Myths and truths about "anti ageing"
This is an extremely hot topic and besides acne, signs of ageing are probably the most frequent skin concerns. Unfortunately, a lot of products provide little more than false hope due to their vast marketing strategies and fancy packaging.
This post is going to be "real talk" about ageing and products to combat it.
So...first of all we need to break down the term "ageing", because it can mean so many different aspects.
Lines
Wrinkles
Loss of firmness
Loss of elasticity
Dryness
Pigmentation and age spots
Dullness
All of these aspects are improved by completely different ingredients and therefore the miracle "anti ageing moisturiser" that claims it tackles all of these is quite frankly, nonsense.
The only products clinically proven to be anti aging in terms of tackling most, if not all of these skin concerns, and those that you can legally claim to do so, are:
SPF and UVA protection - i.e. things that block the damage of UVB and UVA
Retinols and all their derivatives
The combination of the above 2 products will tackle all the above signs of ageing.
All the other products have no role in reversing or preventing skin aging, they can just improve "the look" of ageing - look closely at the declarations products make on advertising and you will see "improve the appearance of..." as this is the maximum they can claim the products do.
I will be going through individual ingredients on "ingredient of the week" to discuss the benefits they can have on one of more of these ageing concerns as helpful ingredients like vitamin C and hyaluronic acid can have a major impact in improving the look and health and therefore youth of the skin
It is my strong belief that SPF should be chemical and not physical. Let's have a sun cream lesson to explain.
Chemical sunscreens have to absorb into the skin in order to work. This is why you have to apply them 30 minutes before sun exposure.
Therefore in order for you chemical sunscreen to protect from burning (UVB), the rays need to penetrate the skin. Imagine the chemical like a chain. When UVB is absorbed, it breaks the bonds in the chemical sunscreen chain and then the by products are scattered into the skin. Imagine milk going sour, this is effectively the bonds degenerating and the by products of this process produce the terrible smell.
This is why sunscreens also have to be reapplied, as eventually all the bonds are broken and it is no longer effective protection. The issue with this, is that the by products and the chemical filter itself are really not great for your skin. They are also difficult to cleanse from the skin at the end of the day. So all your hard work and skin care will be of limited effectiveness.
Now, onto why physical is better. Physical sunscreen form a mirror-like layer on top of the skin, therefore no chemical nasties are absorbed into the epidermis. The molecules reflect the UVA and UVB rays so gives protection against both in one swoop. This also means the rays do not penetrate the skin in any way so do not produce any nasty by products which can harm the skin.
Similarly, because it does not absorb into the skin, it is easier to remove and significantly better for acne prone skin, or any of us that go on holiday, look amazing, then 2 weeks later look like a drug addict covered in spots.
It is a little harder to find but I will list some below. All of them are tinted as physical sunscreens can give a white cast to the skin. This can easily be covered by make up but why not make things easier for yourself!
https://www.dermacaredirect.co.uk/skinceuticals-mineral-radiance-uv-defense-spf50.html
https://www.amazon.co.uk/UV-Clear-TINTED-Broad-Spectrum-SPF/dp/B00ZPWR0N8
https://inen.strawberrynet.com/skincare/jan-marini/skin-research-marini-physical-protectant/159835/
So onto my next miracle product - retinols
This is a tricky one and is a product that confuses many people. Retinol is the form of vitamin A that is effective on the skin.
They work by boosting the turnover of the skin, and forcing the body to produce more collagen. Therefore, the new cell that come to the surface get there more rapidly, and are more plump and better adhered to the surround cells therefore giving a smoother, more glowy, firmer and younger looking skin. The other benefit is the improvement they will give to acne prone skins. By increasing turnover you are removing the cells that block the sebum escaping, therefore reducing risk of spots or comodones forming, you also improve the scarring or pigmentation left behind by old spots. WIN.
The downsides are that if the underneath cells are not ready to come to the surface, peeling, dryness and redness will occur until the skin is used to this more rapid turnover of cells. This is why you should build up your retinols slowly, and why the results from the stronger versions take months.
Topical vitamin A comes in many forms which, in simple terms, have different molecule sizes which determine how much they can penetrate the skin and also have to go through different numbers of processes by the body in order to make them into an active end product which will work on the skin. It is due to these 2 factors that different forms of topical vitamin A have different strengths of action on the skin.
In order for any form of topical
vitamin A (retinol) to be used within the body and the skin, the body must convert it into retinoic acid.
Therefore, the starting version of your vitamin A product will dictate how many stages it has to go through to be made into something useful for the skin.
Retinyl palmitate/Acetate/Linoleate/Proprionate à retinol à retinaldehyde
à retinoic acid
A pure retinol will penetrate further and be more active and therefore have a stronger effect, but also come with more side effects
If you want pure retinoic acid (tretinoin) then you will need a prescription from a dermatologist as these are the strongest form with the most side effects .
The strength also depends on what the product is mixed with, if it is not in a stable form, it will degrade as soon as you start using it. Similarly, if it is combined with an oil or a silicone it will slightly buffer the skin to reduce peeling or redness. The hardcore prescription versions have no such niceties.
It is worth noting that no form of retinoid, retinol or vitamin A should be used when pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or breast feeding. Sorry!
My favourite retinols:
The Ordinary and Neutrogena - retinoic acid ester
https://theordinary.com/product/rdn-advanced-retinoid-2pct-30ml
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neutrogena-Rapid-Wrinkle-Repair-Moisturizer/dp/B004D2C4Q4
La Roche Posay 0.3% retinol
http://www.boots.com/la-roche-posay-redermic-anti-wrinkle-treatment-30ml-10160065
The Ordinary 0.5% retinol
https://theordinary.com/product/rdn-retinol-05pct-in-squalane-30ml
Neostrata - 0.5% retinol but due to the other components is higher strength than The Ordinary version
https://www.neostrata.com/product/neostrata+skin+active+retinol+-+nag+complex.do
Similarly - Retriderm's 0.5% retinol is a great product
http://www.facethefuture.co.uk/shop/aestheticare/retriderm-vitamin-a-05-retinol-skin-serum.html
Going up a level is Retriderm 1% retinol
http://www.facethefuture.co.uk/shop/aestheticare/retriderm-vitamin-a-ultra-10-retinol-skin-serum.html?
Paulas choice 1% retinol is another goodie.
https://www.paulaschoice.co.uk/clinical-retinol-treatment-m8010.html
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