A recent article on nola.com interestingly pointed out some great tips on how to improve your skins appearance and deter aging through easy steps. Although fillers and the like tend to be the first call at the appearance of a wrinkle for those with superfluous funds, many others would prefer a more natural solution to anti aging than injections in the face.
It is true that everyone has a different tolerance level for the onset of aging. But most of us, at some point, will glance into the bathroom mirror and think, “Is there something more I should be doing to slow down the inevitable?
Dr. Kathy Fields, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California at San Francisco reassures us that “It’s not vain to want to look your best, whatever that means to you,”
Fields and her partner, Dr. Katie Rodan, an adjunct clinical associate professor of dermatology at Stanford University School of Medicine, are the authors of “Write Your Skin A Prescription for Change,” this latest blockbuster is an Amazon best-seller that cleverly blends medical advice, anatomy lessons and beauty tips and into a fashion mag style must have text.
They are not 20 something preaching to those of us who are tackling these issues either, they are in fact 55 and 52 respectively and look a decade younger than they are, they swear to never having had plastic surgery.
“Eighty percent of how we age has nothing to do with genetics,” Rodan said.
“That’s the good news,” Fields continued. “The bad news is that it’s our habits, the things we do and don’t do, that can make a difference.”
Over breakfast (egg-white omelets, with spinach, no cheese) they shared the following advice for improving your skin’s appearance at any age, including tips that even those who swear off everything but the most basic soap-and-water regimen might be willing to try.
1. Sleep on your back“Want one of the best beauty secrets that’s completely free? Sleep on your back,” Fields said.
“We can look at our patients and determine exactly how they sleep,” Rodan said. If you sleep on your side or on your stomach, your body weight and gravity can etch lines into your face. “A line between your nose and your mouth will become deeper over time, or you can develop a crease that doesn’t naturally exist,” she said. “When you’re young, your skin bounces back and those creases go away during the day. But when you start to age, you start to see them deepening and lasting.
The bottom layer of skin consists of fat cells and deeper hair follicles, Fields said. This is actually fat you want. It gives skin that full, cushiony softness we love — think pinchable baby cheeks. “As we get older,” she said, “we tend to lose that natural fat pad and collagen support. The skin no longer bounces back.”
For many of us, falling asleep is hard enough without messing with our preferred positions. So how do you change your habit? Fields recommends trying a contoured pillow. “It’s not good for snoring, but it’s good for the face.”
2. Exfoliate daily
“Exfoliation is something to live by, for all ages. You should do it once a day,” Fields said. “It promotes cell turnover; it encourages the natural sloughing off of the dead skin; it helps to unclog pores; it helps to get makeup out of pores; and it helps to make skin more light reflective. These are all very good things.”
It also helps the skin to soak up more of the active ingredients in your anti-aging creams, Rodan said.
The key is to be gentle. “We like round beads. We don’t like almond pits because they can scratch the skin. You don’t want anything jaggedy. If your skin is sensitive, you’ll want to make sure you use tiny little grains and very gentle pressure. Back off if you see irritation.” We love La Claree Oliv Face scrub treatment
Rodan also recommends using a roller fitted with tiny acupuncture needles — they sell one in their Rodan + Fields line — to break through the outer layer of the skin and allow the deeper penetration of anti-aging treatments. “With any topical treatment, some of the beneficial ingredients may get in but some don’t. With the roller, it breaks through the outer layer of skin, essentially opening the door for the uptake of these anti-aging ingredients,”
3. Even out your skin tone
that seems dull might be hiding a secret. Skin “As you get older, when you look at your face, you might see a little dark spot here and there on the surface,” Fields said. What you may not see with the naked eye is that, under the skin, is hidden spots.
That pigmentation can be “sun induced and hormone induced. And it makes your skin look dull and old,” Fields said.
“Think about a clear lake and a muddy lake,” Rodan said. “The muddy lake has a lot of sediment in the water, so the sunlight is scattered, not reflected, making it look murky. In the clear lake, light is reflected, making it look translucent.”
So what can you do about hidden pigmentation? It’s a four-step process: exfoliate, lighten, brighten and then protect from the sun.
“After you exfoliate, use hydroquinone (a lightener, this isn't very natural by the way and from my research can be quite dangerous, so in my books you may want to skip this step and go straight onto the vita min C serum). I don't think its safe but they say it is "and comes as an over-the-counter medication and as a prescription (2 percent concentration is over the counter, 4 percent is prescription strength),”
They recommend following the hydroquinone with brighteners, products that contain such things as vitamin C, plant extracts such as bearberry or licorice, or retinol or kojic acid. Use both treatments all over the face, not just on visible spots. We love John masters Vitamin C serum or John Masters Bearberry range
Rodan stresses that it’s easiest to find a treatment program that contains all of these steps. The goal is to even the skin tone.
“It’s the even tone that makes you look younger,” Rodan said. “Someone younger who has clear skin with just a little pigmentation may do this for a month or two. Someone in their 60s who has really accumulated a lot of this coloration under the surface may do it for six months, or until they see a brightening of the skin over all.”
But the last step is the most important: sun protection. “If do all this but don’t wear sunscreen,” Fields warned, “then you’re wasting your time.”
4. Avoid the sun
It's important to wear sunscreen — even indoors.
“UVA rays are around all day long, sun up to sundown, and they come right through windows,” Rodan said. “We see patients who commute on the freeway and their left side is more damaged than their right, because they’re getting too much sun through the car windows.”
The key is to ensure you’re wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen that protects against both UVA, the rays that cause wrinkles, sagging, dark spots and skin cancer, as well as UVB, the rays that cause burns.
Rodan advises patients to flip their sunscreen bottles over and scan the labels for zinc oxide, avobenzone or mexoryl as active ingredients. We love John Masters organic sunscreen with zinc oxideAlso, you should reapply during the day, which can be impractical for women wearing makeup. “A great way to touch up over makeup is to use one of the minerals powders. Many have zinc in them.” We love Inika.
5. Leave those pimples alone
Leave spots on your face alone. “You’re not going to make it go away any faster, and you’re going to injure the skin,” Rodan said.
“It’s genetics; it’s hormones; it’s stress, unfortunately,” Rodan said.
If you’re a woman prone to a break out every month, then start marking your acne treatments on your calendar.
“Treat with your medications a week before your period, and it probably won’t happen,” she said. “You don’t want to wait until you see that first pimple to start. You want to prevent it.”
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