Aging doesn’t just show up on your face! If you have these 10 signs, you’re getting older…

This article was reviewed by Zhu Hongjian, Chief Physician, Beijing Jiangong Hospital

People generally believe that sagging skin and graying hair are signs of aging. In fact, the hallmark changes of aging are not only changes in skin and body shape, but also some signals that you have not noticed.

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10 signs of aging

1. Bigger buttocks

Zhang Yadong, chief physician of the Department of Orthopedics at the Fourth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital, said that young women have round and firm buttocks, but as they age, their buttocks will slowly sag and expand outward. People who sit for long periods of time accumulate fat in their buttocks faster. Long-term sitting means lack of exercise. If you also consume a lot of high-sugar and high-fat foods, the fat ratio will be relatively higher than the muscle ratio. As the muscles decrease, the soft tissues of the body will become bloated.

2. The forehead becomes bigger

Du Changming, a Chinese medicine doctor and director of the Department of Dermatology at Nanjing Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, said that hair aging is graying and hair loss, especially the upward movement of the hairline, which has become the focus of attention of young people today. Staying up late and too much mental stress leading to endocrine disorders are the main causes of hair loss.

3. Waistline becomes bigger

Fan Zhihong, director of the Chinese Nutrition Society and associate professor at China Agricultural University, said that some women's waistlines grow rapidly when they reach menopause. This is not only due to the slow metabolism caused by aging, but also caused by a combination of factors. The decrease in estrogen levels can also affect the metabolism of body fat.

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4. The soles of your feet become bigger

According to Sang Zhicheng, chief physician of the Department of Orthopedics at the Wangjing Hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, as people age, the muscles and ligaments in the soles of the feet will undergo degenerative changes, the arches of the feet will collapse, and they will lose elasticity. At the same time, the tendons and ligaments connecting the tiny bones will lose elasticity, and the feet will become longer and wider.

5. The gaps between teeth become wider

Li Yabin, deputy chief physician of the Department of Stomatology at the Fifth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital, said that the oral cavity will also age. When the gaps between a person's teeth begin to widen and get wider, it indicates that there is a problem with the teeth, which may be caused by gum atrophy or inflammation around the gums.

6. Hairstyle is out of shape

Xu Runsan, a national master of traditional Chinese medicine and chief physician of the Department of Gynecology at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, pointed out that many middle-aged women lose their hair as they age, due to the decline of kidney function and the decrease of estrogen. This often indicates that women are aging. If your hair is still thick after the age of 40, it means that your body is still relatively young.

7. Distorted nose

Xu Runsan pointed out that time causes the soft tissue of the nose to lose elasticity, the nostrils become more prominent, and the entire nose appears to have been squeezed. This also shows that aging is approaching you, and this is an unstoppable sign of aging.

8. Enlarged pores

Sometimes, enlarged pores also mean skin aging. Hu Kuikui, chief physician of the Department of Medical Cosmetology at Guangdong Provincial Women and Children's Health Care Hospital, said that with age, especially for women who neglect skin care, the fat layer of subcutaneous tissue begins to become loose and inelastic, the synthesis of collagen and elastin in the dermis decreases, and the loss increases, causing the skin to lose support and become gradually shriveled. Without external pressure, the ducts of the sebaceous glands of the hair follicles naturally expand outward and gradually become larger, resulting in enlarged pores on the cheeks, especially above the nasolabial groove.

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9. Muscle relaxation

Zhang Hong, chief physician of the Department of Orthopedics at the Fourth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital, pointed out that studies have found that 30% of hip fractures in the elderly occur in men. Although the incidence rate is half that of women, the mortality rate is twice that of women, indicating that the bone quality and prognosis of complications in men are worse than those in women. The muscle volume and quality of elderly men will become loose with age (the same is true for women). Scientific muscle training and maintaining the weight and quality of one's own bones are related to the length of life. Building good muscles will also increase bone density and weight.

10. Decreased sexual ability

Passion is an important reference standard for evaluating whether a man is old.

Jiang Hui, director of the Department of Urology at Peking University Third Hospital, pointed out that male sexual dysfunction includes loss of libido, erectile dysfunction (ED), orgasm and ejaculation dysfunction, among which ED is the most common male sexual dysfunction. A survey shows that about 16% of adult men suffer from erectile dysfunction, and the incidence rate increases with age. After the age of 50, more than half of men may suffer from ED. Premature ejaculation is the most common ejaculation dysfunction, accounting for more than 1/3 of adult men.

To prevent aging, listen to the doctor’s advice!

1. A good attitude is important

A good attitude is the key to slowing down aging. The heart ages first, and if you set a wall of youth for yourself from the beginning, the aging of your body will only accelerate.

Long-term medical observations have found that long-lived elderly people are often open-minded, enthusiastic, and often feel that their lives are fulfilling and satisfying. Maintaining a youthful social life (making more young friends) and an outward-looking and open mind can slow down the aging of the body.

2. Pay attention to healthy diet

To delay aging, what foods should we eat more of? What should we eat less of? He Xiaoqin, director of the Nutrition Treatment Center of Taizhou Hospital in Zhejiang Province, listed the red and black lists of skin care foods.

1) Red List

Eat one pound of vegetables and half a pound of fruit every day, and at least one-third of your staple food should be whole grains, beans or potatoes. They are considered to have the best "beauty effect" among all foods. This is due to the fact that they are rich in dietary fiber, multiple vitamins, minerals, and even contain a lot of antioxidant ingredients to prevent skin aging.

In addition, eat more water-rich fruits, such as strawberries, watermelons, cherries, etc., to replenish nutritious water, and the effect will be reflected on the skin. For example, foods such as tomatoes and nuts contain a lot of vitamin E, which is also a nutrient needed by the skin, and eating some is also good.

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2) Blacklist

It is said that time is a "slaughterhouse knife", but in fact, excessive sugar and salt can also become a "slaughterhouse knife".

Eating too much sugar will rob the body of collagen, making the skin less elastic and even causing wrinkles and spots. Especially refined sugars such as white sugar should be avoided. Desserts, jams, ice cream, etc. are all sugar-prone foods, and some sweet and sour dishes should also be avoided.

The same goes for salt. Eating too much will make you ugly. This is because eating too much salt will increase the amount of sodium ions in the body, which will cause facial skin to lose water and age easily, increase wrinkles, and even cause freckles and chloasma on the face.

In addition to putting less salt in your daily meals, don't ignore the sodium in pre-packaged foods (snacks, pickles, noodles). Many foods, even those that don't taste salty, have a lot of "hidden salt" added to them. Before eating, check the "sodium content" column on the food label.

3. Keep exercising for a long time

In 2018, a study published in the journal Aging Cell showed that regular exercise is the best choice to fight aging.

For the study, the research team evaluated 84 male and 41 female cyclists (men who could cycle 100 km in 6.5 hours and women who could cycle 60 km in 5.5 hours), aged 55 to 79 years.

The results showed that compared with those who did not exercise regularly, these cyclists did not lose muscle mass and strength with aging, their body fat and cholesterol levels did not increase, and their immune systems were as strong as those of young people.

When it comes to exercise, please don't hesitate, don't wait, and don't be impulsive.

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4. Ensure good sleep

When people sleep, the skin is repairing itself and metabolizing. If the skin does not get enough rest at night, it will affect the body's metabolism, causing poor blood circulation, and increase endocrine disorders and skin moisture loss in the long run. Staying up late can also easily lead to dull complexion, dark circles, eye bags, fine lines and other problems, and staying up late is an important cause of skin aging.

Source: Health Times

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