You’re ready to start your journey to better skin! That’s awesome.
But then you start searching the internet for information on ageing skin. Suddenly you’re overwhelmed by active ingredients you’ve never heard of and percentages that don’t make sense.
Fading your fine lines and wrinkles seems about as likely as wishing on a star.
The fact is you shouldn’t have to do the hard work.
That’s why we’ve packaged up all the essentials for youthful skin into one handy resource. (Make sure to bookmark this page to refer to later!)
You’re about to get a masterclass on all things skin ageing. Discover ingredients, skincare products, and treatments that can help restore a youthful glow.
Skin School Fundamentals
Forget all the boring diagrams and scientific jargon. Here’s what you need to understand about your skin.
Your skin is made up of 3 layers—the epidermis on top, dermis in the middle, and hypodermis underneath.
We don’t have to dive in too deep. But it’s worth knowing that the top layer, the epidermis, contains the cells that produce pigment. They’re called the melanocytes and give skin its colour. Epidermal cells rise to the surface of your skin over the course of their life before dying off and shedding.
The dermis is home to:
Elastin, elastic fibres responsible for suppleness, and
Collagen, dense fibres that give skin its strength.
The hypodermis is a fatty layer with connective tissue.
Now that you’re all caught up on your skin basics, let’s turn our attention to why it changes as we age.
What is Skin Ageing?
Fun fact: anti-ageing is so much more than smoothing lines and wrinkles. Factors that age skin are broken into 2 different yet related categories.
Intrinsic skin ageing
This is a reaction to the body’s natural ageing process. You’ll see the signs of this kind of ageing all over your body, even in areas that remain protected under clothes. You can expect to see these signs showing around 50-60 years of age, with menopause speeding up the process for women.
Intrinsic ageing skin symptoms include:
Thinning or crepey looking skin
Broken blood vessels
Fine wrinkles due to gravity on the thinning skin
Sagging skin due the reduced elastin and collagen
Pigmentation called “age spots” or “liver spots”, although these tend not to be as bad if you’ve been sun safe
Dry skin due to less sweat and oil glands
Skin may feel rough or itchy
Dull skin caused by a build-up of dead skin cells (good-bye youthful glow)
Extrinsic skin ageing
Things you come into contact with, like UV rays, smoking, and pollutants, cause the skin to look older than it is.
Extrinsic ageing skin symptoms include:
Exposed areas like your face, neck and arms looking older than the rest of your body
Roughness
Deep wrinkling, especially on the forehead and around the eyes
Unevenly hyperpigmented skin
Greater likelihood of skin cancers
Remember to have your skin regularly checked. If you notice any changes in your skin, consult your doctor. Left untreated, skin cancer can kill you.
Risk factors for extrinsic ageing
Fair skin (Fitzpatrick I-II)
Living in the tropics
Living at high altitudes
Working outdoors
Smoking
Using sunbeds
Genetic predisposition
Photoaging skin
By far, sun exposure has the biggest extrinsic impact on skin ageing. Photoaging is the technical name for damage caused by UV rays.
Remember the different layers of skin? UV rays react differently in each.
UVB rays are shorter and impact the top layer of skin. They cause the skin to thin and can lead to skin cancer.
The longer UVA rays damage collagen and elastin in the dermis. Blood vessels present at this layer may also be harmed. They can also lead to skin cancer.
You may not see the damage immediately, but it’s there. And over time, this causes (at best) a range of visible and familiar symptoms like dryness, freckles, and wrinkling. You could also develop some lesser-known symptoms such as scaly skin (actinic keratosis), yellowed, thickened skin (elastosis), enlarged blood vessels (venous lake) – can someone pass us the COVER RECOVER™?
Smoking Skin
Environmental pollutants, most commonly tobacco smoking, also cause the skin to prematurely age. Smoking can cause something called free radicals. These unstable molecules ravage your skin, damaging other cells and causing (amongst other things) premature ageing.
There’s also a link between smoking and photoaging, which means that smoking increases the damaging effect of the sun. So, if you’re both a sun lover and smoker, you can expect this to show on your skin.
Anti-ageing foods
We’ve all heard the expression, “we are what we eat”. This holds true for our skin as well. Nutrition can help or detract from your anti-ageing efforts.
Some foods linked to anti-ageing:
Antioxidant-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, herbs, and teas.
Vitamin C has been linked to decreased wrinkles, dryness, and atrophy.
Some foods linked to ageing:
Higher fat and carb intake is linked to an increase in wrinkles and atrophy.
How to Keep Skin Looking Younger and Glowing
Now you understand skin and the different causes and symptoms of ageing skin. Now for the fun bit. How do you keep or get back a youthful glow?
There’s plenty you can do.
Lifestyle tips for better skin
First up, have a look at your lifestyle and see if improvements can be made. That could be:
Using a fake tan rather than sunbathing
Quitting smoking and avoiding other pollutants as much as possible
Drinking more water and fewer fluids that dehydrate you, like alcohol
Making sure to eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies
Avoid irritation
Irritating your skin can accelerate visible signs of ageing. Because the oil in your skin decreases as you age, you may find your skin is more sensitive and prone to irritation.
Here’s what we suggest:
Cleanse without scrubbing
Wash your face, especially after swimming in chlorine, sweating or wearing a hat or helmet
Don’t use skincare that stings or burns. Look for pH-balanced skincare that is neither acidic or alkaline.
Exfoliate & Moisturise
You should keep exfoliating. Huh? We know. This seems counter to the point we just made about irritation.
But you can get exfoliants that are gentle on skin. Look for natural exfoliants like bamboo powder, which is rich in silica, and alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA), which dissolve the structure of dead cells without the need for friction.
