Yes, you read that title right: you can get rid of wrinkles healthily or try to do it unhealthily. What separates the former from the latter is that the healthy methods do it in a manner that does not involve putting your body at risk for worse things. Invasive methods, like surgery and injections, tend to belong to the latter category. The possible fallout of something going wrong with them is always worse than the wrinkles you were correcting in the first place.

It does help to have a bit of appreciation for wrinkles in the first place. We can talk about “correcting” them, but the truth is that they are normal. Indeed, they are inevitable as the years pass.

As such, knowing what to reasonably (and naturally) expect from anti-wrinkle remedies is wise. It would be difficult indeed to get rid of wrinkles entirely at middle age without messing dangerously with natural human physiology. All we can do is reduce and diminish, not totally vanish. And if you have a healthy view of yourself and life, that should be fine.

Anyway, a wrinkle here or there can actually add to attractiveness in some ways, as it often tilts someone’s appearance to the more mature or endowed-with-character end of the spectrum. Avoid stressing out over your wrinkles because that actually does add to them: the stress hormone, cortisol, inhibits growth processes like the ones for the skin.

In line with this, do not stress out over tracking the progress of any anti-wrinkle programs you get on from one day to the next. You will usually only notice results in weekly increments of time. This is because the body needs time to do its work when you are using natural treatments. If you do try any of the following suggestions, do not work yourself into a frenzy over whether or not the number of wrinkles on your face have been reduced after just two days. Give yourself and your skin time and you might be surprised by the results then.

It Starts With What You Eat, So Eat the Right Things

The things you eat have an impact on your body in many ways. This is standard medical fact. Being nutritionally deficient makes you weaker, for example, and can result in diminished capacity to fight off disease. It can also show on your exterior, from the crown of your head to your toenails.

Poor eating habits tend to result in poor skin — for obvious reasons. Skin unable to get the nutrients it needs cannot replenish the dead cells we are constantly shedding each day. If you want to make sure that your skin gets the benefit of a healthy diet, try talking to your doctor for advice. He will very likely suggest getting a lot of Vitamin C and Vitamin E, as they are instrumental in epidermal health.

Another possibility is to consult a health and diet program focused on wrinkle reduction and epidermal rejuvenation. There are many such programs now available: an example is the Ageless Body System, which will actually give you lessons on what foods are best if you want to avoid wrinkles.

Find Out What to Avoid—and Avoid It

There are a lot of no-no’s for those hoping to keep more wrinkles from sprouting. Knowing what they are is crucial so that you can make the appropriate lifestyle modifications for your skin’s sake. We already mentioned stress, of course. It’s also easy to guess at another one from what we just said about eating right: foods deficient in nutrients and rich in artificial ingredients.

Nicotine is another of the big things to avoid here. Whether it’s first-hand or second-hand smoke, you would do well to stay away from it. It results in saggy skin, which always means more wrinkles.

Take note that not all of the things you should avoid are things that can be consumed. Look at the sun, for example. A little bit of sun (preferably indirect) is not a bad thing. But nowadays, even the most dedicated tanners will not argue the point that the sun is hugely damaging to skin. UV rays cause most of the trouble, wreaking havoc on the epidermis and turning it into a leathery, inelastic mess. This is why sunscreen with a high SPF should always be on your list of must-carry items if you are often exposed to the sun’s rays.

Some things may also be strangely innocent-seeming at first. Take sleeping on your side, for instance. It does not seem likely to be something that can aggravate wrinkles, but the American Academy of Dermatology says it can. To avoid developing sleep lines of that type, sleep on your back. And while we are on the topic, sleep well! Lack of sleep does a lot of nasty things to the body’s normal processes, from your metabolism to your hormone production. It brings us back to stress and cortisol, which we already mentioned at the outset.

Invest in Some Good Skin Care Products

Just because we are doing this the natural way does not mean you should steer clear of all the stuff you buy over the beauty counter. A good number of skin care items nowadays are actually made of natural and organic ingredients. Check their labels when in doubt, though.

So what should you be looking for? Natural oil-carrying creams and serums that can help you keep your skin hydrated. You want stuff that can both moisturize and protect you from antioxidants, like grape oil products. Vitamin E supplements can do the same thing and they are even more versatile in that you can either take them orally or apply them topically.

We already said it before, but you should also own skin products with good sun protection factors. The number really depends on the amount of sun you usually see each day, but higher is generally better.

Finally, look for a good face cream that you can use for cleaning your face, moisturizing it and removing makeup. Even something as simple and cheap as the classic Pond’s one will do wonders when used regularly.