5 Things You Should Do For Your Skin During Your 30s
Prevention is better than cure when it comes to anti-ageing skincare. (Photo: Viktor Hanacek / Picjumbo)

Fortunately for us, fine lines and pigmentation don’t usually form overnight, so there’s still time to delay its formation if you address skin problems right now. Here are five things you can do for your skin before the problem is irreversible.

#1 Quit sugar

There’s a lot of talk about how sugar is worse than fats and there are actually scientific studies to back this up. Consuming too much sugar causes insulin levels in your body to rise, which results in a high concentration of sugar in the blood. The sugar reacts with proteins and peptides in the body and hardens the collagen fibres in a process called glycation. These stiffened collagen fibres are mroe rigid and prone to breakage, creating lines and wrinkles.

Avoid high-sugar food and drinks, especially those which contain high fructose corn syrup, as they’re known to cause the most damage.

Related:
5 Ways To Eat Less Sugar

#2 Be religious about sun protection

If you haven’t already been putting on sunscreen daily, starting in your 30s is still not too late. UV damage is not only the biggest cause of skin ageing, but also responsible for pigmentation and dryness.

Studies have shown that the daily application of sunscreen can delay the visible signs of ageing, but here’s the catch — you need to be very diligent about it. Get started on sun protection now and your future self will thank you for it.

#3 Lay off the shimmer

Metallic shades and shimmer look fantastic on younger skin, but the reflective particles settle into creases and highlights fine lines — something which you’d want take note of. That’s not to say that you should mourn your shimmer eye shadows as your throw them away, try using eye shadow primers to smooth out fine lines before applying them instead.

#4 Pump up the volume

Skin loses firmness and elasticity as we age, and it’s important to replenish collagen as they deplete faster than they can be replaced. Collagen drinks and supplements restore lost collagen, and having a skincare regimen which have anti-ageing properties also helps — even if you are not seeing lines and pigmentation yet. Skin experiences a lot of changes during your 30s, and it’ll be a good idea to update the products you use based on your needs.

#5 Meditate

While this isn’t part of your skincare routine, meditation can do more than calm your mind. It has been found to lower the stress hormone cortisol, which can cause complexion related issues like psoriasis and thinning skin.

Take about 30 minutes a day to meditate and centre yourself so that you can keep cortisol levels in check.