Ingredients For Future Proofing Your Skin
As our skin ages our cells need a little bit more support, meaning the ingredients we need in our skin care change. Cells go through many processes over their lifetime and ours, before they get to “cellular senessence” (the end point for skin cells) we want to keep them as healthy and stimulated as possible. The following ingredients are my top 5 for anti-aging skin care.
1) Hyaluronic Acid – Naturally produced by the body, but in small amounts – decreasing with age. This wonder ingredient holds 1000 times it’s own weight in water, and is responsible for keeping the skin active with free water. Lack of free water (or dehydration) in one of the main causes of pre mature aging.
2) Vitamin A – The backbone of cell health. Vitamin A repairs DNA damage in a cell. Without it, the cell will continue to reproduce more damaged cells, meaning the aging process will become rapid. With it, the cells repair and reproduce healthy cells. This is when we start to see a real change within the skin. It is important to look for the right form of Vitamin A, my picks are Retinyl Palmitate and Acetate, readily accepted into the cell membrane without the superficial harsh effect of forms such as Retinol or Retin A. It is important to start slowly with Vitamin A, increasing the strength over a period of months.
3) Vitamin C – The 3 C’s of Vitamin C…
*1) Collagen – Essential for anti-aging, Vitamin C stimulates and supports collagen fibers and growth. Meaning firmer, stronger skin.
*2) Colour – As we age our skin shows the environmental damage we have exposed it to, especially the sun. Vitamin C is a fantastic Tyrosinase inhibitor, meaning it slows down the enzyme that produces melanin (sun damage) and fades any sun damage on the skin surface.
*3) Capillaries – “Broken Capillaries” are a common occurrence the more our skin has been through, our capillary network needs help to stay strong to ensure we don’t get capillary matting or “broken capillaries” at the skin surface.
4) Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids – Required by every single cell in our body, meaning required by every single skin cell too. Our bodies synthesize Omega 6 and 9, however 100% of our Omega 3 requirements come from internal and topical use. By the time women go through menopause their Omega 3 requirements have tripled. Essential Fatty Acids create a large part of our skin natural defense barrier, without this barrier our skin is not able to function properly. Cells don’t communicate with each other in the correct way, things get into the skin that aren’t meant to be there and things get out (ie water) that are meant to stay in the skin.
5) Calcium Phosphate – This super ingredient strengthens the Keratinocyte, the most important skin cell of all. In the industry we like to say “Keratinocyte is King”, he controls and talks to all the other cells. So a healthy Keratinocyte means healthy cells. It also supports the Keratinocyte to promote healthy collagen formation.
Along with a healthy lifestyle, nutrition and these super ingredients you are on the path to future proofing your skin. Giving it the chance to be the healthiest it can be.