Aging Skin – A 3 Way Approach To Skin Health
Aging skin has a few specific areas that must be addressed in order to maximize skin health! Anti-aging is really not an option! The only way you can’t age is to be dead. Everyone ages, that’s a fact. There are a few biological truths that come with aging. Those truths impact the skin in many ways!
Let’s Explore Skin Aging Impact On Appearance
What We See
As we age the skin beings to appear less luminous, less bright, even a little dull. Fine lines being to show, usually around the eyes. Deeper lines begin to form between the brows and on the forehead. Then the face begins to look more narrow, and skin begins to droop, nasal labial folds begin to form, eye lids being to droop and the skin at the jowls drops.
Signs of Aging Skin Caused by Biological Slow Down
Everything we see in aging skin that we “don’t like” is caused by a biological slow down in the body and the impact of lifestyle.
Stem Cells
Starting with stem cells! As we age our body produces fewer stem cells, which slows down the production of new skin cells that move from the basal layer of the skin to the stratum corneum. This creates a host of issues on the skin’s surface as well as issues with the skin’s structural integrity.
“As stem cells age, their functional ability also deteriorates[12,17]. Specifically, this regenerative power appears to decline with age, as injuries in older individuals heal more slowly than in childhood. … Neural stem cells (NSCs) are multipotent and self-renewing cells and located primarily in the neural tissues.” National Center for BioTechnology Information.
“The epidermal stem cells lie in the basal layer, attached to the basal lamina. Progeny that become committed to differentiation go through several rapid divisions in the basal layer, and then stop dividing and move out toward the surface of the skin. They progressively differentiate, switching from expression of one set of keratins to expression of another until, eventually, their nuclei degenerate, producing an outer layer of dead keratinized cells that are continually shed from the surface.” National Center For BioTechnology Information
Hyaluronic Acid
As a person ages, the amount of hyaluronic acid that their body produces begins to decrease. This diminishes hydration in the skin which leads to issues with volume and diminished cell life span.
“Levels of hyaluronic acid in the skin significantly decrease as people age, which can lead to dehydrated skin and wrinkles.” Medical News Today
Adenosine Triphosphate [ATP]
Adenosine Triphosphate is the cell’s fuel source, helping cells to function optimally! This also slows down as a person ages, causing all cells to perform at lower levels.
“Bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have the potential to differentiate into several cell lines. Extracellular adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) acts as a potent signaling molecule mediating cell-to-cell communication.” National Library of Medicine
As shown, both the mitochondrial respiration and ATP production in the measured donor collective (Table 1) decrease drastically with increasing age. This results in a reduction of mitochondrial respiration by an average of approximately 10 percent per decade. National Center for BioTechnical Information
Collagen
Collagen production slows as a person ages. This slow down in production leads to fine lines, deep wrinkles and sagging skin.
“After the age of 20, a person produces about 1 percent less collagen in the skin each year. As a result, the skin becomes thinner and more fragile with age. There is also diminished functioning of the sweat and oil glands, less elastin production,” Scientific American
Signs of Aging Skin Caused by Lifestyle
Skin aging can be exacerbated by lifestyle choices. Poor nutritional intake, smoking, too much sun exposure, too much stress, exposure to pollution, genetics, illnesses, medical treatments and excessive alcohol consumption.
In a majority of cases, lifestyle changes can reduce accelerated skin aging.
3 Way Approach An Esthetician
Can Use To Treat Aging Skin
1. Topically
This is the most obvious way to maximize skin health and address many of the concerns of skin aging. In many who are experiencing signs of skin aging, the surface of the skin needs attention. The stratum corneum, needs to be balanced first. Ensuring the lipid barrier is in tact is priority one.
Next the luminosity, texture, tone, can be addressed with products and treatments. You can also focus on the skin’s structural integrity addressing skin volume and firmness somewhat in this section.
Topical Solutions For Aging Skin
Balancing Oxygen + Cleansers
It’s important to ensure the lipid barrier on the skin’s surface is balanced. Skin that is out of balance can be inflamed and red with patches of dry skin. It can also have breakouts. Use a calming and balancing agent such as oxygen can soothe irritation. O2SKINPRO is a powdered form of oxygen that can be added to any product to soothe the skin.
