How to approach anti-ageing in this Digital Decade
June,18,2020
What is trending, what ingredients to start using to slow down the age-clock and so much more! Answered by our Medical Head and in house anti-ageing magician – Dr.Harshna Bijlani
- What is the most popular approach to ageing that you see happening in 2020?
The trending approach to ageing in 2020 is going as natural and subtle as you can but at the same time also making sure you look #selfieready, which has been the on-going trend since the onset of Instagram becoming one of the main social media platforms.
- People today want more of a mindful approach to ageing - how would you recommend a starter pack for such an approach (mind+body+skincare)?
More and more people now are more mindful about how their lifestyles impact their body, skin and mental health. To help remain ageless, I would recommend a three pronged approach:
Mind – Keep your mind as healthy as your body, practice yoga, meditation and self-care the best way you think works for you. Take “me time” trips or breaks when you can, take at least a day for yourself every week or two where you give your mind the relaxation it needs and try to lead a stress free life as best as you can.
Body – Treat your body right, workout, go to the gym, do Pilates, go for a run, do any kind of physical exercise that renews you and not only gets your body in shape but also helps de-stress you. Along with that make sure you’re following a healthy diet that gives your body all the essential nutrients your body needs to protect itself from external and internal stressors as well as wear and tear.
Skin – Avoid fad diets and quick fixes. Let’s further break down our skin into further layers:
- Upper layer (which we see) – This is the upper-most layer of the skin, that is visible to all. To keep your skin healthy, opt for regular facials, peels, stem cell treatments, rejuvenating lasers like PicoSure® and the right use of good quality products with good ingredients.
- Collagen (the stuff that keeps our skin firm) – The second layer that you need take care of to remain ageless is your collagen. We lose 1% collagen production every year, right from our 20’s. You need to start collagen boosting treatments early on to make sure you age as naturally and gracefully as possible. Opt for facials or treatments that use micro-current, radio frequency, ultrasound, and even injectables like fillers and threads to boost your collagen and keep your skin younger for longer.
- Volume loss (fat loss) – After acute weight loss or after you start ageing, often you may see volume loss in your skin volume as well. You can add volume to this with the help of fillers, stem cell treatments and other collagen boosting treatments.
- Muscle – With time your muscles also weaken and lose memory. Due to which we tend to wrinkle, now there are technologies and treatments that can help retrain muscles and lift them up. It can even be done with the help of micro-current technology and some superb natural massage techniques like the AgeLess Face Workout Series™, that help re-train facial muscles and contour your face as naturally as possible. BOTOX also helps relax overactive muscles and prevent crow’s feet.
- What are the latest treatments in ‘anti-ageing’ and what ages would you recommend them for?
One of the latest trends in anti-ageing right now is combination treatments – this means marrying different standalone technologies into one super treatment to give you unmatched results. Popular combination treatments right now are combinations of technologies and treatments like peels, lasers, Hifu (hi frequency) devices and so on.
- Today’s approach is also more about preparation than correction - so what would you recommend in terms of small habits and products that people can start using? What age is appropriate for these?
I absolutely propagate prevention is better than cure. Due to increased awareness of our skin’s ageing process, more and more clients are now realising the importance of prevention rather than correction. Micro-ageing and its understanding has helped a lot of people realise the importance of age-preventative treatments. So what is micro-ageing - studies show that there is a steady depletion of 1% of collagen production (the stuff in our skin that controls softness and elasticity to help it look young) every year right from our 20’s. By the age of 40 there is a loss of collagen of over 30% and unfortunately even a 3% reduction is noticeable.
For this reason, I would recommend opting for maintenance treatments and preventative products right from your 20’s.
Habits to develop:
- No fad diets that cause your weight to yo-yo
- Do not sleep on your face, sleep on your back
- Try not to overuse muscle expressions
- Eat healthy, make sure you include all the fruits, vegetables, good oils and nuts that your body needs
- Never leave the house without sunscreen with minimum SPF30 or more and ideally even blue light or HEV protection like seen in the latest sunscreens like Beyond Sun Protection by Crystal Tomato®
- Sleep well and sleep enough
Products to use:
This is a rough guide for the kind of products you can start introducing into your skincare regime right from your 20’s, however it could be different for you as per your skin and and I would recommend consulting your skin doctor before starting new products:
20-30’s – Retinol, Vitamin C and Idebenone
30-40’s – Along with everything you were using in your 20’s, start introducing hyaluronic acid in your skincare routine
40-50’s – Along with maintaining your 30’s skincare routine, now would be a good time to introduce peptides and ceramides
5. The one main secret to ageing gracefully is….?
Be confident in your own skin, love yourself and your skin, no matter what your age or your skin age is. We all have a few imperfections here and there, the true strength of beauty comes in not hiding these imperfections but accepting and owning them.