Do you want to age gracefully? Most people dread the thought of aging and losing their youthful looks. Premature aging occurs when your outside appearance looks older than what it should be for your age and is demonstrated by signs including loss of skin firmness and elasticity.

The good news is that you can definitely do something about it because 90% of the visible signs of aging are caused by things that we can control. While there are certainly some effective certified organic anti-aging products out in the market, maintaining beautiful and youthful skin is not all about taking supplements and applying creams or lotions. You have to take control of your overall health because healthy skin is a reflection of your state of wellbeing.

Here are some tips that will help you control five crucial anti-aging factors and make you look better and feel younger:

1. Avoid Smoking! Aside from damaging your overall health, cigarette smoking is also one of the main causes of wrinkles, particularly around your mouth. If you want to stay wrinkle-free, throw away those sticks and quit smoking!

2. Stay stress-free. Stress management plays a crucial role in preventing premature aging. Reduce your stress levels by going on vacation, listening to music, reading a good book, etc. Want to know more about reducing stress? Read Dr. Mercola’s Four Ways to Reduce Stress with One Simple Do-it-Yourself Acupressure Technique.

3. Proper Nutrition. Are you sure that what you are eating is good for you or do you still enjoy snacking on junk food? Eating natural foods such vegetables, fruits, and fish gives you more energy and helps make you feel and look younger. Remember, you are what you eat and what you eat is reflected on your skin.

4. Don’t get too much sun. While the sun is vital to your health because it’s your main source of vitamin D, the sun’s rays can also damage your skin and accelerate the signs of aging – if you’re not careful. Make sure you get just enough sun and use sunscreen when necessary to protect your skin from excessive sunlight.

5. Detoxify. Toxins are all around us – chemicals in our food and drink, pollution in the air that we breathe, drugs we take and even on the things that we regularly touch and get in contact with. Add a detox program to your lifestyle to help you reduce stress and flush out those toxins.

It is an asset to have healthy skin. When you refer to your beautiful outer self one of the most essential aspects is your skin. The following are ten of the most important skin care tips.

1. One to two times a day you should cleanse your face with warm water. You should do additional cleansing after every heavy activity. Cleansing is important to get rid of the dirt and harmful pollutants that you are exposed to during your daily activities.

2. To maintain your skin’s elasticity and moisture balance it is very important to drink lots of water. Water is essential to radiant and healthy skin. Water also has many benefits for the rest of the body as well.

3. One of the most essential skin care steps is to figure out what your skin type is. This is the basis for finding the right skin care products for your needs. The ingredients of skin care products are based on skin type, so even if they look the same the ingredients are always different.

4. To remove dead skin cells exfoliation is important. However, never use too much exfoliating products since this will cause harm to your skin rather than helping you achieve healthy skin.

5. To achieve healthy skin an important product is moisturizer. Your skin will dry out if it isn’t properly moisturized. Scaly skin not only doesn’t look good, but it is unhealthy too. When the skin is a little wet it is the best time to apply your moisturizer since it will help lock up the water in your skin which prevents it from drying out as fast.

6. There are different ingredients in soaps that can cause irritation or harm to your face. For this reason you shouldn’t use soap on your face. No matter what your skin type is you can find a variety of facial cleansers. Experiment and find the best cleanser for your needs.

7. When you go outdoors you should use lotions that have Sun Protection Factor or SPF. Whatever the condition of the weather, you should always protect your skin from the harmful UV radiation. Even when it isn’t sunny there are ultra violet rays. Even without noticing it you can become overexposed.

8. Getting a good nights sleep is very important to having healthy skin. You should always find time to sleep even when you have a hectic schedule. Eye wrinkles can result if you don’t get your proper amount of sleep.

9. While stress can be unavoidable it is important to find time to relax. You can help alleviate stress by taking Vitamin B complex. Another good option to relieve stress is to start an exercise routine.

10. If you have a skin disorder it is important to seek professional advice. Always talk with a dermatologist before jumping into using any products.