Anti-Aging?

What does anti-aging mean? Is there a way to eliminate aging? The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” It’s inevitable. We are all aging. However, we do have some control over how our skin ages. Can I get a hallelujah? First, we can control what we expose our skin to. Smoking, sunburns and not cleansing our faces at night all create adverse effects which we can easily control and avoid. But what is happening on the inside? We all remember from high school science that our bodies are composed of many cells with specific functions. As we age, the cells and their instructions get sluggish or sometimes mutated and make less than pristine copies or incomplete instructions. This leads to changes in the body such as fluctuation in oil production (drier skin or adult acne breakouts), poor collagen and elastin structure (sagging skin, thinning skin, fine lines, and wrinkles), a change in skin pigmentation (white spots, age spots), and decrease in skin cell turnover (dull looking skin, build up of cellular debris). Many of these changes are driven by a change in hormone levels as estrogen and progesterone fall and testosterone becomes dominant. (Hello menopause.) But don’t lose heart, there are many things we can do to keep those cells healthy and happy longer. It starts with the basics that we’ve all heard, get good sleep, drink water, eat nutrient dense food, reduce sugar, get outside, and move your body. The older we get the more we will feel it when we neglect a healthy lifestyle. But wait, there’s more. A few topical ingredients and treatments can also help the skin keep its healthy glow. Vitamin C and Vitamin A (Retinol/Retinaldehyde) are 2 ingredients that you absolutely should be including in your skin care regimen if you are over age 30. Vitamin C in the morning helps brighten, tighten, and lighten your skin while Vitamin A helps stimulate collagen and elastin and increase skin cell turnover which helps slough dead skin cells faster. These antioxidants also help fight free radicals that are causing damage to our healthy cells. Chemical peels in the fall and winter can also be great to release dead skin cells and lift pigmentation from sun damage (that occurred in our youth before we cared about sunscreen) to reveal lighter, brighter skin. Microneedling is another great treatment. It creates microscopic wounds which trigger the body to produce more collagen, resulting in firmer skin with less fine lines and improved texture. Wherever you are in the process of aging, take heart. You are wonderfully made. Take action. Starting to take care of your body and skin now will be a gift to your older self. And embrace aging. It is a privilege denied to many.

Source:

Asquith, Karen. “Change of Life.” Dermascope, Nov. 2022, pp. 48–54.