The Secret to Youthful Skin
So many of us are in pursuit of the best ingredients to keep our skin young and healthy, that it’s easy to get caught up in the latest trends of products and new fad magical ingredients. And while science and technology are important with innovation in skincare, the cosmeceutical industry as a whole, is primarily interested in making money and the lack of regulation allows these companies to make any claims and promises of reversing the clock that they want. So lets not forget, the tested, tried and true that have proven effective through the test of time.
Number one on the list, was, is and ever shall be retinoic acid, (vitamin A1 derivative). With more than 20 years of research behind it, we know for a fact that this molecule enters our cell’s nucleus and turns on our DNA to initiate the synthesis of collagen and elastin. The long term effects of using retinoic acid, (tretinoin) include thickening our skin, making it more supple, bouncy and youthful. It diminishes wrinkles, controls oil production and helps prevent new wrinkle formation. Retinoic acid also helps with pigmentation issues, acne, keeping pores nice, clear and small. If you choose to obtain your vitamin A from dietary sources only, the results will not be as impactful, however rich sources of vitamin A are found in alpha, beta and gamma carotene; with the highest concentrations in foods such as animal liver, fish and dairy products.
The second essential skin care product is a broad spectrum non-nano mineral sunscreen. Not just any sunscreen, but one that protects you maximally from UVA rays which accelerate aging, (UVA ratings are labelled in plus signs from + to ++++) . Sunscreens that contain antioxidants help fight free radicals which are in the city air around us. Broad spectrum sunscreens also offer protection from infrared light and blue light, (emitted from the sun, screens, phones and tv’s).
If you do nothing other than the above two steps, you will see an improvement in your skin. Be patient though, the benefits of using retinoic acid become more and more pronounced over time. You may notice wrinkles disappearing over a few years. The skin begins to behave in a more youthful way.
Other tried and true ingredients that improve the quality of the skin are the alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs). The AHAs are fruit acids, (some examples include lemons, grapefruit, papaya, pineapple, yoghurt & tomato) so you can use DIY methods to make masks or scrubs at home. These acids help break up the glue or cement that holds the outermost dead skin cell layer together, thereby exposing fresh new skin. As we age, we accumulate thicker layers of dead skin cells that sit on the surface because the sloughing process slows down. This causes a dull appearance to the skin. By using AHAs, we speed up the sloughing process, causing our skin to behave as it did when we were younger. Beta hydroxy acids (BHA) are acids that help break up fatty substances like the oil/sebum in the pores thereby breaking up blackheads. This is a great additional ingredient for anyone who suffers from congestion.
If you make DIY AHAs, I’d love to hear about it!
Next time I’ll talk more about retinoic acid and the significance of the concentration and amount used.
xo