The ageing of the skin is ultimately inevitable, but it can happen at different speeds, depending on genetic inheritance, sun exposure, chronic stress, lifestyle and diet.
As we have said before, the ageing of the skin is ultimately inevitable, but it can happen at different speeds, depending on each person's genetic inheritance, on how much sun and pollution they are exposed to, on chronic stress, and on lifestyle and diet.
Make sure your diet is a healthy one. Everyone knows the rules of an ideal diet, but not as many follow them. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit, drink eight glasses of water a day — slogans we read in every magazine. They are not idle words. They help enormously in keeping the tone and firmness of the skin. A diet rich in natural antioxidants (red fruit and vegetables, citrus) and in ferments (cheeses, grape must, champagne) may be one of the secrets of radiant skin. These are simple solutions, within anyone's reach, and they can greatly delay the moment when we have to turn to expensive and time-consuming methods to regain our looks.
Creams and other cosmetics are basic tools in our skincare armoury too. The cosmetics market is quite simply choked with thousands of brands and products, each more attractive than the last, in elegant, refined packaging that looks good on the bathroom shelf. And since advertising is the soul of commerce, everywhere we look — on television, on the internet, in magazines and newspapers, on the shelves of luxury shops — there are products promising radiant skin, with no wrinkles, no patches, no dark circles. But which are for me? you may wonder. What suits me? If it is the most expensive, is it also the best?
And what if I spend the money and it does nothing, or worse — irritates me? Will these fine lines under my eyes really disappear? Hmmm…
How many times have these thoughts gone through your mind, standing in a shop and looking at the hundreds of creams lined up on the shelf. The solution is simple. Some of you may be disappointed by the answer.
Rather than trying hundreds of products with no visible result, it is better to ask a dermatologist, who will tell you which skincare products you need, according to the photo- and chrono-ageing of your skin. They will also tell you that topical products (creams, lotions, serums) do not penetrate deeper than the epidermis, and that the skin needs special exfoliating treatments to help the active ingredients get through.
At a certain age, when we look in the mirror, we do see obvious signs of ageing. The skin is dehydrated, it loses its elasticity, the sun leaves patches on it, its tone drops and it hangs at the bony angles (the chin, the jaw); the face loses its volumes and its triangular shape and becomes rectangular; bags form under the eyes; wrinkles appear. This is the moment when we can turn to the various anti-ageing procedures.
The most accessible are treatments with botulinum toxin and fillers. Botulinum toxin (Botox, Dysport, Vistabel) treats expression lines. The usual injection areas are the glabellar region (between the eyebrows), the forehead, the periorbital area (“crow's feet”), the perioral area (around the mouth) and the corners of the mouth (marionette lines). Resting wrinkles (the nasolabial folds, deep forehead lines and the lines around the mouth), the outline and volume of the lips, and the large facial volumes (cheekbones, hollows of the chin) are treated by injecting fillers. The word filler comes from the English “to fill”. There are many filling substances on the aesthetic market. They may be hyaluronic acid, collagen, calcium hydroxyapatite or even your own fat (autologous fat transfer). These substances remain in the tissue for a limited time, which is why they are called temporary or semi-permanent. There are also permanent fillers, which do not break down and last a lifetime.
Next in patients' order of preference come the laser rejuvenation procedures.
The newest concept in laser photorejuvenation is the “3D” or “3T” one. This concept promotes the idea of stimulating and rejuvenating the skin at every level, from the deep to the superficial, achieving a harmonious, even and lasting result. The deep layers are treated by so-called “tightening”, a procedure that consists of heating the dermis to a particular temperature at which the collagen fibres contract and shorten, with a lifting effect on the skin. The middle and superficial layers are treated with the laser in order to obtain a biostimulation effect, to improve texture and to soften superficial scars.
Finally, for the superficial layer, treatment with pulsed light (IPL) is generally applied, to treat the pigmentary changes due mainly to prolonged and unprotected sun exposure, or appearing after various topical or systemic treatments, as well as idiopathic ones (with no detectable cause).
To these are added the permanent laser hair removal treatments, for removing unwanted hair from the face (hirsutism) and other parts of the body.
Another benefit of the laser is the non-invasive treatment of facial telangiectasias (dilated blood vessels) and of small and medium venectasias and varicose veins on the legs. Even if what we want is a face with fine features and perfect skin, we should not forget the other “areas of interest” of the body. Permanent hair removal is no longer a whim but genuinely a solution for busy career women who cannot afford the luxury of losing time on appointments (which can never be kept) at beauty salons every month. A few laser hair removal sessions and the ordeal of the summer months is over. Laser treatments work just as well for men, so the visit to the doctor can be made in pairs.
After 55 it may be worth thinking about more advanced and, at the same time, more invasive “anti-ageing” techniques. This is where the plastic surgeon comes in, who can give you the best-informed advice on which procedure suits you. We are talking about the “surgical lift”. The newest lifting method is a minimally invasive procedure placing special suspension threads, with minimal incisions and very good results.
To sum up: we can fight the passing of the years. It is all a matter of a healthy way of life and an intelligent diet, which must include fruit and vegetables, antioxidants and WATER. Creams we will use only on the advice of a dermatologist, and we will stop believing the glossy labels promising the “elixir of youth”. We will have to use sunscreens consistently.
There are many “rejuvenation” methods that help us look young, radiant, “ageless”. But let us not forget that beauty comes from within, so be optimistic and remember that it is attitude that counts.