HOW YOUR SKIN CHANGES WITH AGE
From a young age we are bombarded with advice about looking after our skin, and then later about preventing the signs of ageing.
What works when you are young is not what you need as you reach middle age, and different again in the later years.
TEENAGE SKIN
A lot happens in your teenage years due to hormonal fluctuations that come with puberty, presenting many challenges to young skin.
Even though acne and spots are a common problem amongst teenagers, that doesn’t make it any easier for them, and they can suffer from psychological and emotional trauma.
At Cotswold Face Aesthetics Clinic we can help with specialist chemical peels such as Salicylic Acid peels, together with specialist creams to treat inflammation, bacterial infection, and spots. In a study 84% of patients found the products worked faster than Antibiotics.
It has now been made illegal to treat anyone under the age of 18 with Botox or Dermal Fillers.
SKIN IN YOUR 20’s
People in their twenties spend a lot of time outdoors and this is the time to invest in protecting your skin from sun damage. This helps minimise the pigmentation which will otherwise show in later years.
Also your skin slowly starts to thin. This is a process that will continue from now on as collagen mass decreases by around 1% a year, weakening barrier function and natural UV protection.
Using a Sun Protection Factor cream is so important now that the risk of skin cancer is so well known.
People in their twenties can begin to be more concerned about their appearance. With the rise of social media such as Instagram it is easy to change the “virtual you” by using photo apps. This has led to an increased desire to change the “real you”, particularly through Lip Enhancement using Dermal Fillers.
SKIN IN YOUR 30’s
By this age you will have been experimenting with different skin care products and may begin to consider Botox (Anti-Ageing injections), Dermal Fillers and Microneedling.
It’s in this busy decade that your skin barrier is weakened, and cellular turnover starts to decrease. It’s bad news, with loss of Collagen and Hyaluronic Acid. It’s also a time that those who are fair skinned may see the signs of Rosacea, a condition that can only be controlled but not cured.
Retinal is a potent Vitamin A cream that increases cell turnover. It is recommended for people to start using in their thirties to pre-emptively ward off the tell-tale signs of ageing.
Antioxidant serum is advised within a daily skin care regime, as common concerns are fine lines and wrinkles and pigmentation especially from sun damage, and rosacea. This is the ideal time to start Anti-ageing Treatments. Anti- wrinkle injections and Dermal fillers will achieve a great result, as prevention and correction now are more effective than leaving it until later, when much more intervention will be required. This is the most popular age to begin Aesthetic Treatments.
SKIN IN YOUR 40’s
There is no denying your skin undergoes some significant changes in your forties. Every layer of skin is affected. The epidermis thins and skin cells shrink, the connective tissue breaks down and doesn’t retain water as it used to. The lower fatty layer reduces.
Skin becomes dryer and some unfortunate people start to get Acne type spots.
Tear troughs begin to show due to the shifting tissues and fat pads, producing significant changes in the contours of the face.
Common concerns are roughness, crepe-like skin, deeper wrinkles, age spots and loss of skin radiance.
SKIN IN YOUR 50’s
On the other side of the menopause, your hormones will have shifted again, oestrogen dropping and androgens rising. You will notice your skin is thinner and less elastic, pigmentation can start to build up and age spots, also known as solar lentigos, start to appear.
Some women are seeing bone degradation along the jawline and chin. The bony orbit around the eyes increases, so that the eyes appear smaller. The nose can dip slightly, fat pads descend creating the nasal labial lines (nose to mouth lines), then the marionette lines (mouth to chin lines) then the jowls - the sagginess so many women hate.
For some individuals HRT can maintain oestrogen levels and prevent further thinning of the skin and loss of hair.
There is a superb Dermal Filler called “Profhilo”, created to address loss of skin elasticity. This is the best option for treating the skin on the face, neck and décolletage, increasing hydration and smoothing the skin.
SKIN IN YOUR 60’s
From your 60’s onwards your body’s production of lipids, along with Hyaluronic Acid and Collagen, decreases. Simply put, your skin doesn’t regenerate the way it used to. UV sensitivity also increases, so sun protection is crucial as more pigmented age spots appear. Dryness, deeper wrinkles and skin infections are more common as skin is compromised.
To help with these concerns we offer various treatments to help maintain the skin such as LED light masks to regenerate collagen. Dermapen microneedling creates a controlled trauma to the skin, so it repairs itself and regenerates collagen to help tighten the skin.
Skin Boosters with Hyaluronic Acid or Vitamins and minerals can be injected to maintain or improve skin health .