Whether you are a spring chicken or a little more mature, it is important to learn how to best care for your skin. Choosing an appropriate skin care regime or determining which treatments you should be looking into can often be overwhelming, so here is a guide to help your skin glow and for you to love the skin you're in!

All those late nights, hours of sun worshiping (naughty, naughty!), yo-yo diets and alcohol consumption during your younger years catches up with you eventually and can reflect upon your skin later in life.  That's why aside from the inevitable ageing process, looking after your skin from an early age, and knowing what to feed your skin throughout every decade of life is essential to prevent premature ageing.

How essential are essential vitamins?

We hear the term 'essential vitamins' thrown around a lot, but is it really as easy as ABC?

Awesome A

Vitamin A is definitely a 'hero' when it comes to anti ageing, refining skin texture, helping with congested skin and strengthening the skin. Vitamin A not only exfoliates the skin by increasing our skin cell turnover, but also helps to trick our skin into behaving like younger skin. Be savvy when it comes to choosing a Vitamin A product and ensure you understand that it is not always a case of the more Vitamin A in the product, the better it will work. There are various forms of Vitamin A and a lot of the time, Retin- A and Retinol that you can buy over the counter at pharmacies and supermarkets can be quite irritating to the skin. Instead look for products that contain LG- Retinex, Retinal and Retinaldehyde, as they are a lot easier to use and have a less irritating delivery system.  

Beautiful B

Vitamin B or Niacinamide, helps with skin immunity, regulating healthy oil flow, healing, hydration, skin discolouration, sallow skin and prevents trans-epidermal water loss.  With so many positives, all ages can benefit from this addition to their skincare regime. Skin that suffers from Rosacea, Acne, Eczema, Sun Damage, Hyperpigmentation can all be improved and relieved by Vitamin B. Remember, our skin the largest organ in our body and the vitamins we consume in our foods go to our vital organs first, that is why we need to feed our skin topically with vitamins, as well as consume them.

C is for Collagen

Vitamin C possesses potent antioxidant qualities, which helps to protect our skin from free radical damage. Free radicals damage the skin and contribute to the ageing process. Vitamin C helps our skin to produce collagen, which is the main component of our connective tissues and is a vital part of our skin, tendons, ligaments, gut cornea and blood vessels. Collagen production decreases with age so including vitamin C in our skin routine is essential to assist collagen production in your skin. This super vitamin can help to even out skin tone, increase skin firmness, improves skin hydration and helps the skin to appear more youthful in general.

What skin care and treatments should I have?

Anti-ageing in your 20's

Looking after your skin from your early twenties with quality cosmeceutical skin care should be your top priority! Don't forget your face is usually the first point of contact with people and remember prevention is the best cure!

Invest in a good cleanser, free of harsh ingredients that can cause irritation and strip natural oils and moisture from your skin. Get into the habit of washing your face both morning and night. Sleeping with your make up on at night can age your skin and cause congestion and breakouts. If you are using the right cleanser, free of parabens and SLS, washing twice a day should not dry out your skin.

Try and steer clear of heavy comedogenic moisturizers and instead opt for a lightweight hydrating gel such as Synergie Hydrogel. It contains an ingredient called Affi Pore, which helps reduce the appearance of enlarged pores and contains Hyaluronic acid for added moisture. Alternatively try Aspect Dr Multi B Serum, which helps to regulate healthy oil flow, offers oil free hydration and contains lots of anti-inflammatory ingredients such as Canadian Willowherb.

Use sunscreen daily to prevent premature ageing and sun damage. Ensure the sunscreen you are using is high in both UVA (ageing factor) and UVB (burning factor) protection. A physical zinc based sun block such as Synergie Uberzinc is a great option, as it acts as a moisturiser, sunblock and primer all in one.

To treat blemishes, use a Vitamin A to help strengthen and decongest your skin. Cosmedix Clarity serum contains encapsulated retinol, which will not irritate the skin; salicylic acid to help control oil and blemishes, and niacinamide to ensure your skin remains hydrated and healthy.

Regular in clinic treatments such as chemical peels or LED light treatments are ideal to compliment your home regime. Lactic peels will help to keep your skin exfoliated and hydrated, while salicylic peels will help with a clearer complexion. LED light treatments can heal the skin, stimulate collagen and help to eliminate bacteria on the skin. To treat light scarring, some micro-needling treatments such as Infini and Micropen skin needling will help to lessen the appearance of the scars and refine the pores and skin texture.

Anti-ageing in your 30's

Entering your thirties can be scary when those pesky fine lines and freckles begin to appear.

During our twenties, our skin cell turnover, or natural exfoliation process, follows a 28 day cycle and our skin tends to heal faster. When we turn 30, this cell turnover cycle has slowed down by 1% and continues to decline by 1% every year after that. The result of this process means that our skin begins to show visible signs of ageing such as, pigmentation, fine lines, duller and drier skin.

