Women will do anything to look young, revealed a recent study. Just what is this obsession with youth and how should we go about to ensure we look younger than we feel?
Research shows that there are in fact two distinct types of aging, intrinsic and extrinsic aging. Intrinsic aging, also known as the natural aging process, is a continuous process that normally begins in our mid-20s. Collagen production slows down and turnover of new skin cells may start to decrease. Genes control how quickly the normal aging process unfolds. While these changes usually begin in our 20s, the signs of intrinsic aging like wrinkles, sagging skin etc may not be visible for years.
For extrinsic aging, a number of external factors like UV rays from sun exposure, repetitive facial expressions, gravity, smoking etc, often act together with the normal aging process to prematurely age our skin.
Don’t wait until it’s too late to start on your journey to more youthful skin as if you start early to maintain the skin in its youthful state, you can essentially stop aging in its tracks!
MAINTAIN A GOOD SKIN REGIME
Feeling great about your skin is something that you should never need to sacrifice on. When your skin looks amazing, you naturally feel more confident and attractive, giving you the extra push to become the life and soul of the party.
The first step towards age-proofing is to maintain a good skin regime. Your skin care products should include ingredients like Retinol and Vitamin C, which are collagen stimulators, antioxidants like soy isoflavones, green tea, and to preserve the skin’s intracellular matrix, look for Alpha-hydroxy-acids (AHAs), Beta-hydroxy-acids (BHA), ceramides and peptides.
You should also definitely invest in a good sunblock as without protection from the sun’s rays, just a few minutes of exposure each day over the years can cause photoaging, which results in freckles, age spots, wrinkles and leathery skin.
WRINKLES
Wrinkles are a natural part of aging. As you grow older, your skin gets thinner, less elastic and it becomes less able to protect itself from damage. As a result, to our dismay, wrinkles, lines and creases form. However, remember, aging is necessary, but looking older isn’t.
THE WRINKLE ERASER: BOTOX
For dynamic wrinkles that develop each time you smile, laugh or frown, after making the same expressions time after time, your skin actually ‘remembers’ these creases even when they are not there. Avoid this by visiting your doctor for botox injections to prevent those muscles from contracting into a wrinkle, gradually softening those lines to give you a more refreshed, relaxed look and preventing new creases from forming.
FILLERS TO RESTORE WHAT TIME HAS TAKEN AWAY
Static wrinkles, which are wrinkles and folds that are present at rest or when we are not forming facial expressions, develop due to the loss of our skin structure and volume. To restore our skin’s volume, try fillers like hyaluronic acid fillers to soften the lines (nasolabial folds) and replump the contours of the face that has become hollow (the temples), or lost definition (cheekbones). In fact, recent research has shown that hyaluronic acid fillers can even help reverse aging by encouraging the skin to produce more collagen.
THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR
Have you looked into the mirror only to discover that your face has begun to slide in a downward direction and there’s skin hanging and dangling along your jaw? That, according to Webster’s dictionary, is the definition of a jowl. Don’t want to see the slackening signs of age on your face?
Heavy jowls can now be treated with non-surgical FDA approved modalities such as Thermage and Ulthera. Thermage utilizes radiofrequency waves to stimulate collagen remodelling and regeneration that results in skin tightening and Ulthera uses medical ultrasound therapy to cause deep tissue lifting to correct heavy and saggy skin.
It is wise to consider performing these skin firming and lifting procedures as a preventive measure, before the skin loses all its collagen to maintain our youthfulness and to stop aging in its tracks. As they say, prevention is easier than repair, and we should all aim to have better skin as we age!