Aging Skin, The Process + Prevention

Aging Skin Is A Choice

Have you ever wondered what happens with the skin to make it look dull, saggy, discolored, and wrinkled with aging? Aging is inevitable but having aged skin these days is a choice.  Here’s what causes aging and ways to prevent and reverse it.

Skin Aging Process

Let’s start by understanding what is happening with aging.  Children have perfect skin and here is why. In children, the epidermis is thinner. The cells are also well organized and producing natural moisturizers since cell turnover (natural exfoliation) is functioning at an optimum level. Children also enjoy a nice plump and thick dermis and hypodermis, giving them smooth, firm and supple skin. As we age, this all changes. The epidermis becomes thicker and drier with decreased cell turnover, and our dermis and hypodermis become thinner and less supported with loss of collagen, elastin and fat. 

In addition: 

• The dermis becomes structurally disorganized due to less collagen and elastin production. Think of it like a worn-out elastic waistband. And thus, the skin becomes more fragile and saggy. 
• Less blood flow to the epidermis, and decreased cell turnover due to less cytokine activity weakens our immune system’s ability to fight against invaders. 
• There is less oil and sweat production, which leads to the “drying” of skin.
• Sun lovers beware! Excessive exposure of face and neck to the sun creates a chronic deep redness and broken capillaries.
• Increased risk of easy bruising due to fragility of blood vessels because of collagen loss.
• An increase in melanocyte activity leads to more hyperpigmentation or brown spots, also known as “age spots” and “liver spots.” This is all due to accumulated, consistent sun damage. 
• A decrease in subcutaneous and deeper fat pads in the face cause sinking and sagging of the skin. 

How Do We Treat These Issues?  

Firstly, great skincare should be all about restoring skin function to as close as possible to what it was in childhood. Quality skincare products that support the skin should be a part of your twice daily skincare regime. Use ingredients like niacinamide Vitamin B3, retinaldehyde Vitamin A and lactic acid or glycolic acid AHAs, to help restore the skin’s natural exfoliation process and natural moisture production. Our Vital A Serum contains Vitamins A and B3 while our Rejuvenating swipes give you the added benefit of AHAs. Boost your natural collagen and elastin production with ingredients like retinaldehyde Vitamin A in Mikel Kristi's Vital A Rejuvenating Serum, peptides and growth factors in our Bio Peptide Revitalizing Serum and Lotion and Vitamin C in our C Radiance Moisturizer and Vital C Repair Serum. Protect your skin from discolorations from UV exposure with an SPF with zinc oxide and the skin brightening ingredients in our Vital C serum.  With these simple steps, your luminous skin that was waiting just beneath the surface will reveal itself again. 

Additional Treatments

Secondly, consider having deeper treatments done to reverse deeper damage.  If your skin has a lot of redness from chronic sun, then you will need a light or laser treatment to reverse these changes.  There are no topical products to erase redness of this extent. Consider a BBL photofacial or a Halo Laser treatment for great results. The same for deeper wrinkles, consider a resurfacing treatment like Halo Laser or Neogen Plasma Resurfacing to smooth the deep lines and rapidly restore the collagen and elastin.  

Beneath The Surface

Lastly, understand that many changes that you see on the face are not from changes in the skin, but beneath the skin.  For example, you can’t fix dark circles under the eyes with topical creams or lasers because the issue is fat pad loss under the skin which creates a shadow under the eye.  The volume loss will need to be corrected and lifted with dermal fillers to give a refreshed look.  

A great skincare routine is always the basis of skin anti-aging.  Go to MikelKristi.com today to get started on your anti-aging journey. 

Here's To Your Best Skin Ever,

 THIS WEEK'S VIDEO: AGING SKIN