Skin ageing: How can I improve my skin?
Skin ageing: How can I improve my skin?
Skin ageing is a natural part of the human ageing process. As much as we would all love to have eternally youthful skin throughout our lives, biology has other ideas.
That being said, there are things we can do to slow down skin ageing and protect ourselves from unhealthy skin changes.
If you’ve been asking “How can I improve my skin?”, especially in terms of skin that’s showing the passage of time, this blog is for you.
What are the signs of skin ageing?
When we talk about the signs of skin ageing, we mean common changes such as:
Fine lines and wrinkles – these often show first around dynamic areas of your face such as the eyes and mouth, simply because the skin in these areas moves so much (a bit like creasing a piece of paper in the same place time and again)
Sagging – you may notice looser skin along your jawline, under your eyes or on the backs of your arms
Thinner, crepe-like look and texture
Age spots – pigment cells in your skin called melanocytes tend to increase in number and cluster together forming spots of hyperpigmentation sometimes referred to as liver spots; they’re often found on the face and backs of the hands, i.e. areas of skin frequently exposed to the sun
Dryness
Broken blood vessels
What causes some of the changes associated with skin ageing?
Skin ageing is caused by a combination of internal (intrinsic) and external (extrinsic) factors.
Intrinsic ageing of the skin is a natural bodily process influenced primarily by our age, hormones and genetics - in other words, internal factors over which we have very little control.
Extrinsic ageing, on the other hand, is caused by factors such as our diet, lifestyle, exercise, environment (e.g. sun or wind damage and pollution) and the kinds of products we use on our skin, as well as our skin care regime.
It’s helpful to understand a bit more about these factors to identify how you can improve your own skin health.
Let’s look at intrinsic ageing first.
Lower levels of collagen
Somewhere between the ages of 20 and 25, collagen production in the skin starts to slow down by a rate of one to two per cent each year.
Collagen accounts for almost one-third of all proteins in the human body. It’s found in our skin, bones, muscles and connective tissues and acts like a type of scaffolding, linking cells together and giving all of these important structures strength and elasticity.
As the amount of collagen in our body decreases with age, the skin loses some of the smoothness, strength and firmness associated with youth.
Although both men and women lose collagen as they grow older, women often notice a more dramatic change to their skin in the first five years after menopause. This is because hormonal changes cause a 30% drop in collagen in the skin. The rate of collagen loss then slows back down to around the same rate experienced by men.
Depleting levels of elastin
The skin ageing process is also caused by gradually depleting amounts of elastin, another key protein in the human body that gives resilience and elasticity to tissues and organs.
In fact, elastin is roughly 1,000 times more flexible than collagen.
As elastin levels fall, our skin is less able to bounce back into shape, resulting in sagging and fine lines and wrinkles.
Other skin changes caused by ageing
Other skin changes happen as we get older too.
For example, the amount of hyaluronic acid in the skin decreases over time.
Hyaluronic acid is a clear substance naturally produced by the body to retain water and keep your skin, eyes and connective tissues well lubricated and moist.
This substance is vulnerable to UV rays, smoking and pollution, so it can be depleted by external and internal factors.
Hyaluronic acid helps the skin to stay firm, smooth and well-hydrated. As we lose hyaluronic acid with age, it can leave our skin looking dull, wrinkled and lacking in volume.
The function of the sweat and oil glands in your skin will also slow down due to intrinsic ageing. This makes the skin more prone to dryness, roughness and itching/inflammation.
All of the above factors result in the skin becoming thinner and more fragile with age, as well as the formation of lines and wrinkles.
External ageing factors and what to do about them
As we’ve seen in our recent articles about skin health and how to keep your skin healthy and glowing, skin ageing can be accelerated by external factors.
Sun damage, a poor diet, lack of exercise, pollution and using the wrong products can all damage and prematurely age your skin.
Even though you can’t do a lot to control internal skin ageing factors, you can take steps to protect your skin against external factors.
Here are some steps to slow down skin ageing and prevent unhealthy skin changes:
✔ Wear sunscreen everyday
✔ Drink plenty of water
✔ Have a good skincare routine
✔ Eat your way to fabulous skin
✔ Improve your sleep
✔ Exercise
✔ Reduce your stress
✔ Stop smoking
✔ Avoid hot showers and baths
✔ Nurture your skin with targeted treatments (more about this in a moment!)
Unhealthy skin changes
Whatever your age, it’s important to be vigilant about your skin health. You know what’s normal for your body so if you notice any changes, do make an appointment with your GP for a check-up.
In terms of unhealthy skin changes, older skin can be more vulnerable to skin cancers such as basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma or melanoma.
These cancers are most commonly caused by exposure to UV rays and the resulting sun damage. This is why one of the wearing sunscreen can be one of the most proactive ways to look after your skin and prevent problems in the future.
It’s helpful to be aware of skin conditions such as actinic/solar keratoses and Bowen’s Disease, which can be early signs of pre-cancerous changes.
Skin treatments that can prevent or improve sign ageing
As well as looking after your skin at home with a good skincare regime, healthy diet, exercise, wearing sunscreen and drinking plenty of water, there are various treatment options that can help to minimise the signs of skin ageing and protect your skin from premature ageing.
These include:
Skinade Collagen Drinks, which aim to boost your body’s collagen and hyaluronic acid production to improve your skin’s firmness and hydration from the inside out
Radara patches can be worn at home for just five minutes a day for four weeks – they create thousands of micro-channels in the skin around your outer eyes to stimulate your body’s natural healing processes, including fresh collagen production; a great way to improve dynamic fine lines and wrinkles around the delicate eye area
Nu Skin ageLOC Galvanic Spa and Lumispa stimulate cell production and nourish your skin – combine an in-clinic treatment with products you can use at home
Zo® Skin Health’s Red Carpet Peel gives your skin five-star treatment, replenishing, rehydrating and stabilising within the skin’s layers to combat the signs of ageing
Medical skin needling stimulates your skin’s natural healing response to trigger fresh collagen and elastin production – your skin should look and feel firmer and smoother for up to 12 months
Dermaplaning is an enhanced exfoliation technique that removes the dull, dead cells from the surface of your skin and encourages new cell growth
Dermal fillers use a synthetic gel that closely resembles naturally-produced hyaluronic acid to replace lost volume to targeted areas of your face – this can help to smooth out lines and wrinkles, add volume to your lips and restore that youthful plumpness to your skin
Wrinkle relaxing injections work by temporarily blocking the signals that tell certain facial muscles to contract – this can smooth away your existing expressive lines and wrinkles and slow down the appearance of new ones
Profhilo’s unique formulation stimulates the production of elastin and collagen, while helping your skin to look and feel softer and more hydrated
Your skin is unique
No two people age in exactly the same way. Genes, hormones, age, where and how we live all have their part to play in skin ageing.
The best we can do is nurture our skin throughout our lives, adapting to its ever-changing needs. For most people, the best way to do this is with a combination of at-home care and support from a skincare specialist.
Don’t be afraid to seek professional advice if you feel your skin needs some extra TLC or even if you love how it looks and feels and want to maintain that.
Book a consultation to talk about your skin health at Medikaur.