Aging Gracefully. What does that really mean? Some people think it means doing nothing at all to one’s self and just letting nature take its course. Others feel it’s just about doing the minimum to ease the process of aging.
Today we received a call from a woman saying she wanted to “age gracefully and we needed to help her!”
So it was clear which definition made sense to her.
Let’s just say you are starting to notice some crepiness in your skin starting around your mouth and in the hollows of your cheeks. Maybe you see it under your eyes as well and a voice in your head says “what the heck is so graceful about this?!”
If you feel more comfortable dying your hair to cover the grey, you are probably considering a little help with this whole wrinkling thing. So, let’s look at the least you can do and still get results.
Step one: Let’s start with the skin –get out of the sun and stay out! If you can’t… wear sunblock.
No matter how much sun damage you may have acquired over the years, it is never too late to start reversing it. It is key that you start wearing and reapplying a minimum of 30 + SPF UVA and UVB sunblock every day, all year round. (I know it’s a pain but you have to trust me on this one.)
Step Two: We need to add at least 2 products with important anti-aging, active ingredients.
The first is a stable Vitamin C for the daytime. We like SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic, ZO’s 10% Vitamin C Self-Activating or Vivier’s CE Peptides . What Vitamin C does for your skin:
- Protect skin cells and skin’s support structure from UV-related damage
- Improves the appearance of sun-damaged skin
- Strengthens skin’s barrier response
- Reduces inflammation
- Promotes collagen production
- Enhances the effectiveness of peels and microdermabrasion
- Lessens hyperpigmentation (at levels of 5% or greater)
- Boosts the efficacy of sunscreen actives
The second is a retinol based cream. We carry Retinoids from SkinCeuticals,SkinMedica and ZO Skin Health.
Remember to start with a low dose Retinol at .25% and gradually work your way up to a 1.0%. If the irritation is too much to handle, use 2-3 times per week until your skin gets used to it.
Retinol based creams will plump wrinkles and kick-start the release of collagen, which adds youthful volume to your face. Then it safeguards skin from collagenase, an enzyme triggered by sunlight that breaks down collagen.
Step Three: Pick a cleanser you like and a moisturizer you love, if you can get one that contains peptides, even better.
These are basics…there is more but we’d need to see your skin in person to pinpoint more of what would work for your specific needs.
Next time we’ll look at the importance of exfoliation and skin treatments.
