By Candice Betty
Are you interested in slowing your body’s aging process as much as you can?
If you like anti-aging skincare, then you’ll want to know what “Inflammaging” is and how it could be making your anti-aging skincare products less effective.
The good news is that you do have some degree of control over inflammation and the aging processes. I’ve had Rosacea since my late 20’s, and I’m passionate about reducing inflammation. That’s why I started my own natural skincare company – to share what worked for me to reduce my own redness and inflammation.
In this article, you’ll learn how the inflammatory process is linked to the process of aging, and what you can do to protect your skin from Inflammaging.
We’ll discuss how you can prevent premature aging in your own body. Continue reading to get ten actionable steps you can take to start protecting your skin from Inflammaging today.
By now, I’m sure you’re anxious to know exactly what Inflammaging refers to. The term Inflammaging is the link between chronic stress, low levels of inflammation, and aging. More specifically, it’s the relationship between how your body, particularly your immune system, reacts to stressors as you age.
As we age, our immune systems weaken, and we’re less able to regulate our bodies’ inflammatory responses. This can leave us more susceptible to sustained or chronic low levels of inflammation.
The skin is our body’s largest organ. It is also the most visible organ, so it is the easiest to see signs of aging and inflammation on. Inflammation on the skin can show up as Eczema, acne, persistent redness, Rosacea, reactivity to products, and increased skin sensitivity.
If your skin’s acid mantle or microbiome is out of balance, the common skin bacteria Propionibacterium acnes can cause inflammation. Certain ingredients in personal care products and cosmetics can contribute to inflammation if your body is sensitive to them.
Inflammation is the body’s way of protecting itself from illness, injury, or stress. The body’s immune system uses inflammation to protect the body from harmful substances, germs, and changes within the body that could cause disease.
When your body is using resources to protect you by increasing the inflammatory process, this reduces the amount of energy and time your skin cells can spend on maintenance activities.
These are activities like creating fresh skin cells, collagen, elastin, and key structural proteins. Your skin constantly regenerates these tiny structures to keep it looking youthful and radiant. Without these processes, our skin starts to show signs of aging.
We can widen our lens and see that each type of cell in the body, and each of the body’s systems, suffers when inflammation is taking up resources that would otherwise be used for maintenance in that area.
As we age, our bodies are less able to control the inflammation response, and more resources are diverted toward it. This leaves less time and energy for the body’s cells to renew themselves. Then we start to see aging throughout the body.
Your level of inflammation increases when you have a chronic illness or your body is under continual stress. Physical stress like not getting enough sleep and emotional stress both contribute to low levels of sustained inflammation.
Sources of inflammation are everywhere in our environment. If you live in a city, you’re likely exposed to pollution in the air. Free radicals in our environment lead to increased oxidative stress in our bodies. Smoking cigarettes & marijuana adds to this. Even household products and other chemicals in our environment can add to chronic inflammation.
If your diet contains inflammatory foods, such as processed foods and added sugars, these will contribute to chronic inflammation. Alcohol contributes to inflammation by impairing the gut and liver.
It can be quite difficult to stay healthy and look our best as we age. Our skin is the largest organ of our body, and it is constantly being attacked by the elements. Excess sun exposure, pollution, stress, and the aging process all can contribute to a loss of healthy and youthful skin. The good news is that if you develop good habits when you’re young, you can protect your skin and help prevent the signs of aging.
When you’re in your 20s or earlier, start with using a moisturizer and sunscreen every day. These two products help to prevent aging of the skin by protecting it from UV rays and keeping it hydrated and supple. When you’re in your 20s, you don’t need to purchase an anti-wrinkle cream specifically. Look for skincare products that have active ingredients that help to brighten and plump the skin.
The American Academy of Dermatologists (AAD) recommends that people start using an effective anti-aging skincare routine in their 40s. This is the time to seek out an anti-aging moisturizer and eye cream. Remember to keep using your sunscreen daily to prevent age spots and additional wrinkles.
Now that we know that Inflammaging is caused by inflammation, we can take a look at the environmental triggers and lifestyle factors that may be causing us to show signs of premature aging.
To combat Inflammaging, you need to protect and repair your skin daily – and this begins with preventing it from inflammation in the first place. For this reason, the first step to preventing Inflammaging is to avoid factors that are adding to the damage.
We’ll cover these next in our ten actionable steps you can take to start protecting your skin from Inflammaging.
As you can tell, I’m passionate about reducing inflammation. When I started Organic Radiance Skincare, I created a moisturizer to reduce my own redness and inflammation and called it Herbe Sois Calming Moisturizer. It’s formulated to help prevent Inflammaging, and is still our most popular product today!
Our new antioxidant serum, The Ultimate Cocktail Facial Serum, contains Helichrysum italicum to protect your skin from free radicals and Inflammaging. The cleanser, Purifying Black Facewash, binds impurities with activated charcoal without over-drying sensitive skin. These are the three products that I use to prevent Inflammaging.
As we’ve discussed, Inflammaging is the link between chronic stress, inflammation, and aging. It’s the relationship between how your body, specifically your immune system, reacts to stressors as you age.
Stress decreases the skin’s resources for maintenance activities, like producing collagen, which can then cause the skin to show signs of aging.
We’ve covered ten actions you can take to help your body regulate the inflammatory response and Inflammaging. Choose the one that is the most meaningful to you and start incorporating it into your lifestyle. Bookmark this page to refer back to as you incorporate more healthy habits to reduce Inflammaging in your skin.
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