You can't keep youth forever, but it's quite possible to delay the onset of old age by decades. To start anti-aging care, you don't have to wait for the first wrinkles to appear - on the contrary, it's better to take preventive measures in advance. Let's consider where to start, what to look for and what results to aim for.
How the skin ages
The aging process affects all cells in the body and the skin is no exception. This process is influenced by both internal and external factors. The first group includes genetics, ethnicity, and hormone levels—things that are impossible or very difficult to change. The second is stress, exposure to atmospheric and ultraviolet pollution, smoking, diet, lack of sleep and movement, and various diseases. These factors can be controlled. It is possible to at least partially neutralize the negative effects by providing quality skin care.
With age, many processes on which the condition of the skin depends slow down; for example, cells do not renew themselves as quickly as in youth. The blood circulation deteriorates, thus the nutrition of the cells. The level of hydration drops due to a lack of hyaluronic acid and less collagen and elastin are produced. The skin becomes thinner, drier and less elastic, and wrinkles appear.
External factors worsen the situation. Thus, as a result of exposure to ultraviolet radiation, the structure of the skin changes, it becomes thinner and less elastic. Smoking slows down skin regeneration and impairs blood circulation, which leads to disruption of cell nutrition. Air pollution causes the appearance of age spots and wrinkles.
The good news is that a healthy lifestyle prolongs youth. Eating foods rich in antioxidants, quality sleep and moderate physical activity will help you maintain your beauty for a long time.
Prevention or treatment?
It is believed that the skin begins to age as early as the age of 28. In practice, everything is individual: some discover signs of age earlier and others later, depending on genetic characteristics, state of health, lifestyle and the influence of external factors. In any case, you do not need to postpone taking care of yourself until the moment when the reflection in the mirror stops pleasing you. Prevention is always more effective and affordable than treatment, so you should take care in advance to prolong your youth. The older you get, the stronger the means you will have to use, but to prevent aging it is enough to take good care of your skin and protect it from negative effects.
When choosing cosmetics, you should focus not on the brand, but on the recommendations of a cosmetologist given after a personal examination. All people are different, the aging process also happens differently, and an individual approach is required to correct it. The doctor will determine the appropriate means that correspond not to calendar, but to biological age.
The main features of antiaging care
- Gentle effect. It's time to ditch the harsh scrubs and harsh products that dry out your skin. Mature skin is sensitive and does not recover well after traumatic procedures. It needs delicate, gentle care.
- Mandatory skin protection. The sun is the skin's No. 1 enemy. It is no coincidence that there is a special term "photoaging" to refer to the changes that occur in the skin under the influence of ultraviolet rays. With age, it becomes increasingly difficult for the skin to resist their effects. Creams with SPF will help her with this. It is also necessary to protect the skin from the effects of free radicals.
- Intense hydration. The direct cause of the change in tone and the appearance of wrinkles is the lack of moisture. Antiaging care is based on deep hydration.
- Stimulation of collagen production. In adulthood, collagen, which is responsible for the elasticity of the skin, is synthesized more slowly and destroyed more quickly than in youth. This means that additional stimulation of the formation of its own protein compounds that are necessary to increase skin scanning is necessary.
- Not just cream. A thin layer of moisturizer may not be enough. Anti-aging care also includes intensive skin nourishment, use of exfoliants, masks and serums. The need for professional procedures is also increasing every year.
- Regularity. Young skin will forgive its owner for minor sins, such as cosmetics left unwashed at night or irregular care. Adult women need to take care of their face, neck and décolleté constantly, day after day, year after year. Only in this case you can count on a remarkable result.
Doctor Comment:
You don't need to overcomplicate the skin care process in your thoughts, start small, with the right care at home! If you have skin conditions, then you must consult a dermatologist! Since even high-quality home care will not be able to get you out of the acute process. First, treatment in worldview care, then only everything else.
Is it possible to do without a cosmetologist?
Aesthetic medicine and cosmetology have not yet made the dream of eternal youth a reality, but they have made it possible to come much closer to its realization. Injection and material cosmetology procedures allow you to rejuvenate from the inside and naturally restore the skin. However, it would be a mistake to think that it is enough to attend classes at a cosmetology clinic once a year and neglect the care of your face and body the rest of the time. Professional care must be supplemented by home care - continuous, daily. This approach allows you to achieve optimal results and delay aging by many years.
