The skin is the largest organ of the body and certainly the most important. Anti-aging is an ongoing project for most of us. At Rene’s Beauty Clinic, we like to take the approach of prevention being better than the cure, but even so, knowing how to nip age concerns in the bud by treating minor imperfections as they begin to appear goes a long way to maintaining a youthful look.
What are the signs of aging? Ideally, we all want to have flawless skin that is free from marks or pigmentation, with a smooth texture and appearance, and is firm and wrinkle-free. In this guide, we will be discussing what we can do to protect the skin from the signs of aging.
Pigmentation
The most fundamental product to protect the skin against aging is to protect it from the sun. The effects of sun damage on the skin can cause hyper-pigmentation, hypo-pigmentation, and even cancers on the skin. Deep lines and wrinkles are also exasperated by sun damage and some product lines refer to a tan as a scar, simply because the skin needs to recover from the effects of tanning. Prevention includes staying out of the sun, wearing a sun hat and investing in a good quality SPF for daily use, the sooner you begin with sunblock the better, in South Africa children should be wearing sunblock on a daily basis to prevent the development of freckles and sunspots.
Treatment for pigmentation includes using a product that will whiten the skin. But laser or IPL treatments are the most effective as this blasts the melanin in the skin which is causing the pigmentation, the colour darkens for a few days and then fades away completely. Some redness will also be treated and this leaves the skin with a soft smooth look, laser is best in winter as we generally are not spending as much time in the sun during the winter. We do like to combine laser with peels but these courses need to be recommended by a therapist to give you optimal results. Sometimes we also like to add needling to stimulate collagen and increase elasticity in the skin.
Broken Capilaries
Tiny little veins that burst under the skin and create new passages for blood flow. This is commonly caused by skin sensitivity to heat or cold or can be caused by large consumption of alcohol over a long period of time along with smoking.
There is no particular way to prevent broken but we do know that using luke warm water on the skin, using a good sunblock and if you are prone to broken capilaries, you can use a product that will support the muscular walls of the veins.
To treat broken caplilaries, we use the Lamprobe machine to quaterize the veins or laser as this is a quick shot and works really well on small veins like the one in the image.
Wrinkles
Wrinkles are unavoidable but they can be delayed. There is a difference between expression lines, like the ones that develop around the eyes from smiling 🙂 generally using anit-aging products from as young as your early 20’s will help to slow wrinkles down significantly. Once they start to appear, it is a good idea to treat them before they are too deep. Botox can be used as a preventative and a curative treatment as this works on the muscle and by paralysing the muscle, it basically freezes the muscle. It paralyzes the muscle which stops the wrinkle from showing anymore, this usually lasts 3-6 months. Other options include skin needling, facial treatments and a good home care regimen. The Lamprobe machine also offers a deep wrinkle treatment. It is always best to consult on these treatments to find the best fit for you.
Jiles
How about a face lift? Alas, gravity catches up to us all. Jiles are caused by the depression of the buccinator muscles and what we see is that is time goes by and they muscles lose their tightness they droop on wither side of the jaw. This can also enhance deep lines around the mouth in the nasolabial folds. Ways to prevent this is by having regular facials that include lymphatic drainage of the face and massage that stimulates circulation. A non-surgical facelift is also a great option to treat this as it uses microcurrent therapy to stimulate the muscles to lift again. It works not only on the Jiles but also on the eyes and brow. Coax face tightning also releives this as it drains out any water retention that might be pulling down on the face.
At the end of the day, we all want to maintain a natural youthful skin that does not need makeup as much as possible. The best way is to manage these normal skin reactions as we age, book your consultation today to find the best plan to maintain your skin at it’s best.