Using a brand of skin care or a collection of skin care that focuses on balancing the skin’s surface is a great next step! A brand that has focused on treating compromised skin is Hale & Hush!
You can also look for collections of skin care that are able to help. DMK International has their Embioment Collection
Hydrating - HA's we love + Moisturizers We're Obsessed With
Making sure the skin is properly hydrated is crucial. This will ensure that aging skin is more luminous, plumper and able to function at optimal levels!
The science of hydrating aging skin, you may think that hydrating the skin is just slapping a cream on the skin and boom – you’re done! But it’s so much more complex than that!
There are so many moisturizers that we love! This is a key way to get hyaluronic acid back into the skin!
Protecting - #SPF365 + Antioxidants You Need
Sunscreen
Protecting the skin topically is crucial. Ensuring the client is wearing a sunscreen daily #SPF365 will work to mitigate continued UVA/UVB damage! We love sunscreen; some of our favorite sunscreens come from BiON Skincare, DMK International, HydroPeptide, dmSkincare!
You can also use a mineral powder to add an extra layer of UVA/UVB protection – we love Advanced Mineral Makeup. It’s the perfect finish to any skin care treatment.
Antioxidants
Giving the skin a dose of antioxidants will help it to defend itself. The research and development in skin aging over the past few years has given us a bounty of antioxidants to use on the skin. The OG is Vitamin C and there’s so many we love!
Herbal Skin Solutions, HydroPeptide, Hale & Hush, Circadia, Lira Clinical, M.A.D Skincare, Dawn Lorraine Skin Care, BiON Skincare, and Skinceuticals all have amazing Vitamin C products that you can use topically in treatment and suggest for home care!
There are so many other antioxidants on the market. We’ve found a few over the years, Sea Buckthorn, Seaweed, and Green Tea.
Correcting - How To Brighten + Resurface
Brighten
Aging skin can have some issues with uneven skin tone. Years of sun exposure can cause the skin to protect itself from damage by overproducing melanin. This causes dark spots. Treating hyperpigmentation can be a long, hard battle, but it can be done, our Guest Blogger Katrina outlined her approach! It’s usually a multi-pronged approach that involves tyrosinase inhibitors, and antioxidants along with manual and chemical exfoliation.
Resurface
Aging skin can have rough texture from a build up of dead skin cells. As the skin’s production of stem cells slows, that slows the cell migration from basal layer to stratum corneum. This slow down leaves dead skin cells on the skin’s surface for a longer period of time, leaving the skin looking dull and lifeless. These dead skin cells absorb light and don’t reflect.
Resurfacing the skin with manual exfoliation like microdermabrasion, dermaplaning will remove excess dead skin cells. This will give your topical products a quicker path to the lipid matrix for absorption AND it will diminish the appearance of fine lines.
You can also use chemical peels to resurface the skin! The beauty is that these peels all come with their own unique set of properties. Some acids can focus on peeling, some on brightening, some on hydrating and some on unclogging. MedSpa Distributors, Dawn Lorraine Skincare, Dermamed Solutions, M.A.D Skincare, Circadia, and Lira Clinical all have a great selection of chemical peels!
Stimulating - Peptides - Growth Factors - Stem Cells + Treatments To Kick It
Jumpstarting aging skin is the key to maximizing the skin’s health.
Topical Ingredients
You can do this topically with the application of products that are rich in peptides, growth factors, stem cells [plant and human]. These technologically advanced ingredients will stimulate the skin’s functionality. You can apply serums, masks, and moisturizers that contain peptides and stem cells that will do all sorts of incredible things to the skin.
Collagen Induction Therapy
This is also known as microchanneling or microneedling. Tiny needles penetrate the stratum corneum to create mini controlled wounds. The body’s own repair system kicks in to repair the damage and stimulates collagen production.
Facial Massage – Gua Sha – Cupping
These are manual manipulation modalities that stimulate blood flow and lymphatic flow. They stimulate the skin by bringing fresh oxygen to the skin and under lying muscle. This influx of fresh oxygen combined with the movement of lymphatic fluid help rid the skin of waste will improve vitality!