Moisturising your skin makes fine lines and wrinkles harder to detect. But because your skin is less oily, you may need to switch up your moisturiser. Find a deeply hydrating solution to help minimise the lines.
Anti-Ageing Skincare Ingredients
What you put on your skin counts. There are a few core anti-ageing ingredients you should look for in your efforts to hit rewind on your skin. We’ve kept it deliberately simple to avoid the overwhelm. Get more detailed recommendations with the anti-ageing routine from Dp Dermaceuticals.
Vitamin A
The true hero anti-ageing ingredient. It comes in many forms, with some strengths only available with a prescription.
Retinaldehyde is the strongest over the counter version available. It’s tolerated much better than retinoic acid (tretinoin) or retinol, but you should still build up use gently. Start with every 3rd day and work your way up to once a day.
Now for some Retinaldehyde rules. Apply it in the evening and always use sunscreen the following day. You don’t want to undo all that hard work!
SPF
This brings us to the next critical anti-ageing ingredient. Because the sun is the biggest cause of extrinsic skin ageing, the best way to look after your skin is to prevent as much sun damage as possible.
Daily application (and re-application) of broad-spectrum SPF 30 is a minimum requirement to protect your skin against UVA and UVB rays. Find a sunscreen that contains anti-ageing actives and antioxidants blended in. It can be incredibly hard to find a sunscreen that works, rubs in, is good for the environment and doesn’t feel like a sticky mess. Read up on how to find the perfect sunscreen.
Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
What CAN’T Niacinamide do? It’s an all-rounder for younger-looking skin, with depigmenting and anti-inflammatory properties for a more even skin tone. It can boost hydration and skin elasticity, smoothing out fine lines. But to top it off, it’s even been shown to be effective in reducing acne, perfect if you’re battling adult acne and ageing at the same time.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C helps protect you from the signs of ageing in 2 ways. Firstly, remember those nasty free radicals that are busy causing problems? Well, antioxidants are the solution. They reduce the amount of oxidative stress on your skin. But Vitamin C doesn’t stop there. It’s also a brightener, hydrator and booster of collagen. What’s not to love?
Hyaluronic Acid
This naturally occurring substance is present in all 3 layers of skin. And it deteriorates as we age. Replenishing HA via a topical serum can boost hydration levels. It fills the space between cells, collagen and elastin fibres for plumper, smoother skin.
But be warned. Many face creams claim to have HA, but the molecules are too large to penetrate the skin. If it can’t be absorbed, it can’t do your skin good.
Dp Dermaceuticals features a special form of Hyaluronic Acid called the HylaFuse™ Complex. It contains 3 differently sized molecules, the smallest of which can penetrate deeper into the skin’s layers. It’s clinically proven to be absorbed 150% more effectively than other forms of Hyaluronic Acid for the ultimate moisture infusion.
As a bonus, it’s also a delivery mechanism for other anti-ageing actives. It releases them nice and deep in the skin for greater effect.
Combining Active Ingredients
You’d think you should just pile on more of the good stuff, right? Unfortunately, not.
While an ingredient like HA can be used with pretty much any active, combining other actives can cause a cumulative effect. And do more damage than good. It’s like throwing a whole cup of salt in your spaghetti bolognese rather than a sprinkle.
Following an approved routine is the easiest way to make sure your skin’s getting the optimal balance of actives. Follow a step-by-step recipe for younger-looking skin.
Anti-ageing Treatments
At DermapenWorld, we’re obsessed with offering the perfect recipe for all skin types. So much so that every single product fits within our Synergy of Solutions framework. It’s all designed to work together for the ultimate results.
When it comes to anti-ageing, this is vital.
Use these solutions individually or together. And even though time keeps marching on, no one has to know by looking at you.
Microneedling
At the heart of Dermapen Treatments™ is microneedling with a Dermapen 4™, the original and trusted microneedling pen. Microfine channels are made at controlled depths of up to 3mm. Your body responds by producing more collagen and elastin – the building blocks for younger-looking skin.
It’s not just effective for fine lines and wrinkles. Microneedling can also fade pigmentation and add a boost of vitality to thin and dull skin. Hooray!
Topical skincare
All over the Internet, people are asking what skincare they can use with microneedling. This is because channels are created in your skin, and the serums used are infused. The ingredients need to be sterile, stable, and pure. The skincare you use before and afterwards also plays a massive role in getting better results fast.
Dp Dermaceuticals is the only skincare specifically created for use with microneedling. As such, they’re considered a non-negotiable before, during, and after a procedure.
Facial peels
Peels remove or refresh the top layer of skin to reveal the younger-looking underneath layer.
Dp Dermaceuticals™ peels can be applied immediately after your Dermapen microneedling procedure for even greater results. Make sure to ask your Authorised Treatment Provider about Dp Dermaceuticals ÜBER PRO™ (fortified with retinaldehyde, copper peptides, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid) at your next appointment.
LED light therapy
Last but by no means least is LED light therapy. This non-invasive and relaxing treatment offers immediate benefits. Your skin feels plumper, hydrated and glowing after just 10 minutes.
Again, it’s an all-rounder (are you sensing a theme here?), clinically proven to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, age spots, sun damage, pigmentation and improve skin tone. As part of the Synergy of solutions, Dp Dermaceuticals LED™ can be added to your microneedling routine whether at home or at the clinic. You use it afterwards. This is because of the healing power of red (630nm) light.
You Have Everything You Need
Now that you understand how the skin ages and, more importantly, what you can do about it, you have everything you need to make changes. The earlier you take action, the sooner people can start complimenting you on your youthful glow.
First step, grab your anti-ageing starter pack and then find your nearest Authorised Treatment Provider to book an initial consultation.
If you are a professional and wish to learn how to become a DermapenWorld Authorised Treatment Provider, click here.
