Anti-Ageing Tips

If you are concerned about ageing skin and need advice on what products to use and when to start using them, here are tips on Anti-Ageing from La Roche-Posay’s Pharmacy Training Manager – Janette Ryan. 

Yes, I think you can be too young to start an anti-ageing routine.  Although everyone’s skin is different and there are many factors that contribute to how our skin’s age - the initial signs of ageing are expression lines.  These can often occur from the late 20’s or early 30’s as a result of laughing, smiling and frowning.  Usually between the ages of 20 and 25, cell renewal drops by up to 28% and your cells divide slower so that “glow” associated with youthful skin diminishes and reoccurs more slowly - but that doesn’t mean you need to start using an anti-ageing product.  There are many products available on the market to restore a youthful glow and help with hydration.

 

The best time to start using anti-ageing products is when you as an individual feel that your skin looks 'aged' and you want to do something about it. It will depend on your skin type, genetics, your sun exposure, smoking history, and how well you have protected your skin from environmental assaults in the past.  Prevention is always better than cure, UVA rays are the No1 cause of preventable skin ageing, so the most important thing is to wear UV protection daily.

Anti- ageing serums are definitely beneficial in helping to prevent or prolong the onset of ageing, because serums are highly concentrated in active ingredients and  are more fluid based so that they penetrate the skin much quicker than a traditional moisturiser and deliver quicker results. When applying serums, always apply prior to your daily moisturiser and for best results, use morning and evening.

By looking after our bodies on the inside and protecting our skin on the outside, we can help to slow down skin ageing.  Diet plays a major role in preserving our skin youthful appearance, by eating the right foods rich in antioxidants they can minimize the damaged caused to our skin cells by free radicals.  Regular exercise such as cycling or brisk walking stimulates blood flow in the whole body and re-oxygenates your organs giving you a fresh and healthy complexion.  Always protect your skin from UV rays.

Yes, smoking is one of the main causes of extrinsic ageing.  Smoking causes a destruction of collagen and elastin fibers in the dermis of the skin and depletes moisture from our skin causing a dull complexion.  Smoking creates free radicals in our bodies and deprives us of Vitamin C, which is a powerful anti-ageing ingredient.  Smokers need an intake of around 66% more vitamin C than non smokers.   Look for skincare which contains antioxidants such as Vitamin C and/or E.