Alright, this one everybody asks about, but are afraid of the answers because ultimately, you can't stop aging, BUT you can slow it down. I will tell you how you can do this, but first you should know what is aging exactly, why it happens (not just because we get old!) and what happens! Then how to slow the process. Keep in mind that the body(and skin) have two kinds of aging processes, extrinsic and intrinsic.
This post will outline mostly extrinsic, which is aging due to external factors like pollution, sun damage, climatic damage, dehydration, lack of good nutrition. Intrinsic aging is anything on the inside or systemic, the process that is hereditary, so if your mother or grandmother don't smoke, tan or drink alcohol, are very athletic and drink lots of water and eat all the veggies, proteins, and fruits, and takes care of their skin, but they still have deep wrinkles and lack of elasticity, there may not be anything you can do that is have extreme effects, but don't give up!
So first, what is aging? Aging is the process that our body goes through, not just our skin, and it affects every single fiber of our beings. Everything in our body is made of cells. Cells make tissues, tissues make organs, organs make systems and the systems make our bodies. So, aging directly affects all our cells.
There are different types of cells; there are brain cells, skin cells, nerve cells, blood cells, white blood cells(deals with lymph, and yet another blog post ;)),Macrophages and Microphages, and Lymphocytes (also deals with lymph). Today we're talking about skin cells.
Your skin has three layers: epidermis(top), dermis(middle), and the subcutaneous (also known as the hypodermis, bottom). The Epidermis then has five other layers, but the ones we care about today are the top layer(stratum corneum) and the bottom layer(stratum germinativum, or basal layer).
Let's start with the dermis, because any damage that occurs on the skin goes deeper into the second layer, not just the first layer, and if any damage is caused in this layer it is basically irreversible. The dermis contains fibroblast cells that produce collagen and elastin which is the main hype for products in the anti-aging section, however it is not the same, it is a synthetic collagen. When the skin ages, the collagen and elastin fibers in the dermis start to break down and cause the skin to sink, this is what shows those deep wrinkles. When elastin breaks, it snaps. its like a tree, the branch is the elastin, the big vibrant leaves are the collagen, the elastin supports the collagen and when that branch snaps, the leaves fall to and then there's a gap in the foliage of the tree. Same with skin!
How do we prevent this? First things first, stop smoking. Its no secret that smoking is one of the biggest factors in our extrinsic aging process(aging due to external factors), but no one really knows why. One cigarette can deteriorate a persons total vitamin c for the day! So if you take your vitamins and you take vitamin C, one cigarette will counteract that immediately. You would have to take a vitamin C tablet after every cigarette which is not a good idea either! So quit the habit and take your vitamin C.
Vitamin C directly affects the production of collagen and elastin in your skin, and helps to maintain it. Without vitamin C, your skin will age much faster! Many skin creams will contain and topical vitamin C, by all means go ahead and try it, but its best to take a supplement or if you can, eat fruits and vegetables that are high in vitamin C.
Next, dehydration. This will cause aging skin because if the skin isn't hydrate from the inside, it will look it on the outside! What happens is the skin begins to get hard on the surface, thin and flaccid within the dermis, and will begin to show flakiness and any fine lines. The skin may even crack due to severe dryness. If you are prone to dry skin, it is best to have a heavier moisturizer that is of oil base and to drink the recommended daily amount of water. If you have oilier skin, good for you because oily skin doesn't show signs of aging until much later in life, however you will not be immune to dehydration. Dry skin means lack of oil, so oily skin isn't dry, but a good rule of thumb is everyone has lack of water(dehydration) so drink those 8-9 glasses of water a day!
One of the last thing that shows as skin ages is dark spots, or age spots. These are spots that appear due to overproduction of melanin from the basal layer. Melanin is produced often when the skin is damaged. This can be from a sunburn, a cut that scared over, a scar that got burned, a pimple that was picked and turned into a dark scar, etc. So basically, don't pick that pimple or scar and make sure to be completely safe when in the sun!
If dark spots appear, the best way to get rid of them is an exfoliation. Spots from scars and post acne scars can usually be exfoliated by a mechanical scrub, but ages spots usually require a deeper exfoliation with a chemical, like glycolic acid, salicylic acid, malic acid or lactic acid. Kojic acid is in most anti-aging and anti-spot treatments because it effectively lightens and exfoliates. Vitamin C also helps to brighten the skin tone, so it is quite common to see those two ingredients in one product.
Everything above is not all the reason why our skin ages, they are just the biggest effects of the extrinsic aging! To recap, loss of collagen and elastin cannot be reversed, but taking vitamin C or using hydrating products with vitamin C will slow the process and create a radiant and youthful appearance. Dehydration happens to every single being! So keep hydrated from within as well as on the surface! Protect yourself from the sun! Use SPF of at least 15 or 30 if staying out longer. If spots occur due to sun damage or aging, use a chemical exfoliant like glycolic acid(from sugarcane, it is safe) or malic acid(also safe, it's from apples). If using these exfoliants, you must wear at least SPF 30 on your face if going outside! They will make the skin photosensitive and burn easily, then reverse all that you're trying to do! My favorite products that contain these exfoliants are NeoStrata.
For more information about sunscreen please check out the part 1 and 2 I wrote on SPF, ingredients, and what to look for.
I'd like to thank a friend of mine for requesting this topic!
Presley Charlotte :)
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