Skin By Number
Your skin is a dynamic organ that changes over the years due to genetics and environmental challenges that it faces.
I am not just talking about little lines and wrinkles. I am talking about deeper changes that occur, affecting the way your skin functions. Let’s look at the changes that occur and some simple skincare tips that can help boost your skin health.
The 20’s
When you are in your 20s, your skin is functioning optimally and the surface layers of the skin are completely being renewed every 30 days. Preventive measures like using daily sunscreen is super important in helping to reduce sun damage that you will notice in later life. The sun is responsible for eighty percent of ageing. Sun rays can not only burn your skin, but UVA is responsible for breaking down collagen and inducing pigmentary changes. Daily use of sunscreen can significantly reduce this deterioration. A final tip during your 20s is to add some anti-oxidant serums into your regime. Antioxidants help to “mop up” environmental pollution and other triggers of long-term damage.
Eventful 30’s
For the first time, the skin cycle starts to slow down and collagen levels start to decline. I know what you are thinking. How can that happen in the 30s? I am not old enough for anything to slow down yet. Well medical studies show that from the age of 30, we lose 1% of our collagen a year. To help regulate the skin cycle, introducing a retinol into our skincare regime is truly a game changer. Retinol is a form of Vitamin A that helps to improve cellular communication and also improve skin cell turnover. Retinol is used at night time, and has years of published research to validate it’s strong role in the age management of skin. A Vitamin C serum is perfect as a morning ‘wake-me-up’ call out to your skin, being the backbone of collagen. During your 30s, some professional treatments like a simple microdermabrasion can also help to improve the skin surface too.
Fantastic 40s
Our skin has a slick surface, called the Lipid Layer. Lipids are central to keeping up hydration levels within the skin. However in our 40s, the lipid layer does not function optimally and most people notice their skin feels drier and can be a little more sensitive than it used to be. To counteract this change, adding Vitamin B to your skincare regime can make a substantial difference to the hydration levels you will feel. This should also be sealed in with a richer moisturizer than you used in your 20s and 30s, so that the lipid layer is optimized and enhanced. To truly enrich your skin, some collagen inducing treatments are perfect at this time. A treatment like micro-needling can help to release growth factors that push collagen back into production.
Fab 50s
The most significant changes you will see are dryness and loss of elasticity in your 50s. Through menopause, our collagen levels decline due to the lack of estrogen. This means that lines and wrinkles become more permanent and jowls are more noticeable too. However, this is not the time to give up on your skincare regime. Stick with your Vitamin C and Retinol products, but also ensure that you are using an eye serum to deliver micronutrients to this oil-free zone. There are some great products that contain copper peptides, which is the key mineral in an enzyme that weaves together collagen and elastin. Clinical studies have found that copper peptides also remove damaged collagen and elastin from the skin and scar tissue. More intense professional treatments that incorporate energy are generally better in this decade. For example, radiofrequency combines with microneedling produces a vastly higher quality and quantity of collagen than microneedling alone.
Silver Yogis – 60 and Beyond
The skin changes that occur in the 50s are more intense and noticeable in the later years. Regular skincare should definitely include the A, B and C Vitamins, but using the best quality moisturiser you can find is ultra important. Without sealing in the skins moisture, hydration is lost and without hydration the skin cells cannot communicate well.
Skin is the largest organ you have, and is also the one most exposed to damage. Your local dermal therapist is the best skincare professional to discuss your particular needs with, as there are lots of great options out there. Skin is certainly not a one-size-fits-all, so making great choices is paramount for that healthy glow.