To maintain youth, cosmetic procedures are highly desirable and home anti-aging care is absolutely essential. It is best to combine both.
Antiaging care at home
And now it's time to look in detail at what antiaging skin care should include. What stages it consists of, what tools should be used and how to use them correctly.
It should be emphasized once again that the age at which you should start approaching facial care from the point of view of rejuvenation is determined individually. It is difficult to independently assess the condition of your skin and detect changes in time, so it is better to consult a cosmetologist to draw up an individual plan for maintaining youth.
Cleaning
It is necessary to constantly fight age-related changes and it is better to choose even routine personal care products with a rejuvenating effect. To avoid fading, it is recommended to use the mildest, most delicate cleansers. They should easily remove make-up residue, sebum and impurities, but not dry or injure the skin.
When choosing a cleanser, you should focus on the condition of your skin. If there is a feeling of tightness or discomfort after washing, you should look for another option with a higher content of moisturizing ingredients. The appearance of an oily sheen also, paradoxically, indicates a lack of moisture. If irritation and redness appear, you should pay attention to hypoallergenic products.
Even if your skin is prone to rashes, you should not choose aggressive drying products. It is better to prefer cosmetics with an anti-inflammatory effect.
Morning and evening cleansing are two completely different processes. In the first case, you just need to remove the skin secretions and the remains of the night cream. Foam can easily cope with this task, and in some cases it is enough to use only toner. In the evening, you should also remove any leftover sunscreen, cosmetics and air pollution. In such a situation, lotions, creams and make-up removing oils will come in handy. In addition, you should use a pore cleansing mask 1-2 times a week.
You need to clean not only your face, but also your neck and décolleté. These areas are very sensitive to aging and therefore require careful attention.
Tonic
This stage of care is underestimated by many, and completely in vain. Using a toner restores the water and acid balance, prepares the face for cream application and protects it from aggressive influences. In addition, residual impurities are removed that the cleansing lotion or foam could not deal with.
Tonic is selected according to skin type and is used after washing (or other cleansing) in the morning and evening. In both cases the same suitable agent can be used.
Hydration
Perhaps the most important thing in antiaging care is hydration. Mature skin always needs moisture and, consequently, moisturizing products and professional treatments.
The hyaluronic acid molecule is impressively large and cannot penetrate the epidermal barrier to enter the deeper layers of the skin, so injections have been and remain the most effective way to use it. However, scientists have learned to engineer the molecule so that it better penetrates the dermis. Thanks to these developments, the effectiveness of modern external products with hyaluronic acid has increased significantly.
Another well-known faucet is urea. Don't be put off by the unpleasant name: the substance effectively saturates the skin with moisture while at the same time stimulating cell renewal. Such products are suitable for dry, dehydrated, rough and rough skin. To maintain moisture levels and improve the skin, creams with a low urea content are sufficient. The more concentrated products are used to smooth rough calluses on the feet.
Glycerin is another popular ingredient. Due to its hygroscopicity, it attracts and binds water molecules such as hyaluronic acid. In terms of moisturizing properties, trihydrate alcohol (glycerin) is inferior to hyaluronic acid, but it has smaller molecules that easily penetrate the skin. This ingredient is included in most affordable anti-aging moisturizers. At the same time, concentrated glycerin can have the opposite effect, drawing moisture from the skin, so most manufacturers combine trihydric alcohol with other skin moisturizers.
Doctor Comment:
I would like to emphasize that we choose products with urea in cases of hyperkeratosis, for example, with rough skin, with psoriasis, with ichthyosis. Urea helps exfoliate and other ingredients in the products moisturize and nourish.
Nutrition
Unlike other organs, the skin can receive nutrition not only in the traditional way - through the blood - but also by absorbing substances applied to its surface. This is not only moisture, but also all kinds of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and lipids. They make up for nutritional deficiencies in the skin, improve the structure of the skin, saturate it with useful ingredients and strengthen the protective lipid layer.
If earlier cosmetic products were confidently divided into moisturizing and nourishing, now this line has been erased: the same cream can saturate the skin with moisture and nutrients. As a rule, modern creams, serums and masks combine both types of effects.
