful situations, too much of it over a long period of time can lead to all sorts of issues, including complexion-related disasters such as psoriasis and thinning skin. Our skin naturally gets thinner as we age (think of the papery soft texture of your grandmother’s skin) and I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want high cortisol levels speeding up that process.
One study has shown that meditating for just three consecutive days (for 25 minutes at a time) can help keep cortisol levels in check.
What are your biggest age-related beauty concerns? Do you have any other tips for addressing them?
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144 Member Comments
My biggest age related beauty concern is probably wrinkles. I’m 51 and so far I don’t have too many, but I don’t want them either. Go away wrinkles! Not welcome here!
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Try to remember to put on Sunscreen of a morning and I try to look after my Skin, so many anti-aging skincare products these days that your skin can be overwhelmed.
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I like the first sentence in this article:"Ageing is a marathon, not a sprint". How right it sounds! I'm going to be 60 soon and I have some experience in growing older. Genes are huge if comes to ageing. Asian people are ageing slower that Caucasian. I believe my genes are not bad, I'm grateful to my skin because it still look OK. There is also an mostly invisible side of ageing. I'm thinking about body giving up bit by bit. I live in pain for quiet few years now because my back is getting older. I think deteriorating health is much worse than wrinkled skin. I also want to make a comment: old age can look beautiful. I knew a lady who looked like a bone china. Her face was lined with fine, delicate wrinkles. She had mesmerising eyes, beautiful bone structure and she was just stunning. I was in my prime when I knew her but had no problem in seeing all this charm and mature beauty
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If quitting sugar were so easy. Good tips though.
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I really need to quit sugar. I know I crave sugar. This article will give me incentive to quit
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Oh yes I put some shimmer on my hands and I just could not wash it off fast enough
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I'd love to start visiting a salon
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I wish Babor was more readily available. I love it
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This is very good advice ! I need to limit my sugar and also try to find a mediation that might work for me. Does exercising count haha
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Definitely wrinkles and fine lines.
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Great advice! I definitely think you should take care of your skin early to slow down the effects of age, instead of trying to fix the problems later
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Yes to all five tips. Plus using retinol to smooth out the fine lines and wrinkles.
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wrinkles and fine lines for sure!
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Do all of this except meditation which will never happen for me.
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I have to agree re: sunscreen - I've been wearing sunscreen daily for 5 years now, since I was 18, and I can already tell a difference between the texture of my skin, and my peers' skin.
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For me - there is no doubt the sunscreen works hand down. I use it everyday, and have for years and l look very good - much younger than most women my age!
The sugar thing I am not sure about - I eat sugar, mainly fruit but also the occasional sweet (no soft drink or processed stuff) but also eat heaps of veg and wholegrain products - but I also know I my body processes sugar well.
My skin glows when I drink green tea and clears up a bit too but what I notice the most is how it improves when I am doing a LOT of exercise (3-4 sessions per week at the gym, cardio stuff) for the circulation and lots of water -say about 2 litres a day.
This is when my skin glows. But then everyone is different.
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I swear by sunscreen every day! including on the hands!!!!
If you go to Japan I would recommend buying bulk sunscreen. They have perfected the sunscreen game. It is so lightweight it is like wearing nothing at all!
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Good to know. Thanks. just watch use by dates as they are no good past their useby date.
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This statement is illogical and untrue:
"Too much sugar in the diet causes insulin levels in the body to rise sharply, resulting in an increased concentration of sugar in the blood,"
The first part is sort of okay. Sugar in blood (not in diet, but I guess it's a similar concept) causes insulin levels to rise. But the rise in insulin does not result in an increased concentration of sugar in blood. Insulin will result in DECREASED blood sugar level. If it doesn't, it means you are insulin resistant (and that'd a medical condition).
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Apart from the obvious - LAUGH, smile and treasure yourself.
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My biggest age-related beauty concern is my thinning hair. I have lots of hair fall out and no product appears to work. I notice that the hair on my head hardly have roots at all when they fall out :( ; yet the hair "below" is quite the opposite. LOL !!! I so dislike seeing my scalp through my hair now that it is so thin.
As for my skin; I use SPF and I cut out sugar in my coffee and tea years ago. The main thing is that I try to keep my skin moisturised and protected from the sun. I use good but affordable skin care based on BH reviews and BH Trials that I have been on and hopefully it is working to delay my skin's aging process. Friends I haven't seen for 25 years tell me I haven't changed and I hope they're not just being kind. LOL !!!
So it's definitely my hair drop out that has me worried. My individual hairs themselves are still fairly thick.
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Retinol retibol retinol vitamin a retin a... all of them stop the clock.
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Hi, can I ask what skin care products you are using ?
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agreed! the single best thing I did was get on the retinol bandwagon some years ago and that over everything else has changed my skin dramatically for the better
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Hi, may I also ask what you are using ?
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