A SKIN doctor has revealed the four tips she swears by to reverse ageing – and most of them are completely free.
Dr Sophie Shotter said that as well as doing everything you can to make yourself look good externally, it’s important to focus on “de-ageing” internally.
Speaking on her podcast, Age Well, the aesthetics doctor said: “What’s the point of looking great if you don’t feel great, and what’s the point of not feeling great if you don’t look great”.
Dr Sophie shared an insight into her own daily life, revealing the tricks she uses to stay looking and feeling youthful.
1. Exercise
Dr Sophie said that exercising regularly can actually help to improve the appearance of your skin.
She revealed: “As we exercise we increase our circulation and circulation helps to clear toxins and to deliver micronutrients and oxygen.
“So when you exercise a lot, you boost your skin perfusion”.
Exercise also helps the way you feel on the inside, by boosting your metabolism and releasing endorphins.
2. Sleep
Dr Sophie said that how well we sleep really affects our appearance.
She said that many people think that they can get away with only sleeping four or five hours sleep, but insisted that this is not actually the case, and the sleep deprivation will eventually catch up with them.
The doctor shared that the only time your body gets chance to regenerate and repair it’s self.
Therefore if you deprive yourself of sleep, you are taking away your body’s ability to do this.
She said that you can “really notice” what a lack of sleep does to your skin.
She said: “Your skin will start to look more sallow and lacklustre”.
She added that a lack of sleep will also negatively affect your ability to handle stress.
“Sleep is so important”, Sophie said.
The doctor revealed that she herself likes to be in bed by 9 or 10pm, so as to maximise her sleep.
3. Supplements
Dr Sophie said that she takes a large amount of supplements every day.
She said that Vitamin C is a great supplement to take from an ageing perspective as it increases the production of collagen, which boosts the elasticity of your skin.
Vitamin C is super cheap, and you can buy a packet of 30 tablets from Boots for just 990, meaning each vitamin costs just three pence.
Dr Sophie also recommended taking magnesium and Vitamin D3.
She said: “If I had to pick one supplement that in the UK, everybody should be taking, it’s Vitamin D3.”
She explained that because we don’t get much sun in the UK, we can only get Vitamin D3 naturally between May and September, meaning that many of us are deficient.
What is Collagen?
- Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body and provides strength and structure to the skin and muscles
- It plays a significant role in maintaining skin elasticity and hydration
- As we age, collagen production decreases, leading to wrinkles, sagging skin and decreased skin firmness
- Collagen production starts to dwindle in our mid-to-late 20s and early 30s. By 40, it has dropped dramatically
It’s important to note that while collagen-based skincare products may offer benefits, their effectiveness can hugely vary.
Some experts suggest that topical application of collagen may have limited effectiveness compared to other skincare ingredients that stimulate collagen production within the skin.
4. Meditation
Sophie’s final tip is meditation, which she said she does every day.
She said that she uses it to help manage stress, but added that research is being done on it’s affects on the brain and the gut micro biome.
The doctor added that there has also been a scientific paper published on the ability of meditation to block the Covid virus from entering the body.
She said: “Finding meditation has helped me to embrace a happier life which I think is so important to how we age.”
Fabulous will pay for your exclusive stories. Just email: fabulousdigital@the-sun.co.uk and pop EXCLUSIVE in the subject line.