Fighting Time: Anti-Ageing skincare developments
A universal skin concern for women is ageing, and it's a concern from women as young as in their twenties. So the million-dollar question is, how can we fight the signs of time passing in our skin?
Ageing is a fact of life, and a privilege not afforded to everyone. But while we might be grateful to be healthy and alive, less nice are the inevitable signs of ageing on your skin, which start surprisingly early and accelerate very quickly indeed.
“By 25 years of age, our skin starts to lose 1% collagen every year,” says Clare O'Hanlon, business development manager at
Juliette Armand Ireland.
“Collagen is the protein that nets our skin together, without it, the skin loses shape and elasticity resulting in wrinkles. Expression lines are formed in your 20s and 30s, usually the forehead and around the eyes get hit first. If expression lines aren't treated with certain ingredients you can be sure they will turn into wrinkles by [your] 40s.”
Lindsey Fenwick, education manager and
Skinician skincare expert, agrees that people need to be mindful of a good skincare regime in their twenties. She says:
“I think of the 20s as the danger years! We have peak skin function so for most of us, the skin in our 20s is as good as it gets. However, this is also when most of the damage is done. In our 20s we are living life to the full, thinking that no matter what we do our skin will be fine – sadly this is not the case. Lifestyle choices like late nights, sunbeds and sun holidays, over-exposure to the sun, sleeping in makeup and unhealthy diets will all combine to cause premature ageing, dehydration, breakouts and congestion. While you might not see all these issues in the early to mid-20s, it is unlikely you will make it through to your late 20s with completely healthy skin.”
Key ingredients
When it comes to skincare for anti-ageing, there are a couple of hero ingredients to look out for. Victoria Schofield, education manager at
Dermalogica, makes the case for including acids in a good anti-ageing skincare regime. She comments:
“As our skin ages cell turnover slows down. This means dead cells could be clinging to the skins surface for months resulting in a dull, lacklustre appearance and rough texture. Hydroxy Acids super-charge skin renewal by accelerating cell turnover to reveal smooth, glowing skin. There are a wide variety of acids to choose, from Salicylic ideal for Adult Acne to Lactic Acid perfect for dry and dehydrated skins.
“For professional advice and to ensure that you make the perfect choice, visit a Dermalogica skin therapist. Trained to an expert standard, they will be able to analyse your skin and determine which exfoliant would best suit your needs. Flakiness can sometimes occur in the early days as dead cells are gently sloughed, but keep going and balance will be restored as skin will look brighter and feel smoother.”
Clare O'Hanlon has a number of key ingredients to recommend:
“My top six ingredients for not only anti-ageing but also for healthy, hydrated, glowing skin in general has to be the following. Hyaluronic Acid is a water molecule and holds up to 1,000 times its weight in water.
“Vitamin C is a powerful anti-oxidant which increases the immunity of the skin and brightens it.
“Vitamin A (also known as Retin, Retinol or Retinoid) is important because it repairs tissue damaged by the sun, thickens skin density and rejuvenates the skin. Chemical peels will do so much more than a scrub. They resurface the skin and improve the appearance of scars, wrinkles, acne and pigmentation whilst renewing the skin and accelerating skin turn over.
“Peptides are important for the skin because when they form a long chain of amino acids they become proteins. My favourite peptides are Argireline solution for expression lines and Matrixyl for wrinkles.
“SPF is the most anti-ageing ingredient used as it protects the skin from UVA and UVB damage. It also helps prevent age/sun spots from forming and from skin cancers.”
When is it too late?
So it's clear that we should be looking at ageing from the mid-20s onwards but once the wrinkles start showing, is it too late? Not with the right products and treatments.
“The skin is a record keeper and by your late 30s/early 40s the true signs of ageing can be seen,” says Lindsay Fenwick.
“I would advise building into your existing homecare routine an exfoliator containing fruit acids and enzymes, as this will melt away dry dull skin to reveal a smoother brighter more hydrated skin.
“I would also recommend a mask to be used in conjunction with the exfoliator two to three times a week – look for masks that contain antioxidant and nourishing ingredients as these will work to repair damage caused by daily exposure to pollutants. I also suggest introducing a serum under both your day and night cream. Look for serums that contain peptides that will stimulate collagen and firm skin.”
Prevention is better than cure, says Clare O'Hanlon, but it's never too late with the right ingredients and treatments:
“It is so much easier to prevent wrinkles, pigmentation and UV damage than it is to treat them, but at the same time, with cosmeceutical ingredients, it is never too late to stop the ageing process and reverse some of the damage. Over-the-counter products can only reach the epidermis, which is the top layer of the skin while cosmeceutical ingredients reach the dermis. The dermis is where the magic happens as in collagen is stimulates and skin conditions are reduced.”
The role of technology
Sarah McNulty, national educator at
Advanced Esthetics Solutions (AES), says that technology in relation to anti-ageing is not limited to fillers and Botox, commenting:
“Our Pyramid Facelift, which uses the Divine Pro platform, is suitable for everyone and is perfect for people who want to fight the signs of ageing without doing down the filler route. The treatment is great for freshening up the skin, removing any sun damage and tackling any signs of premature ageing. It's perfect for brides and people with a special event, or for people who are noticing slacking in the skin and those first signs of ageing. It works by mixing together technologies to produce real results from the very first treatment.”
The Pyramid Facial offers three anti-ageing benefits in just 30 minutes: dermal volumisation, skin tightening and resurfacing. The Divine Pro platform combines the technologies of VoluDerm, TriFractional RF and TriPollar with DMA (Dynamic Muscle Activation) and offers six benefits: dermal volumising, skin resurfacing, skin tightening, skin rejuvenation, facial contouring and positive effects on scarring.
