Expert Advice | How To Stay Young Forever

Ask any woman of a certain age and she will tell you that looking younger is at the top of her wish list. We thought we would simplify things for you with our top tips for an anti-aging skin routine. At The Skin Investment Clinic, lots of our customers wonder what the secret is to keeping your appearance youthful for a long time. Sadly, we don’t know how to stop the rapidly ticking clock, but we do know how you can fool the cameras and mirrors into thinking that you are forever in your prime years.

Tip 1. Moisture, Moisture, Moisture – with age comes less sebum. While this means less chance of acne, it also means your skin will dry out more easily. One of the big reasons for fine lines is inadequate skin hydration – but, luckily, that’s easy to fix with a good moisturizer. Each time you wash your face, you remove some of its natural moisture. Look for a moisturizer that contains water-binding ingredients like glycerine and hyaluronic acid. When you get out of the shower in the morning and after you wash your face at night, use a coin-sized amount of moisturiser and massage it into your face, neck and chest. This will help your skin look smooth and soft, which can help minimise the appearance of wrinkles. Remember if your lotion does not contain SPF, you need to follow it up with sunscreen on that day. Also, stay hydrated and drink plenty of water. Remember you also get some water from vegetables and fruit, so include those in every meal!

Tip 2. Get Diligent about SPF – The biggest no-brainer is starting to use SPF as soon as possible. You have to wear sunscreen, not just on the beach, but everyday all year round - and we’re talking of at least SPF30. Sun protection is one sure-fire way to keep your skin looking as young as possible. The sun is responsible for so many of your skin’s visible signs of aging – so much so that sun damage gets its own special category in dermatology– photo-aging. The sun’s UV rays can cause aging by:

- breaking down collagen and causing abnormalities in elastin, leading to thinner skin and wrinkles

- causing uneven pigmented patches to develop.

A daily application of a broad spectrum SPF30 sunscreen can fade age spots, improve skin texture and flatten out wrinkles by 20% in only 3 months! Researchers believe that sunscreen lets the skin take a break from being continually battered by UV Rays, so its powerful regenerative abilities have a chance to work.

Tip 3 - No Tanning – it’s bad news, whether you lie out in the sun or go to a tanning bed. Not only does tanning overexpose you to radiation, which can cause cancer and also accelerate the aging process. Instead use a self-tanner or bronzer for a risk-free glow!

Tip 4 - choose food wisely – your diet has a really powerful impact on your skin: choose foods like olive oil, fish like salmon, walnuts and almonds. These are high in omega-3 healthy fats, which can help minimise damage and keep your skin looking healthy. Basically, the cleaner your diet, the more nutrients your skin has for this process, and the better your it looks and feels overtime.

Tip 5 if you smoke, quit – you can look forward to better looking skin if you kick the habit. People who smoke get wrinkles sooner than those who don’t - repetitive facial movements like sucking a cigarette makes your mouth pucker and thus, causes wrinkles.

Tip 6 - Wash with a gentle cleanser – cleansing is important for removing any skin care product or makeup applied during the day, as well as natural skin oils, pollutants, and bacteria that’s been accumulated. It also means you create a blank canvas for your skin care products to enter your skin and work more effectively. We recommend you use a gentle cleanser to preserve your skin barrier and keep it resistant to dehydration and damage. Cleansers with high PH, like natural soaps, can leave your skin vulnerable to irritation.

Tip 7 – Treat your eyes – the area around your eyes is the first place to show visible signs of ageing- fine lines and wrinkles. The skin tends to be thinner here and more sensitive than other areas on your face. Gently pat a pea-size amount of cream on the under eye area with your ring finger, which applies the least pressure. Start below the inner corners of eyes and move out towards your temples. Pick a formula  that attacks your trouble spots.

Tip 8- use a physical or chemical exfoliant – as you age, your skin slows down replenishing itself. Dead skin cells aren’t replaced by fresh cells as quickly, which means that your skin starts to look dull and uneven, and may even crack. Exfoliants are a great way to help get dead cells off your skin. The best thing you can do is exfoliate at least 3 times a week – to stimulate the skin in order for it to repair itself. It’s just like you exercise to get the muscles burning in order to promote cardiovascular muscular growth. Make sure you scrub before you go to sleep, so your skin has time to recover overnight.

There are two main categories of exfoliants: physical and chemical. It’s best to avoid harsh physical exfoliants such as sugar scrubs because it makes your skin so susceptible to sagging. Chemical exfoliants gradually dissolve the bonds between skin cells and allow them to detach. They suit skin of all ages! The best exfoliants for maturing ones, though, are alpha-hydroxyl acid like glycolic acid and lactic acid.

Tip 9- Anti- Oxidants  – In general, serums contain a higher concentration of active ingredients than a moisturizer. The best anti-aging ingredients to look out for are vitamin A derivatives known as retinoid. Retinoid comes in two forms:

1) Retinol – you can buy products containing retinol without a prescription

2) Tretinoin or Adapalene – that you need a prescription for.

Both prompt your skin to make collagen, which gives your skin structure and elasticity. They also exfoliate skin, removing dead and surface cells to soften lines. Use them at night and remember to be patient as it can take months to see an improvement.

Vitamin C is also a massively important antioxidant! As well as increasing collagen in your skin, it also helps soak up the biological and environmental oxidative stress that builds up and causes aging.

Tip 10- Protect your skin from trauma – one of the key reasons wrinkles happen is due to damage to your skin, and since older skin is more fragile, trauma can have a larger effect. So it makes sense to err on the side of caution and avoid strong rubbing and tugging motions as you wash your face and apply your skin care products.