To nourish the skin, first of all, fats and fat-soluble substances are needed. Do not underestimate their importance in maintaining youth. With age, the skin needs lipids more and more. Even those girls who complained of excessive sebum secretion in their youth note that their skin becomes drier with age. The fatty film on the surface of the skin becomes thinner and can no longer protect the skin from negative environmental influences.
Lack of lipids leads to:
- Increased sensitivity.
- Slowing down the exfoliation of dead cells.
- Reduced humidity levels.
- Premature wilting.
It is believed that the skin absorbs nutrients better at night, so it is recommended to apply nourishing products in the evening, at night.
Doctor Comment:
Our skin is covered with a hydrolipidic mantle, this is a very important structure that ensures the normal functioning of our skin! If its integrity is violated, the skin becomes fragile, dry, dehydrated, does not resist aggressive environmental factors and the balance of the skin's microflora is disturbed. We become defenseless and lose resistance to various skin diseases.
PROTECTION
The skin protects the internal organs from negative environmental influences. It comes into contact with polluted air, ultraviolet radiation, aggressive substances, low or high temperatures. This effect does not go unnoticed: the condition of the skin worsens. To avoid premature aging, you should take care to protect your skin throughout your life.
First of all, it is necessary to protect the skin from exposure to sunlight. And you should do this every time you go out during the day, not just when you're getting ready for the beach. The cream is spread for 20-30 minutes until it comes out in a generous layer and if necessary it needs to be renewed. In addition, it is necessary to choose such products according to your phototype: the whiter the skin, the higher the protection factor should be. If you do not follow these rules, using sunscreen lotion will not bring the expected benefits.
Sunscreen cosmetics protect the skin not only from burns, but also from aging. Long wave radiation (UVA) penetrates the deep layers of the skin and destroys the cells. Such rays damage the skin even in cloudy weather, so it is recommended to use products with SPF all year round.
Daily use of protective creams will protect the skin from photoaging - pigmentation, sagging, wrinkles, dehydration. But you have to choose the media carefully. The best choice would be medicated cosmetics.
High quality day creams usually contain sunscreen ingredients. If you must combine moisturizers with Sunscreen, then apply a moisturizer to the face and neck first, and after it is fully absorbed, a protector.
UV radiation is not the only factor that causes skin aging. To prolong youth, it is also necessary to protect the skin from the effects of free radicals - molecules that destroy cells and destroy collagen. For this purpose, antioxidants are used to neutralize the effects of "aggressors".
May be:
- Vitamins A, C, P and E;
- Alpha Lipoic Acid?
- Amino acids?
- Coenzyme Q10;
- Isoflavones?
- Tannins?
- Beta glucan.
These ingredients can be contained in the cream in various combinations. Antioxidants are a recognized means of preventing aging, so it is recommended to start using creams containing such ingredients even before the first signs of age-related changes appear.
Doctor Comment:
It is important to know that various antioxidants work only in specific combinations and their absorption is strictly according to the body's needs. Cosmoceutical products are already presented in the right combinations. It is important to determine your skin type and needs; a dermatologist or cosmetologist can help you with this.
Special care
In addition to normal skin care, "special purpose" procedures are also required. This category includes both antiaging courses in cosmetology clinics and the use of masks and peeling at home.
Mature skin needs to exfoliate dead cells much more than youthful skin, as natural renewal processes slow down with age. Therefore, peelings, which girls use only occasionally in their youth, become a necessity for adult women. Mild exfoliants should be used 2-3 times a week.
It is important to use products designed for mature skin. They should be soft, without scratches or irritating ingredients.
When we talk about skin care, it's impossible not to mention masks. They usually contain the same ingredients as creams, but in higher concentrations, so masks are intended for intensive care. They can be used regularly, gradually improving the condition of the skin, or as a special care if you need to put your face in order before an event.
Masks can be produced in the form of a cream, gel, powder for self-dilution and a finished piece of cloth impregnated with therapeutic compounds. The latter variety is most often used for urgent skin renewal.
The purpose of masks can also be different. For mature skin, nourishing, hydrating, toning, firming and brightening products are best suited. Choosing a specific mask is best done together with a cosmetologist.
Doctor Comment:
Beware of Alginate masks, they are sold for home use, there are also professional ones. They have unique properties and are ideal for every skin type. Their healing properties are explained by the fact that they are made from brown algae. They have a super intense lymphatic drainage effect and are a powerful anti-aging prevention.
