Dr. Jeff Popp’s secret weapon against looking old? Sunblock, sunblock and more sunblock!
Apply it every day if you’re fair-skinned. It’s the best protection you have against signs of aging, particularly wrinkles.
“Avoid the sun when possible, wear a hat and stay in the shade,” he said.
And don’t use a tanning bed to get your glow. It’s just as bad as and sometimes worse than exposure to direct sunlight.
“Every one of us has to strike a balance between sun exposure, which causes skin cancer and wrinkles, and enjoying the outdoors,” Dr. Popp said.
If most people just stayed inside, you wouldn’t see people jogging, gardening or golfing. But you can protect yourself as you enjoy outdoor activities.
- Wear protective clothing
- Apply and reapply sunblock
- Grab and wear a hat
- Don some fun sunglasses
Overcome your nicotine addiction
Smoking is one of the worst things you can do for your skin. The number one cause of wrinkles is sun exposure. The second is smoking.
If you lay out without sunblock and you smoke, you can look 60 when you’re 30.
But there’s no documented link between signs of aging and alcohol use.
“There’s no known association between heavy alcohol consumption and wrinkles, jowls or that sort of thing other than alcoholics have poor nutrition in general, which would accelerate the aging process,” Dr. Popp said.
Other things you can do
Take advantage of a daily beauty regimen:
- Wash your face
- Use a moisturizer
- Apply Retin-A
- Smear on a good antioxidant cream
“Antioxidants actually do help reverse some of the sun damage we get,” he said.
Have a question for Dr. Popp? Click on the “contact” button at the top of this page or call Dr. Popp’s office at 402-391-4558.
