4 Anti-aging Beauty Myths – Ignore these at your peril!

There are some women out there who are lucky enough to have a limitless budget when it comes to being able to buy anti wrinkle products and beauty products. Luxurious sounding names with extravagant ingredients such as caviar and gold flakes, packaged in gorgeous velvet boxes with their own special spoons and spatulas to decant their precious cargo, are within reach for some but not all of us.

It is possible to have beautiful skin without spending a fortune. There are a load of wonderful products on the market that will help to fight wrinkles and keep your skin looking ageless without needing to take out a second mortgage to pay for them. Just beware of these 4 anti aging beauty myths that truly are false economy when it comes to taking care of your skin.

1. I don’t need to use a cleanser because I don’t wear makeup – this might be true if you live in an airtight bubble on a remote mountaintop somewhere, but if you live anywhere near the real world this just isn’t true. Whether you live in a bustling city or a quiet country town, your skin still gathers dirt, grime and dust through the day, not to mention perspiration, dead skin cells (you getting the picture here?) etc that need to be removed properly before you go to sleep.

2. I don’t lie out in the sun so I don’t need a sunscreen – if you do nothing else for your skin, EVER, get this beauty myth out of your head. The number one cause of extrinsic aging (that’s the stuff that goes on outside our skin) is exposure to the sun. The sun gives off UVA and UVB rays which burn and age the skin even on cloudy days and even through the windows of your house, office or car. You absolutely must make sunscreen as much a part of your day as putting on your knickers and brushing your teeth. You wouldn’t leave the house without them, right?

3. I can use the same moisturizer day and night – well, in some cases you can, but that is going to depend on what kind of moisturizer it is and what you want it to do. For instance, if lack of hydration is your only concern, then yes, a good hydrating cream can be used both day and night. But, and it is a big but, remember that you still need a sunscreen during the day and a product that can be used day or night will not have a sunscreen. The other thing to take into account is that if you have really specific concerns like deep wrinkles, age spots or uneven skin texture, you will need to apply a cream scientifically formulated with ingredients designed to target those concerns. These ingredients are best absorbed by the skin at night when it is in repair mode, so a night cream is a must.

4. Oh, I just use plain old soap and water and my skin looks OK – really, ya think? How do you know how good your skin could look if you were just a little kinder to it, if all you’ve ever done is treat it like the pots and pans in your kitchen sink! That nice squeaky sound you get after you wash your face with soap and water? That’s your skin screaming because you’ve scrubbed all it’s natural protective oils away! Please, save the soap for the plates and invest in a proper cleansing milk, cream or gel. You’ll hear your skin sigh with relief.

Our skin truly is a wonderful thing, and all it takes is a tiny bit of loving care to look beautiful and ageless regardless of the number of birthdays you’ve had or the amount of money in your bank account.

Thank you for reading, take care and be beautiful!

Nikki xx