Buy frozen fruit and
veggies.
Until spring and summer really arrive, the produce in supermarkets has
likely been picked before it's ripe, then has to travel a long distance
to the store. "So by the time these foods reach your grocery cart, their
antioxidant levels have typically gone way down," says dermatologist
David McDaniel, M.D., a top researcher on antioxidants. "Frozen fruits
and veggies, however, are picked when they're riper, so they're richer
in the antioxidants that may help keep skin young." Unless you can find
locally grown produce, reap the frozen benefits.
Take up biking.
Just an hour a week may help prevent, even reverse, skin aging. After
we turn the big 4-0, our skin's outer layer thickens (making it drier
and rougher) while the inner layer gets thinner, so skin is more prone
to wrinkles and sagging. Researchers at McMaster University in Ontario
asked a group of volunteers—all of them over 65 and total couch
potatoes—to bike at a moderately strenuous pace for 30 minutes twice a
week. After a mere three months, their skin looked more like those of
people half their age, with a thicker inner layer and a smoother outer
layer. How's that for workout motivation?
Pop an antihistamine every night. Even
if you don't have allergies, "an antihistamine reduces the sinus
inflammation that leads to puffy eyes, plus it constricts blood vessels,
which improves under-eye circles," says Tina Alster, M.D., a clinical
professor of dermatology at Georgetown University Medical Center. She
suggests taking a 24-hour antihistamine (one without a decongestant)
like Claritin 24 Hour Allergy before bed: "Patients tell me that within
two to four weeks, the skin around their eyes looks better."
Toss the gritty face scrub.
"The ones made with apricot kernels, walnut shells, or crystals can
cause microscopic tears in your skin," says Alster. "This sets off
inflammation below the surface, which releases enzymes that attack
collagen and elastin." In other words, it can make skin age faster. But
you still need to exfoliate once a week to clear off dead skin, so try a
gentle jojoba-bead scrub such as Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Pore
Scrub, $7.99.
Grab a cup of coffee. Another perk
(sorry, couldn't resist) of the caffeinated stuff: It may help ward off
sun spots. In a recent Japanese study on women ages 30 to 60 who got
moderate sun exposure, those who drank two cups or more of fresh coffee a
day had far fewer age spots than the women who skipped it. Researchers
credit coffee's potent blend of antioxidant polyphenols. "They're proven
to help protect skin and repair UV-induced damage," says McDaniel, who
adds, "Drinks made from freshly ground beans, like espresso, have the
highest dose of antioxidants."
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