Dual Stimulation
Many estheticians combine the use of topical products with peptides, growth factors and stem cells into stimulating treatments. They also suggest these same products for home care!
2. Transdermal Treatments
Transdermal treatments require the use of a device or machine that produces energy that can go through the stratum corneum and impact the basal layer of the skin to simulate the skin function or impact the skin in order to evoke a response.
Transdermal Treatments For Aging Skin
Microcurrent
Microcurrent is the OG of stimulating treatments for the skin. The technology is not new, however, as the professional skin care industry has grown, the understanding and use of this modality has grown exponentially!
Microcurrent sends electrical signals through skin that help to tone the muscles by lifting them in a series of contractions. They also stimulate the skin on a cellular level. These currents are similar to the body’s own impulses so they stimulate ATP production.
We love microcurrent from MedSpa Distributors, Tama and 7e Wellness.
We’ve also featured Dynamic Microcurrent from NeurotriS, who just announced an all new hand piece that was designed by Jane Mann. The LIFT can be used as a probe with any of the SX Systems by NeurotriS or it can be used with their PICO Toner or home use! We’re obesssed.
LED Light Therapy
LED Light Therapy is one of our favorite modalities! This treatment is truly amazing! We’ve been working with Celluma LED Light Therapy and have learned so much from their expertise.
Here’s how LED Light Therapy Works
“LED therapy supports skin health by providing energy to skin cells that are under-functioning allowing them to get back to work. For example, an underperforming fibroblast that absorbs the light energy will increase its production of collagen and elastin proteins to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Cells may under-function due to a variety of reasons, age, injury, disease and poor lifestyle choices such as lack of exercise and poor diet. In particular, red and near-infrared LED light can directly benefit skin health as these wavelengths are deep reaching and capable of supporting a variety of different cells types at different tissue depths from the epidermis, through the dermal layer and even into the subcutaneous layer.” Denise Ryan, Celluma LED Light Therapy
Radio Frequency
Radio Frequency For Skin Tightening
Radiofrequency (RF) therapy, also called radiofrequency skin tightening, is a nonsurgical method of tightening your skin. The procedure involves using energy waves to heat the deep layer of your skin known as your dermis. This heat stimulates the production of collagen. Collagen is the most common protein in your body. Healthline.com
The Alto 8 in 1 from DermaJEM will allow you to offer radio frequency to your clients in addition to microdermabrasion to correct and oxygen therapy to balance.
Laser
Laser For Skin Tightening
Lasers work to penetrate the skin and create controlled damage to the skin’s collagen fibers. The body’s own repair process kicks in to stimulate collagen production to firm and tighten skin!
Barry did laser skin tightening for his eyes.
3. Nutrition + Ingestibles
Good nutrition is crucial for great skin, especially if you’re dealing with aging skin!
Nutrition + Ingestibles For Aging Skin
Nutrition
The body is able to use vitamins, minerals, probiotics and enzymes from the food that you eat that gets absorbed into the blood stream to stimulate the cellular function. We learned a lot about nutrition from our expert advice column. We also did a webisode of L+A Now called How To Eat Your Skincare!
Ingestibles
Adding supplements into your daily routine can help improve the skin health of aging skin! Of course, always consult your physician before taking any supplement.
There are some truly high quality supplements for the skin!
DMK International offers their EFA+ which we love for an inside out hydration!
Herbal Skin Solutions also offers two wonderful supplements to stimulate the skin! Liposomal Vitamin C delivers a powerful dose of essential nutrient, Vitamin C, in a liposomal delivery system that offers optimal absorption.
Glucosamine Sulfate Glucosamine is an amino sugar typically formed in the body from glucose. It is the initiating point for the synthesis of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), including hyaluronic acid. This dietary supplement is known to support the body’s connective tissue and joint functions. Studies have also shown Glucosamine to speed healing in wounds and controlled injuries such as CIT/ Micro-needling.
California Skincare Supply offers an array of supplements!