Puffy Eyes, sagging skin and a dull and tired complexion are all signs of ageing skin. As we get older our skin changes due to a variety factors both internally and externally.Skincare expert Marissa Carter believes knowledge is power when it comes to maximising our skins potentail and keeping the wrinkes at bay.
There are two types of ageing; Intrinsic ageing happens under normal circumstances and is affected by heredity, genetics and lifestyle factors. The second type of ageing causes up to 85% of skin ageing and is called extrinsic ageing. Caused by diet, smoking, sun exposure and skincare routine this type of ageing is caused by factors that we can control.
As we age there are four key changes that happen to our skin
- Increased appearance of pigmentation and brown spots
- Skin loses elasticisty and leaves skin appearing loose on the jaw line and begins to bag and sag.
- Increased wrinkling caused by the loss of collagen and or glycolisation. Caused when the fibres connecting skin tissue break down glycolisation creates wrinkles that appear as criss-crosses
- Uneven texture and skin roughness. As skin ages it loses the ability to shed dead cells which can build up in areas creating rough patches.
Beauty maven Marissa Carter says “Depending on what stage in life we are in our skin ages differently. From our mid 20’s we begin to see the signs of ageing on our face, its at this point people should take an active interest in battling the signs of ageing through their lifestyle choices and their skincare routine”.
The mid twenties is when our skin starts to show signs of ageing as the appearance of ‘expression lines’ occur around eyes, mouth and forehead. From 25 onwards skin loses collagen at a rate of 1% per year.
Gravity begins to take affect as we move into our thirties. As collagen and elastin lessen you may notice your jaw-line looking less defined or bags under the eyes. Sun damage from earlier years will start to become visible as your skins natural defences lessen and brown marks or pigmentation begin to show.
The forties see the skin losing elastin more drastically which leads to lines forming between the corners of your nose and chin. Forehead lines deepen and the wrinkles around your eyes remain visible when you’re not smiling.
In your fifties some women may begin their Menopause which decreases estrogen levels. The face, neck, chest and hands generally lose their fatty tissue or cushioning which is helpful for plumping fine lines and wrinkles. The loss of fat can make the muscle in the neck appear more prominent which created the ‘cords’ in the neck.
Looking for anti-ageing products in a pharmacy can become a bit of a nightmare in itslef as you stare at shelves and ailses full of products claiming to take years off your face. Skin expert Marissa Carter has outlined 5 key ingredients to look for when choosing anti-ageing products.
1. Vitamin A ( also known as Retinyl Palmitate or Retinyl Acetate) . Vitamin A helps to grown healthy skin cells leaving skin smoother and softer. It reduces the effects of sun damage, lessening pigmentation or brown marks and increasing the production of collagen and elastin which plumps and reduces fine lines and wrinkles.
2. Vitamin C (also know as Ascorbyl Palmitate or Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate). Crucial for the production of collagen and elastin in your skin vitamin C also plays a key role in reversing damage caused by free radicals from sugar, smoking, UV rays and the environment. Vitamin C also has a lightening and brightening effect on skin.
3. Beta Glucan or Peptides. These are useful anti-ageing skincare ingredients because they increase your skins immunity and ability to regenerate and repair damage.
4. Anti-oxidants such as CoQ10, Lipoic Acid and Vitamin E:Anti-oxidants are crucial for treating ageing skin because they help strengthen skin cells and help reverse damage.
5. Anti-glycation agents: examples include L-carnosine and Aminoquanidine. From 40 onwards as cross-line wrinkles begin to form these ingredients are important in preventing them from forming by stopping the breakdown of collagen and elastin.
Effective anti-ageing products will stengthen your skins defences, reverse damage caused by extrinsic factors and stimulate the growth of new and helathy skin cells. While anti-ageing products will help in protecting against ageing and banishing the results of ageing skin the single most effective protection agaianst skin ageing is sunscreen. Up to 90% of extrinsic damage on skin occurs due to the sun. Sun damage can cause wrinkling, sagging, discolouration, thin skin and broken veins, in order to protect from this, wearing factor 15 suncreen daily and factor 30 when spending time in direct sunlight is essential.
While ageing is a thing of fact and there’s nothing we can do to stop it a healthy lifestyle coupled with a skincare routine using products containing the ingredients outlined and wearing sunscreen daily will enusre you age gracefully and saggy dull and tired skin is far from your face. If your skin is in need of an extra helping hand in the battle against ageing the Carter Beauty anti-ageing facial designed to tackle the signs of ageing is a perfect treat for your skin.
Carter Beauty Anti-ageing Facial €85.00
Carter Beauty is based at 40 Main Street, Blackrock, Co. Dublin. wwwcarterbeauty.ieTel: 01-2103624.