Ageing

All skin goes through a natural ageing process through the decades.  Some of the changes are inevitable; others, happily, are perfectly preventable.

In your teens, your skin should generally look bright and clear.  But already UV light is being indelibly etched onto your epidermis blueprint.  This is when hormones will most likely be playing a part in oiliness causing dead skin cells to adhere to it and hair pores to get blocked up.

In your 20’s spots should have started to subside, shouldn’t have any visible lines but maybe able to see where they will form when you smile into a mirror.  Your skin maybe slightly less even and marginally thicker as dead skin cells aren’t being shed quite as successfully. However, it should still be plump.Turnover of new cells will have slowed from its regular 28 days. You should definitely be wearing a sunscreen to protect against UVA, UVB, Blue visible light and infrared to be in with a chance of preventing too many future lines and wrinkles.  Now is the time to be adding in some Vitamin C.

In your 30’s your complexion starts to lose some of its youthful bloom as cell turnover slows down.  AHA’s are recommended in skincare now to boost your cell turnover. The cells are suffering more mutations picked up through environmental damage, although signs of this damage may not be visible yet. If you haven’t worn them yet, then starting to use high SPF day creams now will not only keep any further deterioration at bay, but can actually give your skin a chance to so some repair work.  Now you should be using Vitamin C and Retinol to help keep the skin bright and more efficient.

 In your 40’s Sebum production is markedly reduced.  Your skin is becoming thicker as more skin cells linger long after their useful life.  Darker patches of skin appear where abnormal melanin clumps form, but these can be lightened with topical preparations.  Expression lines may now be permanently etched onto your face.  Now can be a good time to introduce Botox injections.  AHA’s will help as will Retinol and Vitamin C. Now is the time to make sure your skincare is at its best, plenty of treatments available to slow down the process.  Radio frequency facials, mesotherapy, AHA Peels etc.

In your 50’s This is the decade during which, if you haven’t been using regular sunscreens, earlier sun damage really becomes apparent.  This is the decade where new generation of cosmeceuticals can deliver impressive results.  The effects of the menopause become apparent: decreased oestrogen slows the production of sebum further contributing to skin dryness.   

In your 60’s, 70’s and beyond

The hormonal fluctuations which dogged your menopausal years are over and your skin enters a welcome period of relative stability.  If you have regularly shielded your skin from UV rays, you will be enjoying a complexion that is smoother, brighter and less mottled than your sun seeking friends.  If not, you are suffering from wrinkles, dark marks and red veins. There are many treatments that can help with these such as Cryopen for dark patches, Thread vein removal and laser for red veins, and radio frequency, peels, and facials for line reducing and smoothing.

It is not just the sun that ages the skin.  Anything that disrupts your skin’s-optimum daily routine, pollutes it, or generates excessive free radical activity will also speed up its rate of decline;

  1. Toxins – cigarette smoke, pollution, inflammation
  2. The effects of food & drink – Alcohol, diet

 The following vitamins and minerals are good for the skin

  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin E
  • Thiamine
  • Zinc
  • Selenium
  • Calcium

Treatments recommended for this skin type