Secret to looking younger? Ban sugar and sun

Want to look younger without invasive surgery? Dr. Fredric Brandt, author of “10 Minutes/10 Years: Your Definitive Guide to a Beautiful and Youthful Appearance,” lists startling unknown threats to the skin that age it before its time — and how to treat and prevent them:

Sugar  makes you fat and makes you look old
We all know that sugar has a negative effect on our teeth and waistline, but what most don’t realize is that sugar has an effect on the skin — and it’s not so sweet. The effect is called glycation, a natural process where sugar molecules in the cells stick to protein fibers, eventually forming harmful new molecules called advanced glycation end-products, or AGEs for short. These AGEs accumulate, causing inflammation and damage to nearly all the cells and molecules in the body. As a result, skin loses its elasticity and becomes more vulnerable to wrinkling, sagging and UV damage.

A diet high in sugar can cause premature aging. Certain cooking methods can increase glycation/sugar content. The higher the temperatures and the longer the cooking, the more AGEs form. Any foods that are browned, such as baked goods (especially if they’ve been caramelized), commercial french fries, beer or colas or barbecued meat will be high in AGEs. To limit your sugar intake, follow these simple and fast tips:

• Clear the junk food out of your pantry and throw it all away (donate unopened and fresh packages to your local food bank).
• Use slow-cooking methods when possible.
• Avoid barbecued food all summer long.
• Avoid artificial sweeteners, especially diet sodas — they can make you hungry and crave foods even more.
• If you’re craving something sweet, set the timer for ten minutes and see if the craving passes. Chances are it will. Then you can have a healthy snack and drink a refreshing glass of water.

Protect your skin from the sun
The absolute easiest and least expensive way to prevent photo-aging is to use a good, broad-spectrum sunscreen every day, and apply it properly. It only takes a minute or so. Not only does it save you thousands of dollars in skincare products and treatments over the years, but it may well save your life. Skin protected from the sun is much less likely to develop skin cancer.

Remember, four out of five wrinkles are directly caused by sun damage alone (take a good look at your buttocks, which have had next to no sun exposure throughout most of your life, and you can see what skin protected from the sun looks like — smooth, unwrinkled and unmottled by hyperpigmentation). Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in our country — one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime — yet the easiest to prevent. Be sure to follow the following skin savers, which take only 10 minutes:

• Between steps in your skincare regime, choose your outfit, make some coffee, feed the cat — you’ll see each step go by in a flash.
• Sun damages causes wrinkles. Protect yourself every day!
• Always apply gels or serums before lotions or creams.
• If you’re in a rush, use your hairdryer on “cold” to dry skincare products more quickly, so you can go to the next step.
• Take care not to make too many overly animated facial expressions.
• While it’s next to impossible to not move around while sleeping, try to fall asleep on your back to avoid crushing your face into the pillow.
• Flaxseed will decrease the size of the sebaceous glands (pores).
• For eye puffiness, decrease your salt intake, and try to keep your head slightly elevated when you sleep.
• Squinting causes wrinkles. Add a UV-filter coating to your sunglasses and choose frames that are larger, rather on the smallish side, with adequate protection near the eye.
• A little bit of caffeine (from one to two cups of coffee) can help decrease puffiness.
• Try not to purse your lips.
• Avoid using straws as this automatically causes a pursing action.
• Stay away from tartar-control toothpaste if you develop irritation around your lips.
• Your lower lip gets more sun exposure than the top, so it needs more protection.

Sun sins: Common misconceptions
Sun damage doesn’t occur just from lying on the beach. It happens all the time: winter, and summer, sunshine and rain. Even fluorescent light bulbs emit UVA rays that break down collagen and elastin.

UVA — the aging ray. Although they don’t cause burns, UVA rays’ longer wavelength make it more intense than UVB, and it allows these rays to penetrate deeply into the skin, down where our DNA lies (this is where the cancer risk comes into play). There, it ravages collagen and elastin and stimulates production of the pigment-producing melanocytes responsible for hyperpigmentation spots, wrinkles and uneven skin tone.

No cosmetic should ever be used in place of a good broad-spectrum sunscreen. Many makeup products claim to have an SPF of 15 or 20. This is a great idea in theory, but SPF can only refer to UVB blockers. In addition, moisturizers and foundations are absorbed by the skin, so they are by nature less effective at sitting on the skin’s surface as sunscreens do.

About Dr. Brandt
Dr. Fredric Brandt is the author of "10 Minutes/10 Years: Your Definitive Guide to a Beautiful and Youthful Appearance,” and creator of his own line of skincare products.

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