Defying Age: Several hundred years ago, if you were born into the right family, you could take a bath in milk or have servants rub your body with rare oils, all to help stall the aging process.

But today, many of us don’t have the luxury of these indulgent practices, nor would anyone attempt to try them out of fear of being ridiculed or shamed. Regardless, anti-aging treatments have been around since the age of antiquity, in ancient Greece and Egypt in particular.

Today, we have a variety of options when it comes to skincare routines and hanging on to that youthful glow, and none of our modern methods require a stable of 700 donkeys to produce milk for baths.

If you’re looking to pause the effects of age and time, there are a few options you can consider and the following article will explore a few of these methods.

Skin Cleansing Routines

You might be surprised to learn that many women and men don’t have a practical skincare routine, no matter how much makeup or skin products they use. And this can be a cause for major skin (and heath) problems down the road.

If you wear makeup or use any products on your skin, this builds up over time. And if these products aren’t properly cleansed they can cause damage.

Pores need to breathe. And continually clogging them with products not only reduces your skin’s ability to maintain health, it can cause other health problems as well.

For example, some skin treatments contain harmful toxins that are absorbed into the skin. Over time, this can cause reproductive issues and dysfunctional hormones. In fact, such products like talcum powder have been linked to ovarian cancer in women. And companies who produce talcum powder are now on the receiving end of lawsuits across the country.

Key takeaway: Know what you’re putting on your body, and remove it daily to maintain optimal skin health.

Sunlight

As human beings, we all need a daily dose of sunlight to function at a healthy level. In fact, most doctors recommend at least 15 to 20 minutes of sun exposure per day to gain the essential Vitamin D that the sun generates for us.

But that same life-giving star that is responsible for our seasonal changes and all life on Earth can also cause your skin major harm.

Skin cancer can develop with too much sun exposure over time. And the sun also has an aging effect on your skin. Correspondingly, those who spend more time outdoors will visibly age much faster than those who limit their exposure.

If you want to maintain a youthful look into your latter years, limiting your sun exposure by using sunscreen or avoiding direct exposure by wearing a hat or using an umbrella is the best practice to adopt.

Diet

Yes, your diet plays a significant role in skin health. In fact, everything that you consume can affect the tone of your skin.

If you want to maintain youthful-looking skin, cutting out any bad habits is also paramount to this process. Such things as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can have a huge impact on the overall look of your skin. In addition, limiting the amount of trans fats and artificial ingredients found in fast food can have a huge impact on skin health.

If you want to maintain quality skin health, consuming natural foods and having a diet of nutrient-rich vegetables and fruits can be of great benefit.

Such foods including olive oil, egg whites, coconut oil, beta carotene, and foods rich in antioxidants also can aid with stalling the aging process and allow you to keep a healthy skin tone.

We might not be able to live forever, but at least we can look good going out the door. And keeping a quality skincare routine while practicing healthy skin habits is the way to maintaining healthy skin.