Simple Anti-Aging tips from Dr. Bissoon

Could your sleep habits cause wrinkles? What other lifestyle choices will keep us looking forever young? Dr. Lionel Bissoon was invited to weigh in on LIVESTRONG.COM's list of top Anti-Aging tips. Which of these skin sins are you committing? 

The Trick to Beauty Sleep

Quality of sleep plays a significant role in our health inside and out.  A study with 10, 946 subjects aged 20-79 demonstrated that those who got adequate sleep had less Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs) -a marker of skin aging. Sleeping less than 5 hours resulted in less hydration of the skin, more dark circles under the eyes and increased fluid buildup under the eye. 

Plenty of rest is critical for your skin health as well. Sleeping face up, or on your back, will help reduce wrinkles for those over 30. If you're a side sleeper, though, you may be compressing your face and therefore decreasing circulation over hours, reducing skin elasticity. 

It is also important to sleep on your back for reduced pain: your pillow helps increase circulation to the muscles in your neck and disc space, hydrating the discs and healing any injuries. The pressure across the spine and disc essentially goes to zero with sleeping.  

Smoker lines... from a straw?

Lip wrinkles or “smoker’s lines" but aren't actually cased by smoke inhalation itself: The vertical lip wrinkles are caused by repetitive contraction of the lip muscles. This same strain occurs when using straws in your beverage, just like squinting can cause lines around the eyes. 

To avoid these types of contraction-based wrinkles, try relaxing the muscles, using sunglasses more, and trying a gentle massage. Gentle facial massage can help decrease wrinkles by relaxing the muscles, increasing lymphatic drainage, and increasing circulation to the skin.

Vitamins and Nutrients for Added Skin Benefits

Polypodium leucotomas contains anti-oxidant properties which can support anti-aging of the skin. A study conducted in 2015 with P.  leucotomas showed they were safe and effective in reducing the damaging effects of UV radiation.

Vitamin C increases collagen, while also helping reduce hyperpigmentation when applied directly onto the skin as a serum.

There are numerous dietary supplements containing beneficial polyphenols which have antiaging effects on the skin. Aside from drinking plain green tea, which can decrease skin cancer and inflammation, you can also consume blueberries and red berries to get polyphenols.