There are several other anti-ageing technologies out there, including micro-needling, which involves puncturing the dermis with microscopic needles to trigger to body's natural response to heal itself by producing new collagen. The skin may look mildly sunburnt or flaky for 24-72 hours afterwards.
Another popular treatment with no downtime is the
CACI Synergy Facelift, which is hugely popular with celebrities before a red carpet event to plump up their skin and give that youthful glow. The CACI Synergy uses a dual action head to deliver collagen boosting red and blue LED technology, while simultaneously toning muscles of the face and neck with a patented deep microcurrent. The treatment helps to lift facial muscles, brighten and hydrate the skin, encourage cell renewal, boost skin vitality and increase levels of elastin and collagen in the skin.
Top Anti-Ageing Products
Every brand has products to fight the signs of ageing – here are just a few of the latest and our favourites on the market.
Dibi Milano Filler Code
Filler Code from
Dibi Milano is an innovative cosmetic line that improves the lines caused by facial expressions. Active ingredients TS Enzyme Protect and Peptide No5 fuse to replenish and correct each type of wrinkle, to wind back the hands of time.
The brand-new, multi-action formulations treat all types of wrinkles in a localised way, whether they are superficial, deep or stress-related. Clinical and instrumental tests reveal that the skin looks five years younger in just two weeks and wrinkles are replenished, raised and less deep – a 19% improvement.
Nimue Age Intelligent Neck & Décolleté Cream
Along with some extremely effective skincare heroes perfect for anti-ageing,
Nimue Skin Technology has identified that the neck and chest area are often the first to show signs of ageing. To help combat this, Age Intelligent Neck & Décolleté Cream provides lifting and firming benefits to one of the most stubborn areas to treat.
Formulated with a complex of OMICS-based active ingredients and a very powerful restructuring extract, the product is fed into the skin through a unique hybrid system. The result is lifted, firm, smooth and luminous skin, with a decrease in wrinkle depth and an increase in skin elasticity and firmness.
QMS Medicosmetics Classic Collagen Set
The
QMS Medicosmetics Classic Collagen Set comprises three German-engineered, high-performance formulas designed to be used morning and evening. The clinical trials showed that, when used twice daily and according to directions, the regimen increased skin's hydration by 264% after 12 weeks.
The set includes Exfoliant Fluid, a fruit acid, lactic acid and enzymatic blend that gently exfoliates dead skin cells and optimises the penetration of the accompanying collagen serums. Day Collagen Serum and Night Collagen Serum feature short-chained atelocollagen and hyaluronic acid in four different molecular sizes, to plump and hydrate skin all the way down to the basal layer.
Skinbreeze Rejuvenation Serum
Skinbreeze facial serums are professional strength skincare products available for clients to use at home. These cosmeceutical serums are light in texture and are more effective than regular skincare featuring a higher level of active ingredients to target specific skin concerns such as anti-ageing, brightening, and acne prevention. All five serums feature proven Anti-ageing Peptides and Hyaluronic acid to hydrate lackluster skin and help to keep it looking plump, toned and radiant.
We like the Rejuvenation Serum, which contains neuro peptides that inhibit neurotransmissions that cause muscle contractions – relaxing the facial muscles, which helps to reduce the appearance and formation of fine lines and wrinkles.
Skinician Advanced System
Skinician offers Advanced, Revitalising, Purifying and Body systems that can be tailored to each individual's needs at any particular time.
To help combat the signs of ageing, the Advanced System consists of problem-solving products used to drive real results. Recommended for ageing skin or any skin that can tolerate daily exfoliation, the range is ideal for anyone concerned with ageing or sensitivity.
Juliette Armand Elements
From
Juliette Armand comes the Elements line, a budget-friendly cosmeceutical skincare line that contains the six top anti-ageing ingredients in them.
The Skin Booster line also offers three anti-surgery facials: the Thavma facial is for 20s and 30s and contains the EFFECTOX technology; the Opsis facial is for eyes and uses the Eye Antitox technology; and the Chronos facial is for 40s-plus and uses a four-dimension technology (chemical peels, Hyaluronic acid; stimulating collagen and Lipolic acid).
Ericson Laboratoire GENXSKIN
GENXSKIN from
Ericson Laboratoire is a high-performance method that can protect the skin and stimulate its vital functions. Consisting of in-salon treatments and homecare products, the system's active ingredient is MATRIGENICS14 G, an active ingredient extracted from a brown macro-alga, Undaria pinnatifida.
The homecare range consists of a wide range of products include Perfect Surfacer, a resurfacing peel product to remove dead cells, and Micro-Filler, an instant anti-ageing wrinkle plumping serum.
Dermalogica Rapid Reveal Peel
New from
Dermalogica is Rapid Reveal Peel, which aims to tackle dullness, fine lines, wrinkles and discolouration caused by ageing skin.
The system kick-starts skin renewal for instant radiance, speeding removal of dull cells on the surface of your skin to reveal brighter, smoother, healthier-looking skin below. This convenient, at-home peel is the highest-strength retail exfoliant offered by Dermalogica and The International.
Phyt's Panacée
Panacée (meaning cure all) from French organic line
Phyt's is an anti-ageing cream and treatment using anti-ageing massage techniques through a vibratory machine and hand massage.
Active ingredients include Edelweiss and Rosemary, both shown in tests to be stronger anti-oxidants than Vitamin E; Acmella, Rye and Brown Seaweed, for their anti-wrinkle action and to improve skin tone; and Punarnava, to prevent pigment blotches and issues.
Matis Réponse Intensive
Matis Réponse Intensive combines an exclusive complex of active ingredients, technical formulas and scientifically proven results.
The range comprises nine products that provide comfort, density and tone, including hero products Oleascience, a sumptuous serum-oil that speeds skin repair, to further reduce deep wrinkles and restore elasticity to the skin.
