When it comes to skin health and beauty, time is off the essence – literally! Moisturising every day and not forgetting the sunblock year-round are all things we need to prioritise from youth. Why? Because when we start hitting our mid 20’s and early 30s our bone loss begins to creep in and those facial muscles start having less bone to relax onto – hence those fine lines and wrinkles working their way to the top. The need for swift skin action has delivered us a new term in recent years – prejuvenation. The key word here being ‘prevent’. In contrast, rejuvenation focuses on caring for aging skin, sun damage, fine lines and wrinkles, prejuvenation’s job is to target these same skincare concerns before they arise. In a nutshell, think preventive treatments for those sun spots, wrinkles and sagging bits before they well and truly sink in.
So, what are some of the most effective ‘prejuvenation’ treatments we can bring onboard?
Boost . . .
Think collagen boosting retinoids. Because collagen is the major protein backbone of our skin, providing it with structure and helping to plump and smooth out wrinkles, retinoids – namely Vita-A based skin care products, are the most effective of the topical agents available for stimulating collagen. They also give the skin a boost by altering the way it grows and diminishing photodamage. The earlier they are used, the better is the skin protected and the more damage is prevented.
Relax . . .
Botox helps to relax the muscles that form the horizontal and vertical lines of the forehead, crows’ feet and fine lines around the eyebrows. Botox is a neuromodulator, which not only helps to diminish fine lines, but open up the eyes and shape the eyebrows. Early use of Botox is effective for treating current wrinkles, helps to prevent the progression of deeper, fixed and lines the older we get.
Block it out . . .
Regardless of age using a broad-spectrum sunscreen is a must year-round for life! SPF helps prevent wrinkles, discoloration, dark spots, and skin cancer.
SPF is simply the measure of how much UVB light a sunscreen can keep out. i.e. SPF 15 blocks out about 93% of UVB rays, SPF 30 approx. 97% and so on. Most dermatologists recommend a 30 or higher.
What does broad-spectrum mean? Quite simply it means it’ll protect your skin against both UVA and UVB rays. The ones that age you are UVA, the UVB causes the sunburn. If you’re overexposed to both, you put yourself at greater skin cancer risk.
How often should you ACTUALLY reapply sunscreen? General rule of thumb many dermatologists recommend is every two hours – especially when you’re out all day in the sun i.e. the beach. Why every two hours? Because the SPF starts to lose its effect after two hours – so you run the risk of UVB exposure. Don’t be fooled into thinking that a higher SPF of 50 will protect you for longer. An SPF 50 applied at 10am may only be working at SPF 10 come midday.
