Over-Concealing
Concealer is conceptually the answer to our plight. But using too much concealer is actually going to make you look older. Watch out for using so much that it actually accentuates lines, like crow's feet, around the eyes. That makes you look older, not less tired.
According to Ma, the texture of your concealer affects how much it will crease. Dry concealers tend to crease more because they are less flexible and can cling to the folds of your skin. "I tend to go for light and creamy textured ones," she explains.
According to board-certified dermatologist Michele Green, MD, makeup itself doesn't age your skin.
Not Removing Makeup
The makeup and environmental pollutants you accumulate during the day seep into your pores, breaking down collagen and elastin. This can speed up the aging process and leave you with fine lines and wrinkles. Cleanse and moisturize your skin every night before bed.
The biggest changes typically occur when people are in their 40s and 50s, but they can begin as early as the mid-30s and continue into old age. Even when your muscles are in top working order, they contribute to facial aging with repetitive motions that etch lines in your skin.
Lifestyle factors that can speed the pace of aging skin include smoking, use of tanning beds, and sun exposure. The sun begins leaving its mark during the first years of life, says Tamara Lior, MD, chairwoman of the department of dermatology at Cleveland Clinic Florida.
Concealer should be applied to mature skin carefully using the dab and pat technique, as if applying eye cream to avoid stretching or pulling on the delicate, sensitive skin. Glide the cushioned end of the concealer wand under the eye, working from the inner corner to the center of the eye.
Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light.
Ultraviolet radiation, which speeds the natural aging process, is the primary cause of early wrinkling. Exposure to UV light breaks down your skin's connective tissue — collagen and elastin fibers, which lie in the deeper layer of skin (dermis).
They're the result of facial muscles continually tugging on, and eventually creasing, the skin. Other folds may get deeper because of the way fat decreases and moves around. Finer wrinkles are due to sun damage, smoking, and natural degeneration of elements of the skin that keep it thick and supple.
To protect the skin from premature aging, SPF is king. One past study found that ultraviolet (UV) light exposure was responsible for 80 percent of visible facial aging signs, including wrinkles and pigmentation changes.
But wrinkles and other signs of aging can start to appear even in your 20s. That's because the skin damage often begins in childhood and continues through the years. Even when you're young, you can start to ward off signs of aging with a skin care regimen that nourishes the skin – and by doing proper preventive care.
For Caucasian women, it's typically around the late 30s. "This is when fine lines on the forehead and around the eyes, less-elastic skin, and brown spots and broken capillaries from accumulated sun damage crop up," says Yagoda. If you're a woman of color, the tipping point is more likely in your 40s.
You cannot wholly reverse aging—it's a normal part of life. However, you may be able to slow it down and help prevent age-related diseases by adopting a healthy lifestyle. That includes habits like eating a healthy diet, wearing sunscreen every day, and exercising (Shanbhag, 2019).
Retinoids reduce fine lines and wrinkles by increasing the production of collagen. They also stimulate the production of new blood vessels in the skin, which improves skin color. Additional benefits include fading age spots and softening rough patches of skin.
Studies showed that cells age faster with a sedentary lifestyle, which means that you are making your skin look older every day you fail to exercise. Experts looked into the changes in DNA structure, particularly telomeres, which shorten as one ages.
Telomeres affect how the body's cells age. So, not only does a person with a younger biological age look younger, they are younger for all practical purposes (biologically). The saying that “age ain't nothing but a number” holds true in this context for chronological age.
Forehead wrinkles are naturally caused by the repetitive movement of the brows during normal facial expressions and movements and usually appear around the age of 40. However, they may appear earlier if you have particularly strong brow muscles, smoke heavily, and/or do not wear sunscreen regularly.