How to Look Younger at 50 Than You Did at 35

Aging is a fact of life. As you get older you tend to look older. Right?

Usually, yes. But you've probably come across at least a few people in your life who seem to age in reverse. You haven't seen them in five or ten years, but when you do they look younger somehow. What gives?

No, they aren't time travelers. But they may be following at least some of the strategies shared below in their lives, perhaps without even knowing it.

If you're approaching 50 and wondering how you can look your best, we're here to help. Apply all of these suggestions and you might just look younger at 50 than you did at 35.

Quit Smoking

There is no doubt about it - studies confirm that smoking ages you. If you are currently a smoker, there's nothing better you can do to look younger than to quit smoking.

A study on identical twins, one of whom smoked and one of whom didn't, made this fact startling clear. Not only did a twin who didn't smoke tend to look younger than their smoking sibling, twins who smoked five years longer than their twin who also smoked look far older.

The takeaway: the longer you smoke, the older you look. And the sooner you quit, the better your skin will be.

Why is that?

Smoking damages collagen, limits your ability to produce more collagen, and cuts down on circulation to your skin. In addition, nicotine makes your skin thinner and less elastic. The result is thin, sagging skin with deeper wrinkles and extra puffiness.

While some skincare ingredients boost collagen production - like protein peptides and vitamin C - they can't make up entirely for the damage done by years of smoking.

Use SPF Daily

The sun is working hard to age you. UV damage is the main culprit behind skin aging. And it's not because of that one day you got a really nasty sunburn ten years ago. The UV damage - and its aging effects - are cumulative. They affect the dermis, which is your skin's deepest layer, and therefore aren't immediately apparent. But with time, it definitely shows.

The most common effects of photoaging are wrinkles, fine lines, sagging, reduced elasticity, hyperpigmentation, dark spots, and redness. To sum it up, the sun takes your natural, uniform complexion and introduces all kinds of damage.

To combat all of these negative effects, you need to use an SPF product daily. Even if you don't plan on spending much time in the sun, using SPF is still important. Remember, the UV damage to your skin is cumulative. So even on mild days, cloudy days, and days where you spend most of your time indoors, sun damage can still happen.

Our Daily Defense Face Moisturizer with SPF 20 is specifically designed to protect men's skin while also hydrating and restoring it. We skipped the potentially harmful chemicals and went with zinc oxide instead for safe, mineral-based SPF that absorbs fast and won't leave behind white streaks.

Get Plenty of Rest

Sure, you may be able to function on four hours of sleep. But that isn't a virtue - and it's going to make you look older than you would if you got a proper night of rest.

In 2013, a first of its kind clinical trial identified links between sleep deprivation and skin aging. Participants with poor sleep habits had more signs of aging including sagging skin, fine lines, and pigmentation irregularities. In addition, study participants with bad sleep habits had a harder time recovering from sunburn and other UV damage.

It may seem like it's nearly impossible to get the ideal 7-9 hours of sleep each night. And some nights, it probably will be impossible. But if you're determined to turn back the clock on your appearance and look younger at 50 than you did at 35, you need your beauty sleep for sure.

Keep Your Life Low-Stress

Stress takes a toll on your mental and physical health in a variety of ways - and it's also responsible for the early onset and deepening of wrinkles and fine lines. That's because hormones related to your body's stress response can age your skin.

In a 2014 study titled "Brain-Skin Connection: Stress, Inflammation and Skin Aging", researchers noted that "epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol were found to increase DNA damage, interfere with DNA repair, and alter transcriptional regulation of the cell cycle." This damage and interference leads to reduced elastin and collagen levels and a subsequent loosening of the skin - aka, wrinkles.

There's no question - if you want to look younger now than you did years ago, you need to reduce the amount of stress in your day to day life. How can you do that? Lots of ways - some of which take only 10 minutes.

• Breathing exercises
• Yoga
• Meditation
• Exercise
• Walk outdoors
• Volunteer
• Join a community organization
• Read inspirational quotes
• Listen to relaxing music
• Watch a funny movie

Get Regular Exercise

Exercising on a regular basis is good for your mind and body - and your skin. The best part is that "it may also even reverse skin aging in people who start exercising late in life, according to surprising new research" reported on in the New York Times.

Researchers in Ontario worked with men and women from ages 20-84 who exercise at a variety of different frequencies and intensities. They controlled for sun exposure and other variables that affect the aging process. They found that "after age 40, the men and women who exercised frequently had markedly thinner, healthier stratum corneums and thicker dermis layers in their skin. Their skin was much closer in composition to that of the 20- and 30-year-olds than to that of others of their age, even if they were past age 65."

What is really noteworthy is what happened when the researchers had sedentary participants ages 65 and older start working out. After three months of twice weekly endurance workouts, their skin "looked quite different, with outer and inner layers that looked very similar to those of 20- to 40-year-olds."

Eat Right 

You are what you eat, quite literally. If your diet is packed with the proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals you need for healthy skin, then you're going to look your best (and youngest). Conversely, if you fill your plate with hyper-processed, low-nutrition foods, don't expect to look younger than you did a few years ago.

Of course, it's difficult to work through the many variables of eating and skin health to determine their exact connection. But researchers are clear that "skin aging through dietary management have become an inevitable trend." They also identified three ways in which your diet can improve your skin's health and appearance:

• Absorption of protein peptides, fatty acids, and other beneficial ingredients that support anti-aging

• Intake of antioxidants that prevent and reverse oxidative damage

• Control of enzymes related to aging that can damage and reduce production of collagen and elastin

It's impossible to make generalized statements of what constitutes a healthy diet or not, but in general you're best off eating a balanced combination of low and unprocessed foods including proteins, vegetables, and whole grains.

Make Skincare a Priority

An anti-aging skincare routine is critical to looking younger at 50 than you did at 35. While skincare products don't work magic, they do help smooth, brighten, and firm your skin when used correctly and regularly. Here are some easy ways to make anti-aging skincare part of your daily routine.

Fight Aging with Face Wash and Moisturizer

Start and end your day with the skin restoring combination of our Redefining Anti-Aging Face Wash and Rejuvenating Anti-Aging Gel Face Moisturizer. Each combines skin cleansing and hydrating ingredients with anti-aging actives including hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, and protein peptides.

Combine Serums with Anti-Aging Cream

Serums are potent, concentrated combinations of anti-aging ingredients that are absorbed deep into the skin. When you use a serum and then follow up with anti-aging cream, you seal in both hydration and active ingredients that boost collagen production and reduce the appearance of age spots. Try these combinations:

• In the morning: Reviving Hyaluronic Acid Serum with Resurfacing Anti-Aging Cream

• In the evening: Repairing Vitamin C Serum with Revitalizing Anti-Aging Cream