A lot of people wonder what are the true anti-aging secrets. To be honest there are multiple product lines and a ton of great ingredients. The three tried-and-true anti-aging secrets that I suggest for my clients with anti-aging concerns would be, a great vitamin C serum, a vitamin A product, and an effective broad-spectrum SPF. Now let me break it down to you why each product is so important and why you need it in your skincare regimen.
First, we will start with vitamin C. Vitamin C is found to be one of the most effective antioxidants for skin protection and repair. We are constantly exposed to different environmental factors that wreak havoc on our skin and cause free radicals. Those free radicals damage our skin cells and lead to the breakdown of collagen and elastin, they also cause an overproduction of melanin which causes hyperpigmentation. The best way to combat that from happening is by starting our skincare regimen each day by cleansing the skin and then immediately applying a vitamin C serum. This helps to prevent sun damage and environmental damage that we can be exposed to on a daily basis. A lot of my clients wonder “How do I get rid of my brown spots?” Well, the best thing is to prevent them by using vitamin C the second best thing is to repair them with a high-grade vitamin C serum used at night time when our skin is in the repair process. Another popular question is “Does it matter what kind of vitamin C I use?” The answer to that would be a big YES! There are many skincare manufacturers that perform what we call a sprinkle effect. That is when they sprinkle a very small amount of a quality ingredient simply to be able to put it on the label of the product. Unfortunately, that isn’t going to get you the results you really want. There are also several types of vitamin C and some are more effective than others. My favorite is known as THD Ascorbate. This type has been found to remain the most stable in the package and also on the skin. L-ascorbic acid is another very popular form of vitamin C. The problem with L-ascorbic acid is that it oxidizes too easily. That means that the serum that can cost upwards of $150 is going bad within two or three months of buying it. If your serum is turning brown or the aroma of it is changing then it’s time to throw it out. If your serum has oxidized and you are still using it, you can do more harm than good.
The second anti-aging miracle skincare ingredient is Vitamin A. This ingredient can be listed under several different names or forms. Some of the more popular forms are retinol, retinal, and retinoic acid, for short retin a. Retinoic Acid is the most common form of prescribed vitamin A and this is not necessarily a good thing. Retinoic acid is the active form of vitamin A and has the most side effects. I believe it is best to do less damage and get better results with a more gentle form such as Retinol. Some forms are more stable than others and that is what truly makes the difference. Vitamin A helps the skin by speeding up cell turnover. This is a naturally occurring process in the skin that tends to slow down as we age. When we are young and have healthy cell turnover we don’t get wrinkles because the damaged cells don’t stay on the surface long enough to create a wrinkled appearance. Vitamin A has also been proven to help thicken the dermis by stimulating collagen. This process makes the skin more plump and youthful in appearance. Another great benefit of Vitamin A is its ability to lessen the amount and duration of breakouts and acne lesions. So, if you are dealing with adult acne or signs of aging, using a vitamin A product will greatly benefit your skin. This is especially true for those that are 35 years of age or older.
Last but certainly not least in the list of superstar anti-aging products is sun protection! Ninety percent of aging in the skin comes from sun exposure. Sunscreens and sunblocks often come under controversy on many topics. Some people try to say that sunscreen can do more harm than good or that sunscreen is not necessary but let me tell you after 13 years of being an esthetician sunscreen is vital. I have several clients who unfortunately have suffered from skin cancer and several other clients whose sun spots, brown spots, hyperpigmentation, or whichever other name they choose to call their solar lentigines to plague them on a daily basis. So therefore to really prevent unnecessary skin aging you should wear sunscreen. In my opinion, a blend of physical and chemical sunscreens works best. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are the only true physical blocks but unless you want to look like a lifeguard from the 80’s you are going to want something a little more cosmetically elegant. This is why I recommend a blend of both so that you get protection from the physical barrier mixed with the elegance of a chemical sun block. The SPF or sun protection factor is an important determinant of how often you should reapply your sunscreen. All you have to do is add a 0 at the end and that tells you the number of minutes it will work for. For example, an SPF 15 lasts for 150 minutes or about two and a half hours. So if you are out in the sun all day it is important to reapply often. Always be mindful well of water and sweat. They can remove your sunscreen and reapply if necessary even if it hasn’t been the amount of time guaranteed by the SPF. Also, don’t be fooled by cloudy days. The sun can reflect off of those clouds and still cause damage so to be on the safe side don’t stay out long without sun protection!
So in conclusion, regardless of which skin care line you are using and how often you are getting professional skin care treatments these ingredients are vital in your daily skin care regimen.
