Ageing - Genes or Lifestyle?
Ageing is a fact of life and every cell in our body ages and eventually dies ‘While genetic factors play some part in the overall ageing process, lifestyle has a much greater impact,’ says dermatologist Dr Nicholas Lowe. About 30 per cent of facial ageing is genetic, but a lot of the rest is repetitive sunlight, smoke and other hazardous things we expose ourselves to.
FACT - we cannot stop facial ageing,
but can we manage it more effectively?
Its boring, we know, you’ve heard it all before, but it is tried and tested by the science so follow these simple steps to help prevent premature wrinkles.
- Stop smoking
- Reduce your sun exposure and become Sunscreen Aware
- Maintain a balanced diet and eat ‘Real Food’ increase your intake of oily fish, fruit and vegetables, reduce sugar consumption, limit alcohol and cut out the processed foods.
- Increase your water intake, 6-8 glasses is the daily recommended intake
What about the creams? are we just wasting our money or can they really do anything to repair skin damage?
Well, here is list of some of the anti ageing ingredients currently in use that have some science behind them
- Vitamin A known as Retinol can help diminish the depth of wrinkles; it has a light inflammatory action which ‘puffs up’ the skin to make wrinkles look less deep. When we talk about prescription retinol products, we are referring to Retin-A see retinoids.
- Vitamin C also known as Ascorbic Acid can help to boost circulation and collagen production; this has a brightening effect on the skin.
- Vitamin D also called Calciferol and known as the ‘Sunshine Vitamin’. The body stores several forms of Vitamin D, but its Vitamin D3 that is made in the skin. Vitamin D in the UK is an area under active research and debate, and is under current review by Government authorities. Read the latest statement on Vitamin D debate courtesy of the British Association of Dermatologists ( BAD ).
- Vitamin E or Tocopherol is a fat-soluble vitamin and an important antioxidant. it is often used in skin creams and lotions because it is believed to play a role in encouraging skin healing and reducing scarring after injuries such as burns.
- Zinc is a mineral and some research suggests that zinc might be particularly effective in treating topical irritations and injuries, such as acne, skin sores and minor wounds by helping skin cells to regenerate.
- AHAs alpha-hydroxy acids are fruit acids, they can help by improving the skin’s appearance. They speed up the shedding of old, dead cells from the skin surface, giving a smoother and more polished glow.
- Retinoids Are chemicals that make the skin produce new cells more quickly, making it thicker and more compact. After a month or two of use, the skin becomes smoother and fine wrinkles are reduced. After six months the skin will be as good as it’s going to get and if you discontinue use, the skin reverts to its previous condition. They have no effect on noticeable deep lines or thread veins.
- Sunscreen - SunScreen isnt just about Sun Creams that are easily available to buy over the counter. Sunscreen is probably the single MOST IMPORTANT precaution that you can take today to protect you and your families skin and to keep it healthy. Sunscreen can be a physical barrier such as shade and clothing, and it can be a chemical barrier such as the creams, gels and lotions that we apply on to skin. By combining both the chemical and physical barriers you are being actively Sun Smart. Sun Screen can help to protect you from against the suns harmful Ultra Violet rays that burn (UVB ) and the Ultra Violet rays that age you (UVA). Ensure the sunscreen has a high SPF, we advise a SPF 30 and that it also contains high star rating for UVA filters. Read the suncream instruction labels carefully on how to apply as they can be confusing and the active ingredients have an expiry date so check these and throw away all those old bottles from last year.