Try and remain ahead of the ageing process by using a Vitamin A. Vitamin A will help to correct excess oil or melanin production, help to keep those fine lines at bay and work to balance and regulate your skin. Cosmedix Define contains a blend of Alpha Hydroxy Acids to exfoliate the skin, encapsulated Vitamin A to exfoliate the skin and a range of other botanical ingredients to calm, soothe and hydrate.  

To help address pigmentation, introduce a brightening serum or pigment inhibitor to prevent spotty, uneven skin tone. SkinMedica Lytera or Cosmedix Simply Brilliant contain exceptional brightening ingredients such as Licorice Root extract which will help minimize the appearance of dark spots and discoloration, while also preventing new problem areas from developing. Both of these products are formulated in a gentle way, meaning you can use them both morning and night.

If you haven't already started, now is the perfect time to add an eye cream into your regime. The key to minimizing the appearance of fine lines around the eyes is by ensuring the area is well hydrated.  Try using a lightweight gel such as Synergie Revitaleyes both morning and night. It contains hyaluronic acid, which retains up to 1,000 times its weight in water and coffee bean extract to help to improve circulation under the eyes.

Your 30's is the time to start looking into laser treatment options. If pigmentation is a concern, try having a Fraxel laser treatment or a laser facial if you want a treatment with no downtime.  For general rejuvenation, skin needling is a great treatment option to consider. By inducing a tiny wound into the skin, it triggers a healing response, resulting in firmer and smoother looking skin. Skin Boosters are great for plumping and hydrating the skin and you may want to consider some anti-wrinkle injections as a preventative from looking 'angry' with those deep frown lines in your later years.

Anti-ageing in your 40's

During your 40's you may notice your skin is starting to behave a little differently. A decrease in the hormone estrogen can affect your skins hydration, elasticity and firmness. You may also start to become conscious of broken capillaries, sun damage and more prominent lines, even when your facial expression are at rest. Most women claim that these changes seem to simply occur overnight.

The skin will most likely be thirstier than ever, so using an intensive moisturiser that will nourish your skin without leaving it feeling greasy is a must. Try Osmosis Quench for a lightweight daytime option and Synergie Hydrolock with Beta Glucan as an intensive night cream to repair and replenish your skin while you sleep. Ensure you are bringing your moisturiser and sunscreen down to your decolletage and neck using upward sweeping motions.

In some cosmeceutical ranges of skin care, your Skin Therapist may recommend increasing the strength of your Vitamin A, B or C depending on how experienced you are as a user and how tolerant your skin is. Make sure you regularly visit your Skin Therapist to ensure your current regime and treatment plan is updated and relevant to your current skin condition and concerns.

Sunken eyes and hollow temples are some of the visible signs of ageing and a commonly stated concern during this time. Treatment wise, these concerns can easily be corrected by using some dermal filler to replace volume loss. Pelleve radio frequency skin tightening or Infini treatments can help to coagulate collagen and improve texture. Invest in a home dermal roller to use in conjunction with your active skin care as this can increase product penetration by up to 40%. Moderate level chemical peels involving a few days of flaking such as a Retinoic or Jessner's peel can help to lift the superficial layer of skin and reveal a brighter and smoother complexion.

Anti-ageing in your 50’s and beyond

This decade is usually when menopause commences. Due to a drastic change in hormones, the skin may become thinner, inflamed, loose its glow and start to show further signs of volume loss and sagging.

Ensure your skin is kept well hydrated and exfoliated so it appears smoother and less dull. Use Aspect Gold Fruit Enzyme mask weekly to ensure those lazy, dry, dead, skin cells lying on the surface are eliminated allowing for better serum and product absorption.

You should know your ABC’s by now and be using them every day to combat the visible signs of ageing and maintain healthy function of the skin.

Including a DNA repair product such as Synergie SuperSerum would be an exceptional addition to your anti-ageing regime during this time. As the name suggests… well, it’s just super! With Snap-8 Peptides to relax fine lines, hyaluronic acid to plump and hydrate and Phycosaccharide Al to help rebuild the epidermis via stem cell activation, it is simply a cosmeceutical must have. You can mix this serum with L- Ascorbic C crystals, the most pure form of Vitamin C, for the added benefit of collagen and elastin, brightening of your skin tone and additional anti-inflammatory properties.

Many people choose to undergo injectables and dermal filler during this time to create a more youthful and softer complexion. Ultherapy can help to tighten areas like the brow, neck and jawline by using ultrasound wave technology and for those who can afford a bit of downtime, now may be a good time to do a resurfacing peel such as the Cosmedix Deep Sea peel.

For a tailored skin care or treatment plan contact us on 1300 863 824 to book a consultation with one of our practitioners. 

Remember, it's never too late to start!

Written by Athanasia Tsolos, Skin Therapist

As a Skin Therapist at Victorian Cosmetic Institute, Athanasia is passionate about ensuring every patient leaves our premises knowing that their treatment plan will leave them feeling and looking their best.