I remember the day I found my first grey hair… I had just turned 30 and it felt like the new decade had arrived with a vengeance. I sat in the shower (fully clothed) and turned the tap on, slowly feeling the cold seep through my clothes.
No, I’m not joking.
Am I ashamed of this? Yeah, a little bit. Aside from the fact that it sounds like the melodrama of teenagerhood, I wish I knew then what I’d known now: It is very possible to age gracefully. And that doesn’t mean you need to look 30 when you are actually 50. It means that 50 can look good on you if you know how to wear it well. Luckily, there are some small lifestyle changes that you can adopt, as well as some products available from your online pharmacy Australia which will set you on this path. Let’s take a stroll…
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Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide.
Most people are morally outraged when they hear about the two latter additions to that famous piece of slogan of yesteryear, as though it were somehow canonical and any addition is basically heresy. It asks you to see shade and slide on some sunnies. And from a health perspective, the advice is sound. A dermatologist friend of mine applies sunscreen as part of her morning routine, regardless of whether she is going outside. She says it’s crucial for us to normalise it and make it a habit. According to some studies, people who use sunscreen have 24% less sun damage when they are in their 50s. It isn’t as simple to say that they must look 38, but they certainly tend to look a little bit younger than our sun ravaged friends.
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Stop Smoking and Drinking
Ah, this advice which somehow comes up with every single possible blog I write... In this case, it speeds up the ageing process, and leaves you with a yellow wrinkled complexion. This is exacerbated by the staining of your fingers, lips and teeth. I know a lot of people who started smoking because they thought it looked cool. It’s not so cool in your later years, sadly. Take a look at our online pharmacy Australia for products that will help you to quit today.
With regard to drinking? We aren’t talking about a glass of wine with dinner here. If you drink in excess of the recommended limits (no more than ten standard drinks a week and no more than four at a time), it dehydrates you. This is why you wake up with a hangover when you go a bit too hard. Well, that dehydration is bad for your skin in the long run, and you end up looking dull and grey.
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Start Moisturising
I started moisturising about two days after I found that first grey hair. Whatever nature was doing to my body, I needed to stop! Turns out moisturising is one the simplest ways. In the most simple terms, it helps your skin retain water which keeps it looking vibrant and fresh for as long as possible. Think for a second about ironing a shirt. When you get the steam onto the fabric the molecules enlarge and the texture becomes smooth. When a shirt is dried out, that is when it develops wrinkles. It is similar to your skin. This effect is even more significant when you consider that your skin is an organ and it cops a lot of damage in our day to day lives, so it is constantly needing to refresh itself. The more help we give it, the easier its job is! It seems counterintuitive, but the most important time to moisturise is directly after a hot shower or bath. You see, the heat strips your skin of oil and moisture, leaving it vulnerable. Moisturising provides an external barrier against the elements. Fortunately, we have many good moisturising options on our online pharmacy Australia. Take a quick look through, find one that works for you, and we will have it on your doorstep in no time.
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Exercise!
In many ways, this is pretty intuitive. You will be more muscular, less flabby and more vibrant. But there are other ways this is true that aren’t quite as obvious. When you get active, it opens up your pores which allows you to expel dirt and impurities. It becomes more elastic and malleable which prevents wrinkles. As a result, your skin looks more fresh and youthful for longer. We actually speed up the ageing process by becoming sedentary and letting our skin accumulate gunk. In fact, a study by the Journal of Applied Psychology found that the legs and arms of 50 year old men who had maintained a healthy lifestyle were indistinguishable from those of a 25 year old. Giddy up!
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Eat Well
Our bodies are complex machines which require specific vitamins and minerals to operate at their best. The various minerals and vitamins which are found in fruit and vegetables make their way to your skin (as mentioned earlier, the biggest organ in your body) and keep it healthy and young. Be on the lookout for broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts, as they are rich in minerals like zinc, copper and selenium. Conversely, sugars and carbs end up speeding up the process which is terrible news if you’re anything like me. Farewell to doughnuts and bombolonis… I assure you, it is worth it in the long run.
I don’t know about you, but I can see so many common treatments for the many diseases and conditions that I unpack. Stop drinking, stop smoking, start moving and eat well. If people took this advice to heart, pharmacies would be closing down all over Australia. Painful as this would be, I would be exhilarated. After all, no one becomes a pharmacist to make money. We are all here to help people live better lives. But alas, this wisdom goes unheeded and we remain reliant on treatments rather than preventions.
Maybe one day…
All the best,
Floyd - Senior Pharmacist
