There’s no escaping aging skin. We’re at the mercy of many factors that cause the tell-tale signs of aging such as wrinkles, skin discolouration (brown spots, age spots, redness), volume loss, loose or sagging skin, dull skin and unwanted hair.

Unfortunately, many people will look at your skin as a reflection of your health and lifestyle habits. Consider your skin to be your body’s canvas and treat it as your most valuable asset. Good skin care starts with developing healthy habits that will help protect you against many of the external and internal (biological) forces that cause aging skin.

What Causes Aging Skin?

Aging skin is caused by a large spectrum of factors. One of the most obvious is genetics: if your mother looked young for her age, chances are you will too.

External forces:

1. Sunlight – The ultraviolet light emitted by the sun causes changes in skin texture, wrinkles and skin discolouration such as age spots (no one is born with freckles—they develop over time due to sun exposure).
2. Lifestyle – Poor diet, smoking, substance abuse, stress and fatigue are all known factors that contribute to prematurely aging skin.
3. Facial expressions – Repetitive facial movements that cause smile lines, frown lines and other expressions eventually become permanent lines on the face.

Internal changes:

1. Fat, muscle and bone loss – Without this structural support, loose or sagging skin develops.
2. Collagen and hyaluronic acid  – Production of these compounds decreases with age, resulting in lost volume (‘plumpness’) in our lips and face. Combined with gravity, the skin gradually descends downward, creating jowls, hooded eyelids, eye bags, etc.
3. Hormonal changes – This can result in hair growing in places it shouldn’t.
4. Dilated blood vessels – Vessels dilate and/or become weakened, and are prone to rupture, causing redness of the skin.

One of the simplest ways to illustrate the aging process is to imagine your skin as a helium balloon. Over time, the volume of gas inside the balloon decreases, causing the balloon to wrinkle and lose its firm taut shape, and its lustre.

Reverse the Effects of Aging Skin

Although we cannot stop the aging skin process, we can be preventative as well as utilize corrective measures. For prevention, the easiest step for anyone to take is to consistently use sun protection, especially on the face. For corrective measures, there are skin rejuvenation treatments such as IPL Photorejuvenation and Fraxel Laser to reduce wrinkles, skin discolouration and age spots. Other treatments such as dermal fillers and Titan skin tightening will help with volume loss and loose skin. Laser hair removal will take care of unwanted hair, and then there’s Laser Hair Restoration if you feel you’d like more hair.

To learn more about reversing the effects of aging skin, please contact us to book a consultation.