Premature skin ageing - small changes, big results!

By now we all realise that if we’re lucky enough to live a long life, our skin will probably give the game away at a glance. But certain factors can expedite the aging process, leading to premature skin ageing, meaning 70 year old skin (or 20 year old skin or 40 year old skin) isn’t a one-size-fits-all look!

Understanding the culprits that make us look older, sooner, is crucial to maintaining youthful, radiant skin for longer. Here are the top five factors that contribute to premature skin aging:

1 Sun Exposure: Living on the Sunshine Coast, we certainly know about sun exposure, because that’s half the reason we live here! But to let my inner Debbie Downer out, I have to reiterate that excessive sun exposure really is the primary cause of premature skin aging. Ultraviolet (UV) rays penetrate the skin, damaging collagen and elastin fibres, which are responsible for skin's elasticity and firmness. Over time, this leads to wrinkles, age spots, and sagging skin. Protecting your skin with sunscreen and seeking shade during peak hours can significantly reduce sun damage. (Do you hear me, Donatella?)

2 Smoking: Apart from its detrimental effects on overall health, smoking wreaks havoc on the skin. The chemicals present in tobacco smoke constrict blood vessels, reducing blood flow and oxygen supply to the skin. This diminishes collagen production, resulting in a dull complexion, fine lines, and wrinkles. So quitting smoking not only improves your overall health but also gives you hope of rediscovering your plump, dewy complexion.

3 Poor Diet: Unsurprisingly, poor eating habits, such as consuming excessive sugar, processed foods, and insufficient nutrients, also contribute significantly to premature skin ageing. Sugar is the enemy of more than our endocrine system too because high sugar intake leads to the process of glycation, where sugar molecules bind to collagen fibres, making them weak and prone to damage (read: saggy skin and lines). So its therefore no surprise that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and antioxidants goes a long way to giving us the building blocks for healthy skin.

4 Lack of Sleep: Insufficient sleep disrupts the body's natural rejuvenation process, impacting the skin's health and appearance. During deep sleep, the body repairs and regenerates skin cells while chronic sleep deprivation can result in puffy eyes, dull complexion, fine lines, and dark circles. Who really needs an excuse to prioritise sleep but let’s face it, we’ll be in a better mood, be more functional and actually LOOK younger if we give have a sleep schedule that gives our long-suffering skin the restorative rest it needs.

5 Stress: Chronic stress releases cortisol, a hormone that accelerates the aging process by impairing the skin's barrier function, reducing collagen production, and promoting inflammation which, bingo, leads to premature skin ageing. Incorporating stress-reducing techniques like exercise and meditation, and engaging in hobbies that you really enjoy are not only good for your physical and psychological health, but they’re also valuable parts of your skin health program – what’s not to love?!

So there’s some valuable, and hope-inspiring takeaways here. While aging is inevitable, understanding and mitigating the factors that cause premature skin aging can genuinely help preserve a youthful complexion. Protecting your skin from excessive sun exposure, quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy diet, prioritizing sleep, and managing stress are essential steps to slow down the aging process and, frankly, squeeze more marrow out of life.

Embrace these habits, and your skin will thank you with a radiant, youthful glow for years to come. And remember, it's never too late to start looking more holistically at the care of your skin; with a little bit of effort you really can start to reverse the effects of those hard-partying days on your largest and most tell-tale organ – your beautiful skin!

Dr Carina Joubert,

Owner and clinician at Nunkeri Beauty.

#nunkeribeauty