Anti- Aging 101 – Your Guide through the Inevitable Process of Aging
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In Singapore, we have the pleasure of living and experiencing a plethora of unique cultures and practices. However, a common point exists amongst them – the desire to be forever young. Join us as we breakdown the science behind aging, the importance of anti-aging and how to start your path down graceful aging.
The Science of Aging:
Aging is a slow process that occurs from the day you were born. However, the negative effects of aging (like wrinkles, pigmentation, thinner skin etc) often appear when a person is in their late 20s. So, what’s causing it?
Internal Causes:
1. Poorer Blood Circulation
Your skin’s blood circulation is vital as it delivers the nutrients and oxygen to your skin’s surface. As you age, naturally, your skin’s blood circulation gets poorer, causing the skin surface to turn dull.
2. Genetics
Genetics play a large part in determining the aging process we go through. Fair skin is prone to wrinkles at an earlier stage while darker skin tends to experience them at a later stage. Dryness induced by aging can also be determined by genetics.
External Causes:
1. Sun Exposure
Aging caused by excessive sun exposure is also known as Photoaging. The sun’s UV rays are comprised of 2 types – UVA & UVB. Simply put, UVA can penetrate deeper into the skin and causes damage to the collagen and elastin of your skin. Collagen is responsible for giving your skin a youthful, plump look while elastin gives your skin its elasticity. UVB on the other hand, affects the surface layer of the skin, often resulting in tans & burns.
Too much sun exposure over time can lead to spider veins, pigmentation, uneven skin tone and wrinkles. So, it is highly recommended to use SPF moisturisers to prevent too much sun exposure.
2. Pollutants
Pollutants, especially in the cities, exposes the skin to free radicals. Free radicals are unstable atoms that cause oxidative stress to the body. Think of your skin as a freshly cut slice of apple. After some time, you would notice that the apple starts to brown and breakdown from oxidative stress. The same happens to your skin. Free radicals break down the cells over time and result in a loss of skin elasticity and wrinkles.
3. Lifestyle Habits
Habits like smoking can contribute to greater oxidative stress while too many late nights contribute to dark eye circles, imbalances in your skin pH and slow down your skin’s ability to heal & recover. Lastly, your nutrition greatly determines your body’s ability to neutralise free radicals. Plus, a poor diet consisting of too many sweets and fried foods can result in greater breakouts – trust us, it’s not worth it, despite how good they taste!
4. Improper Care
Much like any living thing, it will wither when poorly cared for. Improper skincare routines and habits – like over stripping the skin of moisture with oil blotters or skipping on SPF – can cause your skin to be more prone to oxidative damage, inflammation and pre-mature aging. These problems occur because improper care often results in an unbalanced skin pH and as a result, a weaker natural barrier against environmental aggressors.
Anti- Aging – Why is it Important?
Your skin often experiences & shows signs of aging in your mid to late 20s. However, for signs of aging to be visible indicate that the effects of aging have already started taking a toll on you. Furthermore, anti-aging is not all about looking 10 years younger than you are – but rather focusing on strengthening and protecting your skin from internal & external stressors. By focusing on strengthening your skin, you work on minimalizing inflammation, sensitivity, oiliness/dryness and slower signs of aging.
All this sounds wonderful to have, but how and where do you start?
Anti-Aging – When & How to Start?
It is always ideal to start the basic practices young. These practices include understanding your skin, double cleansing as part of your nightly routines and applying SPF (even if you’re staying home)! However, we know that if you’re reading this article, you have probably started to see signs of aging appear on your skin and are in search of more potent methods of anti-aging.
These potent methods often come in the form of treatments like Botox, Fillers, Ablative & Non-Ablative treatments.
P.S. Ablative means that the treatment would remove the first few layers of your skin.
What to look for in Anti-Aging Treatments:
There is a never-ending pile of anti-aging treaments in Singapore offered in the market of skincare. However, it is important that you do your research to find a reliable spa/clinic that offers treatments that:
- Deal with the root causes of aging – such as building up the skin’s collagen & elastin and boosting its natural ability to counter oxidative stress
- Suits your budget – anti-aging treatments are an investment that require consistency for effects to be substantial.
- Fits your time frame – is it vital to look 10 years younger by the end of one session?
- Is meant for your skin type – some laser treatments are not suitable for people with darker skin tones (particularly those with skin tones at level 5 & 6 of the Fitzpatrick Skin Phototype Scale
Unsure of what treatment to go for? Here are some of our top anti-aging treatments you can check out:
Proionic: Using a uniquely patented long wave radio frequency, experience the instant and long-term anti-aging effects of cellular ionic exchange.
Illuminate: A relaxing treatment that combines Oxygen Therapy, Diamond Microdermabrasion and Vino Therapy for the ultimate age-reversing treatment.
What to do in preparation for Anti-Aging Treatments:
Anti-aging treatments are known to be very stimulating in order to stimulate the collagen & elastin that reside deep within the skin. Unfortunately, this stimulation can result in breakouts, inflammation and sensitivity if your skin’s pH is not balanced. This is often the reason that causes many to suffer from breakouts after anti-aging treatments.
Thus, it is imperative that you work on balancing your skin pH first before continuing with anti-aging treatments. If you’re unsure on your skin’s pH and how to balance it, why not let our Skin Educators figure it out for you?
What to do post Anti-Aging Treatment:
Congratulations! You started down your path to healthier, youthful skin. While getting started is important, ensuring consistency is equally vital. Thus, it is important to have a treatment plan to guide you through to younger skin. A treatment plan should consist of the various treatments suited to you as well as the durations between treatments. In addition to this, after-care is extremely vital to ensure the longevity of the treatment’s result. While after-care tips do vary from treatment to treatment, here are some general tips that should be adhered to:
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate – while your skin is working hard to minimise signs of aging, you need to work hard to supply it with the nutrients, anti-oxidants and hydration it needs to operate! Might we suggest our HA+ Hydrating Serum?
- SPF is your new BFF – remember that the sun is one of the main causes of aging, so protecting yourself from its UV rays is always a safe bet. Plus, some anti-aging treatments tend to make your skin more sensitive to the sun, so it’s always a good idea to make SPF a staple in your daily routine. Try out the Flawless Skin Perfecting Moisturiser – flawless skin that’s protected from the sun in one swipe!
- Pace yourself – as we mentioned prior, anti-aging treatments can be very stimulating to the skin. While this is not inherently a bad thing, it is important to note not to over-stimulate the skin with overly frequent treatments as it can result in more sensitive skin.
We hoped this guide helped to break down aging – its causes and solutions – as well as share some hacks on anti-aging treatments!