How to lessen the aging of your skin
Some aspects of ageing are inevitable. There's no way to stop time and its effects.
But there are plenty of skincare products claiming to slow those effects down.
There is evidence supporting some common anti-ageing ingredients.
But whether they work within particular over-the-counter concoctions is a different story.
"There's a lot of chemistry involved,.
So what do we know about the array of skincare potions on the market?
Not all wrinkles are inevitable
When we talk about anti-ageing, we're talking about combating wrinkles, and sagging, thinning and discolouration of the skin.
"As time goes by, there are things you can control and things you can't control,"
There is an aspect of skin ageing that's unavoidable, governed by your genetics.
Then there are external factors like UV exposure, smoking and diet that can influence how, and how fast, your skin ages.
"There's also some evidence that pollution can contribute to [skin ageing],
To make things more complicated, different factors interact. Your genetics can determine how susceptible you are to something like UV exposure, for example.
The same goes for wrinkles and a loss of firmness. These things happen naturally because of changes to the extracellular matrix — a network of proteins like collagen and elastin that gives the skin its structure.
Over time, the collagen and elastin within the matrix degrade. We naturally make less of these as we get older, but sun exposure makes matters worse.
The rate at which our skin cells turn over — when old cells die and new cells are born — also drops dramatically as we age.
So the goal of anti-ageing skincare is to slow down all the loss of the important stuff, while speeding up the rejuvenating process of cell turnover.
The main players in anti-ageing
Depending on your skin type, retinoids are often seen as a first-line of defence.
There are different variations, at different concentrations, but they're all natural or synthetic derivatives of vitamin A.
Retinoids have been shown to protect against collagen degradation and thicken the top layer of the skin.
They can also disperse melanin more evenly in the skin, reducing the appearance of dark spots.
But retinoids can make you more sensitive to sun damage. So, without proper protection, this could negate your anti-ageing attempts, that's why it's important to pair these products with sunscreen, and start using the retinoid at a lower concentration.
"You often have to start slowly and let your skin have that gradual exposure."
It’s often recommend pairing a retinoid with another product: hyaluronic acid.
Hyaluronic acid is already abundant in the skin, keeping it moisturised and flexible, but we produce less as we age.
Topical forms of hyaluronic acid can plump up the skin, because they contain shorter chains of molecules that are able to penetrate the top layer of skin.
The molecules not only fill space, but attract a large amount of water to keep the skin hydrated.
Much like hyaluronic acid, vitamin C is a substance our skin already draws on. It promotes wound healing and protects against oxidative stress.
In topical form, vitamin C has been shown to protect against harmful UV rays, reduce the appearance of wrinkles and dark spots, and fight acne with its anti-inflammatory properties.
However, finding a topical vitamin C formulation that maintains its efficacy is a challenge.
Vitamin C is an unstable molecule. It can quickly degrade when exposed to heat, sunlight and even oxygen.
And the most commonly used form of vitamin C, L-ascorbic acid, needs a specific pH to even be absorbed.
In Australia the over-the-counter skincare industry only has to test for safety, not efficacy.
Prevention is better than cure
Even when these products are effective, there's only so much you can do about the natural processes of ageing, but we do have control over some of the external factors that deepen wrinkles, increase dark spots and thin the skin — like UV.
"Protective measures such as using sunscreen daily, wearing sun-protective clothing and avoiding smoking make a significant difference to how our skin ages.
So when should you start using skin care products?
Dermatologists have raised concerns that some children are latching onto expensive, anti-ageing products that can do more harm than good.
While some teenagers use retinol to treat acne, using it for the sole purpose of anti-ageing at a young age is not recommended.
Generally people start incorporating anti-ageing products when the signs of ageing become visible, and this can be in your 30s.
. "Personnaly, I wouldn't bother [when you're younger] ... sunscreen is the most important thing."
I would also caution people not to assume that expensive products will be the most effective. It really is about the quality of the ingredients that matter.
Chemical peels, microdermabrasion, laser: Does our skin really need these treatments?
We know that looking after our skin is important.
But just as you begin to make sense of what active ingredients in skincare products mean, or why retinol is considered the gold standard of anti-ageing, skin treatments and therapies enter the picture.
"its technology married with cosmeceuticals," explains head therapist Jules O’Driscoll at Sole Revival Skin & Body Clinic.
"Healthy skin is the best way to combat ageing, and a combination of therapies is often best."
So, how do you decide which treatment, or therapy, to try?
First, it can be helpful to think of any treatments as complementing what you're already doing at home.
Then, consider what your specific skin concerns are, and visit a good well qualified skin therapist or in more severe cases I would absolutely consider it wise to visit a dermatologist if you have things you want to target, like hyperpigmentation.
"Because there is little to no regulation in the industry, you need to do your research … and look at the quality of the equipment and the experience of the provider," Jules says.
"You also want to think about whether you can commit to a series of treatments and maintaining those results over time."
To get you started, we're going to take a look at some of the more common skin treatments you're likely to come across.
Chemical peels
A chemical peel involves applying various strains of chemicals to the face in a higher concentration to encourage exfoliation, through a superficial, medium or deep peel.
The majority of peels are superficial peels, painted on the face like a mask to regenerate your skin before being washed off.
Chemical peels are used to treat common signs of ageing like fine lines and wrinkles, as well as pigmentation and sun damage.
"They usually consist of fruit acids, including glycolic acid, citric acid and lactic acid,"
"For acne, you might want to use salicylic acid. Clients with sensitive skin, you want to use something called mandelic acid.
