Whether you’re 35 and just beginning to see the first signs of aging, or 55 with skin that isn’t exactly keeping your birthday a secret, seeking ways to reduce wrinkles is probably on your agenda. Here are 7 Things to Reduce Wrinkles and Age Spots
Low sugar diet
Consuming sugar can age you. And I believe you can start building good habits when you’re young. I know people that consume five or even 10 sugar or corn syrup filled beverages a day. Even lots of fruit juice can cause issues. Your insulin goes haywire and when your hormones start to become imbalanced, you begin to experience accelerated aging.
Think about this, people with diabetes tend to age quicker. They have advanced aging symptoms with something called glycation. And glycation, which is really a caramelization of sort of proteins and sugars, happens when we consume a high sugar diet. So lower the sugar in your diet that would include fruit and fruit juices. We’ve often said two servings of fruits a day should be maximum. And look for lower sugar, higher antioxidant fruits, such as berries, kiwi, grapefruit, green apple, etc.
No trans fat
Now trans-fats are damaged fats and I believe they suck antioxidants out of your body. And when you want to improve your skin, you want to make sure to have access to antioxidants and good fats.
Anything that is containing a hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil on the packaging or if you’re eating fast food and you don’t see a listing of ingredients, you can be sure that these deep-fried products are loaded with trans-fats.
And when you process vegetable oils, think of corn, to an extent, canola; sunflower, safflower, that process can also cause the oils to become unstable and they are similar to trans-fat.
Bone Broth
Bone broth contains collagen, which is a major component of your skin. But it also contains glucosamine, chondroitin and, hyaluronic acid, which are anti-inflammatory as well as potassium and sodium, which balance electrolytes, which are also great for your skin.
Consume one to three cups of bone broth a day. You can make it yourself. You can buy bone broth at your local health food or grocery store or you can consume a powdered protein made from bone broth.
Ashwagandha / Amla berry
It is a powerful combo of herbs known as ayurvedic herbs. They’re popular in India, ashwagandha and amla berry. Amla berry, also known as Indian gooseberry, is a powerful source of vitamin C, polyphenols and other antioxidants.
And ashwagandha helps to increase DHEA, the youth promoting hormone, and the lower cortisol, which is a hormone that causes accelerated aging.
In a clinical study, extracts from ashwagandha and amla berry were shown to improve the beauty and reduce signs of aging. So this is an antiaging botanical duo supreme.
Frankincense
Particularly frankincense essential oil. I love the fact that organic frankincense essential oil, when applied topically to age spots over time, is believed to dissolve them.
Mainly due to the frankincense components, boswellic acid and others, that are anti-inflammatory. Frankincense should be part of your daily cosmetic or skincare regimen. You can dab it on directly or mix it in what we call a carrier oil, such as coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil, and others. Those are really good for the skin as well.
So frankincense topically and also consumed internally, two to three drops, two to three times a day in the liquid is a great anti-inflammatory regimen. A lot of times, your skin is a reflection of your internal body, but we need to tame that inflammation to begin to reverse the aging process.
Resveratrol
Resveratrol has been called the miracle molecule. It is found in grapes and an herb called Chinese knotweed. Now resveratrol has certain molecules that actually affect your DNA, and it’s been touted to do so many things, but resveratrol found in our diet in grape skin, grape seeds, particularly dark-colored grapes, also in blueberries and strawberries, is powerful.
So I recommend, muscadines. Now muscadines are called grapes, but they’re not really grapes. They actually have an additional chromosome, 20 instead of 19. You can eat the muscadine with the skin and the seed.
But it really is good. The skin and the skin of grapes are concentrated sources of resveratrol. Organic, sulfite-free red or dark wine is also a good source. Certainly, you can consume that in moderation. Resveratrol, again, it’s found in purple or black foods.
Another source would be the Brazilian grape called jabuticaba, acai has a little bit. So these are all good sources. The thicker the skin of the grape, the more antioxidants, including resveratrol, that it has. So this is really powerful. And, of course, you can take organic resveratrol supplements to get a proper dosage to help you reduce age spots in reverse wrinkles.
Green tea
I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but Asian individuals, particularly Chinese people, if you see them, a lot of times, they’re in their 70s and 80s and you would think they are 10 or 20 years younger. Now it is been shown through research that the Chinese consume as much as 10 strong cups of green tea a day.
Green tea has antioxidant catechin called EGCG, which is a powerful antioxidant and can reverse advanced symptoms or signs of aging. So I recommend you consume green tea. Matcha is becoming very popular, there’s Jasmine, but green tea is loaded with antioxidants.
I like doing loose-leaf teas and use a little tea steeper. I put about a tablespoon of green tea and I’ll add some other herbs and spices because there are so many that are good for your skin, put boiling hot water and I’ll steep it for four minutes or sometimes I’ll steep it overnight to get more of the antioxidants.
Remember, while you can add sweetener to that tea, you can even add a little oil, the more bitter the tea, the better for your skin.
Quick Recap
We want to have a low sugar diet because of sugar imbalances some hormones and causes glycation, which can cause you to age.
We want to eliminate trans-fatty acids. No hydrogenated oils and try not to eat polyunsaturated vegetable oils, such as corn, cottonseed, sunflower, and safflower.
Bone broth, the miracle food for internal use and external beauty. Gives you collagen, gives you chondroitin, powerful amino acids to boost your skin and reduce inflammation.
The dynamic duo of herbs, ashwagandha, and amla berry, to improve the appearance of your skin, reverse wrinkles, and produce an anti-aging effect through cortisol reduction and antioxidants.
Frankincense essential oil, this is ideal for age spots. You have to be consistent. But dab some organic frankincense essential oil right on your age spot and in about three weeks. I think you’ll see some results.
Resveratrol from dark grapes, organic, sulfite-free wine. muscadines are great. Other dark fruits have some resveratrol or a supplement containing grape extract and Chinese knotweed.
Green tea, Asians consume as many as 10 cups a day. So consume some strong, organic green tea and you will begin to look younger each and every day.