From theory to practice: choosing cosmetics
A general understanding of the ingredients that are useful in rejuvenation will help you choose personal care products.
Day cream to prolong youth
The main tasks of a day cream are to moisturize and protect the skin. Hyaluronic acid and other moisturizing ingredients help achieve the first goal. Also, the day cream should improve the quality of the skin, making it more resistant to the negative effects of free radicals – aggressive molecules that cause aging. Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E are used for this.
Vitamin C is generally called the vitamin of youth and this is no accident: ascorbic acid stimulates the production of collagen by fibroblasts and destroys melanin, eliminating unnecessary pigmentation.
When choosing a cream, you should prefer the so-called cosmetics, that is, the cosmetics sold in pharmacies. These varieties differ from mass creams in their high content of active substances and. consequently, greater efficiency. And the best results can be achieved by combining the use of the cream with cosmetic procedures, for example, mesotherapy and biorejuvenation.
Antiaging night cream
Night is the best time to nourish the skin. Although modern night creams do not necessarily have a heavy, greasy texture, they always contain lipids and fat-soluble substances. These can be fatty acids, shea butter or wheat germ, cholesterol and other ingredients. It also contains moisturizing ingredients.
The task of such products is to restore the skin, as well as stimulate the production of substances necessary to improve its structure - hyaluronic acid, collagen, elastin.
When nourishing the skin, it is important not to overdo it - not to overload it with lipids. This result is possible if you choose the wrong night cream: the skin acquires an oily sheen, pores become clogged, comedones and rashes appear. Such phenomena indicate that the night cream has not been chosen correctly or is used incorrectly.
It's important to remember that thick, oily products are mainly meant for dehydrated, rough, flaky skin. In other cases, it is better to choose lighter colors that melt. In addition, the cream should match your skin type and age: for anti-aging care, it is better to use cosmetics labeled anti-age.
As for usage, the main mistake here is over-application. The night cream should be applied in a thin layer to slightly damp skin after applying the toner. After 15 minutes, you can clean the excess that is not absorbed into the skin with a paper towel.
Do not forget that products should be applied not only to the face, but also to the neck and décolleté!
Doctor's Comment: Modern high-quality creams bought at the pharmacy eliminate the need to use a toner. It is important to choose your night cream and apply it half an hour before bed. Gently, avoiding eye contact. Light stroking movements.
Serums, peels and masks: the secret weapon in the fight for youth
When choosing "special purpose" products, you should pay attention to the following parameters:
- Active substances in the composition.
- Their concentration?
- Possible allergens and irritants.
As when choosing creams, it is good to prefer serums and masks with antioxidants, moisturizers and nutrients. But the presence of SPF is no longer necessary - the day cream will take care of the sun protection.
Antiaging serums may contain retinol, vitamin C, ceramides, peptides, collagen, and acids. Masks often also contain a variety of oils that soften the top layer of the skin. Modern effective peelings rarely do without the addition of acids.
In addition to masks and peelings, it is worth getting anti-aging serums. These are very concentrated products and literally a few drops are enough for a transformation. As a rule, serums are non-greasy, absorb immediately and significantly rejuvenate the skin. It's no surprise: after all, they contain shock doses of vitamins, amino acids, trace elements, peptides and other substances that hydrate, nourish, brighten and tone the skin.
When choosing such products, you should focus not so much on your skin type, but on the problems that need to be solved. Is there pigmentation? Serums that even out skin tone will come to the rescue. Is the oval of the face "swimming"? This means that you should choose the option with a lifting effect. Increased skin dryness? The problem will be solved faster if, in addition to the regular cream, you use a serum with hyaluronic acid.
Individual approach
Choosing antiaging cosmetics yourself is not as easy as it might seem. The ideal option is to entrust this choice to a cosmetologist. An experienced doctor will easily identify the "weak spots" that need maximum attention and help you choose the appropriate treatments.
It is much more difficult to detect signs of aging on our own: we get used to our own appearance and cannot track changes over time. The result is an incorrect choice of antiaging products and, consequently, ineffective prevention and treatment of skin aging. Therefore, it is better to spend an hour consult a doctor to immediately choose the products that your skin needs.
And, of course, the best addition to the usual care at home will be professional cosmetic procedures in the clinic. We'll see you next time.