"For something like fine lines and wrinkles, go with lactic acid or glycolic acid."
Superficial peels are often called lunchtime peels — they can be carried out in the lunchtime period at a salon, and have little to no downtime.
"The recovery's immediate," unlike some deep peels, which can cause redness and flaking in your skin in the days following treatment.
"[Peels done by a dermatologist] reach 10 to 20 times deeper than the superficial peels, and most of the time they have to be done under partial sedation," he says.
"[Superficial] peels are great in the sense that the vast majority [of people] don't need medium to deep, but the flip side is that because the deep and medium peels work so well, people think all chemical peels are equal."
Your therapist or dermatologist will help you decide which level of peel is best suited for your skin, and advise you of all the risks and downtimes.
And as for whether chemical peels are a good idea to administer at home, the answer is a firm no.
"There are certain treatments that are safe at home, and effective — chemical peels are not one of them,".
Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion is a skin treatment performed without the use of chemicals, but by using a diamond-tipped operator or suction device to remove the outermost layer of the skin, which is called the stratum corneum.
This process removes dead skin cells, and increases turnover of new skin cells.
"It is a good treatment to improve dull skin and pigmentation, but it needs to be repeated every three to four weeks, because this is the turnover of cells,".
Unlike a chemical peel, there is no downtime with microdermabrasion. However, the results are not long lasting.
"It's a good instant pick-up, but the longevity isn't there," .
"It's like a polishing treatment for your car – it buffs really well, but after a week, the car gets dirty. After a month, you accumulate more dead skin cells. It's a superficial improvement."
But just because the results are superficial, doesn't mean the treatment isn't worthwhile.
"When you look at treatments, it's not always the end results that count — sometimes the feel-good factor counts too,".
"Basically, it's just a really nice, relaxing, luxurious treatment, with a very good feel-good factor. Your skin feels good afterwards."
If you do want to see changes in your skin, chemical peels or superficial laser treatments are a better investment.
Laser treatments
There are many kinds of laser treatments available, designed to treat a range of skin concerns by beaming focused light onto the skin to repair and regenerate.
"They should all be viewed as tools in a toolbox to treat certain conditions,".
"A laser is best used for a particular problem.
For example, red lasers, or vascular lasers, are used to treat broken capillaries and facial redness.
"It stimulates a whole lot of growth factors, healing properties, collagen, [and] gets everything revved up."
.With so much variety, it's unsurprising laser therapies are one of the most popular treatments around.
But their success is dependent on pre-existing physical traits like hair and skin colour — for some people, laser procedures can have little impact.
So how do you decide which laser is best — if at all?
First, be clear about your skin goals, and ask lots of questions.
"My advice would be, if your skin is normal and if you're just looking for a little bit of pampering, a salon is a great place to start,"
"If you have skin concerns like acne, eczema, rosacea, hyperpigmentation, you're best placed to get advice from a health care provider or dermatologist.
"Diagnosis is really important — there are over 49 causes of pigmentation of the face, and each can have different treatments including lasers, so get the right diagnosis first."
Unfortunately the regulations around who can and cannot administer laser treatments differ from state to state, or don't exist at all.
An incorrectly performed laser session could result in blistering or burns to the skin, pigment changes and scarring, and eye protection must be worn.
The government's Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency suggests looking for any training or qualification certificates and, if applicable, licences, when choosing your provider.
"At the end of the day, it's the training of the laser operator that's most important,".
"Book by reputation — if [your skin concerns] are more complex, a dermatologist will be able to help. But if you want a quick fix, or have less complex problems, they can be sorted out by a licensed therapist."
LED light therapy
Another kind of light-based treatment is LED light therapy.
LED blue light and LED red light therapies are non-invasive treatments that try to work at a cellular level to improve certain conditions.
The clincher here is "certain conditions" — LED lights can be effective, but only when used for specific reasons, and not necessarily in the form of those masks you see celebrities sporting on social media.
"There is quite a bit of literature that reports blue LED light can reduce acne when used as an additional treatment,".
"There is definitely evidence that blue LED works as an anti-inflammatory treatment. It can be effective for wound healing.
LED light therapies are popular because they're quick and non-invasive, but there are definitely differences" between at-home and in-clinic ones, both in terms of their power and because they are best used when paired with other treatments.
"Their true potential lies with treating sun-damaged skin when used with skin medicine, or with acne treatments as an adjunct," she says.
People at risk of hyperpigmentation and people with skin of colour should "exercise caution", as LED therapies can cause hyperpigmentation in some people.
Microneedling
Just as there are different kinds of light-based treatments, there are also different kinds of microneedling treatments.
Microneedling is as it sounds: the skin is penetrated with tiny needles on a roller device, to rejuvenate the skin and stimulate collagen production — the component in our skin that keeps it looking plump.
Studies have shown that this treatment is useful for treating wrinkles, and to improve skin texture.
"It's also suited to certain kinds of acne scarring when paired with topical treatments,"
Whether your treatment is regular microneedling, radiofrequency microneedling with insulated needles, radiofrequency microneedling with non-insulated needles, or the "optional extra" vampire facial, they all have the same goal: promoting collagen.
"Multiple treatments are needed and they should be spaced over a number of months, but you don't have to have a minimum of 10 — it could be three or six or more,".
"The depth of penetration of the microneedling device, the type of needle chosen, and pre- and post-treatment care, are critical to maximising the benefits and minimising the risks of the procedure."
Following a microneedling session, your skin might be red and a little swollen.
Complications like skin infections or pigmentation have been reported, but are not very common, although it does depend on the type of microneedling you have.