Beauty at old age is not just an advert for good genes anymore, but instead a testament to lifelong healthy practices. According to a new study, women who look younger aren't necessarily blessed with youthful DNA and may actually be more committed to wellness and lifestyle discipline.
Taking care of your body, supplementing a balanced nutrition with multivitamins, staying active, and not skipping out on sleep helps you age well, say researchers at Harvard University, who found up to a third of women that follow these rules shave 10 years off their skin.
The study also indicates women who give in to life's hectic pace and don't stay true to their beauty regimen - forgetting to moisturize or remove sunscreen - as well as those struggling to maintain their figure are less likely to stay young-looking.
In close collaboration with scientists from the Olay skin care company, Harvard University researchers surveyed more than 155,000 women 20 to 74 years old who were regularly complimented on looking up to a decade younger. None of these women carried genes that affect the skin and could delay the aging process; therefore, the study was focused on how their behavior and lifestyle benefited skin health.
Beauty Secrets That Help Preserve Youth
The results revealed a good night's rest does more for your skin than you could imagine, since women who have eight hours of sleep boost their chances of looking younger by 10 percent.
Taking care of your skin is also essential if you want to keep your good looks. Wearing sunscreen on a daily basis, routinely moisturizing - particularly if you suffer from dry skin - and cutting back on cigarettes were linked to more youthful skin, as shown by researchers who partnered up with the genetics company 23andMe to study the effects of sunbathing and smoking on skin health. Frequent exposure to harmful ultraviolet light cuts the prospect of looking 10 years younger by a third, they discovered.
Keeping your weight in check is another way to protect your skin from the damage of old age. According to the study, overweight women - with a body mass index over 25 - lower their hope of maintaining a toned and fresh skin by a fifth. The solution is keeping active. Exercising regularly can give you 14 percent more chances of staying young-looking, research suggests.
Last but not least, researchers point out multivitamin supplements should also be used to ensure your skin gets all the nutrients it needs to stay young. Adding multivitamins to your diet improves your likelihood of aging well by 18 percent, as per the study's conclusions.
All in all, it would seem skin aging is influenced to a greater extent by "external environmental and behavioral factors that are within our control, with genetic factors playing a much smaller role," explains Frauke Neuser, principal scientist for Olay.
As Neuser puts it, it's all about "smart lifestyle choices," such as making sure your skin stays hydrated and safe from damaging factors.
