Signs and Causes of Premature Skin Aging

Having clear, supple, young looking skin is taken as a sign of overall good health. Your skin, after all, will reflect whatever is going on inside your body. Skin aging occurs naturally as you age. The older you get, the longer skin regeneration and minor repairs take. Your skin also loses its elasticity slowly causing wrinkles to appear on what was once supple skin. 

Premature aging, however, occurs when you see signs of aging before they are supposed to normally occur. Though it is true that each person ages differently, signs of aging are usually expected to occur some time in your mid-30s onwards. 

Signs

One sign of skin aging normally seen when you are in your early 40s are sunspots (or age spots, sometimes also called liver spots). These are tiny areas of discoloration often found in areas of skin more exposed to the sun — the face, forearms, the backs of your hand, and chest. You will notice this earlier and more frequently in fair-skinned people. Sunspots are caused by the multiplication of melanocytes, pigmented skin cells, due to the UV radiation from the sun. 

Another herald of skin aging is the thinning of your skin. You will notice this most commonly in your hands first. You will notice your hands get more veiny, the skin no longer as supple as before. And sooner or later, your skin also starts to sag and form wrinkles. 

Causes

Sagging, wrinkling, and thinning of the skin are caused by the loss of collagen. As you age, your body produces less collagen; and since collagen is a protein that helps skin cells adhere to one another, giving your skin elasticity and strength, a decrease in production means less elasticity and less suppleness. 

Other, less natural causes of skin aging are smoking, a bad diet, lack of sleep, excessive alcohol and caffeine intake, and your environment. Anything you put in your body repeatedly will show on skin. 

How CBD can help

CBD, or cannabidiol, is a non-intoxicating component of the hemp plant. This is the second most prevalent and active of the plant’s components (cannabinoids). It is extracted as a powder and mixed with an oil to make CBD oil. This oil has been touted to help in anti-aging. But how exactly does that work?

Your body has an endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is the inherent system in your body. It is the machine that makes the body work at its optimum level. Your ECS naturally produces cannabinoids to help your body run smoothly. But as you age, the production of endocannabinoids in your body slows down. When you take CBD, it helps your body replenish it’s diminishing sources of endocannabinoids. 

CBD helps reduce inflammation and is an excellent source of antioxidants. Taking CBD as an edible (as CBD gummies or as CBD candy) or lathering it on as an oil can bring you many of its benefits. CBD works with your ECS to balance out the production of cortisol, a stress hormone. Less cortisol means more sleep and less stress. CBD also helps your skin remain supple and elastic for much longer, thereby keeping you wrinkle-free for longer too; and because of its anti-inflammatory properties, CBD reduces acne and a host of other skin diseases that could contribute to skin aging. CBD oil can also help keep UV rays from damaging your skin, lessening the occurrence of liver spots. Because CBD fights free radicals, pollutants in your environment will not have wreaked as much havoc in your body as they would without CBD.

All in all, living a healthy lifestyle and supporting your body with CBD products will not only make you feel healthier, it will also make you look healthier.

This post is sponsored by Sunday Scaries.