Fine lines, wrinkles, and dry skin are typical signs of aging skin. Aging is a natural process, and a more mature look can enhance our elegance and self-confidence. However, if you are very bothered by aging skin there are procedures and treatments that can help. Here’s what you can do.
How to treat dry skin
With age, our skin can become drier.1 It’s typical for dry skin to feel dry and tight even after we have applied a moisturizing cream. There can also be dry skin flakes on the skin surface.
Here are some tips for treating dry skin:
· Avoid harsh soaps, detergents and too much cleansing as it can make the skin surface drier.
· Use a moisturizing cream that also contains lipids/fats that help the skin surface retain its moisture.
· A gentle do it at home peel can remove flaky skin, but avoid doing it too often as too much peeling is stressful for the skin.
· Make sure to get enough sleep and have an adequate water intake to avoid dehydrated skin.
· Sunshine is good for our wellbeing but too much sun can make the skin drier1, so try to find a healthy balance.
· A skinbooster treatment such as Restylane® Skinboosters™ can boost skin hydration and elasticity and make the skin more radiant looking.2-5
How to treat dull skin
Dull skin is skin that doesn’t reflect light very well. Dry skin can sometimes look dull, but also skin that isn’t dry can look dull, for example older skin.
When scientists have taken a closer look at the causes of dull skin, they have found out that 90% of the reflection from the skin isn’t from the top surface of the skin, the so-called stratum corneum, but from the subsurface. In older people, the subsurface is more uneven and doesn’t reflect light as well as in younger people.6
Here are some things you can do to combat dull skin:
· Use a gentle peel to remove dead skin cells on the top surface of the skin but avoid doing it too often so you don’t stress the skin.
· A moisturizing cream can help the skin surface retain its moisture and make it look less dull.
· There are aesthetic treatments that may help dull skin regain radiance. For example, Restylane® Skinboosters™ is an injectable treatment has been shown to make the skin smoother and more radiant looking.5
How to treat sagging skin
Sagging skin is a typical sign of aging skin. The main reason why the skin starts to sag is that the collagen content in the skin decreases with age.7,8 Collagen is a protein that gives the skin structure and firmness.
Here are some tips to help renew skin collagen:
· Skincare products that contain vitamin A can help stimulate a bit more collagen formation in the skin. 9
· Studies have shown that food supplements with collagen and other nutrients can have some effect on collagen formation in the skin.10
· Aesthetic treatments performed at clinics can have a more noticeable effect. Treatments such as IPL, lasers, peels, and microneedling are used to induce a controlled damage to the skin and stimulate skin renewal, including new collagen formation.9,11
· Collagen stimulating injectables, such as Sculptra®, are also used to increase the skin’s natural production of collagen. Sculptra® consists of biodegradable microparticles that are injected into the skin. Sculptra® has been shown to increase the collagen content in the skin with up to 66.5%.12
How to treat fine lines
Fine lines are an early sign of aging skin. Lines are what they sound like – lines in the face that remain there when our face is relaxed. As explained above, the skin usually becomes drier with age and loses some of its collagen content.1,7,8 These types of changes can lead to signs of aging such as fine lines.
Here are some things you can do to prevent fine lines from forming and to make the ones you have less visible:
· Avoid harsh soaps and detergents as they can make the skin drier.
· A moisturizing cream that also contains lipids/fat can help retain moisture on the skin surface, and that can make fine lines less apparent.
· Creams that contain vitamin A have been shown to increase skin collagen somewhat and that could potentially help prevent premature skin aging.9
· There are several skin rejuvenating treatments that are offered at aesthetic clinics, such as peels and lasers.
· A soft and flexible dermal filler, such as Restylane® Refyne™, can be used to fill superficial lines and wrinkles.13
How to treat wrinkles
Wrinkles are deeper furrows in the skin and are sometimes called folds. There are different types of aesthetic treatments that are used to treat wrinkles, but one of the most obvious ones is probably fillers.
The soft and flexible filler Restylane® Refyne™, mentioned above, is a filler that can be used to treat fine lines and moderate wrinkles.13 For deeper wrinkles and folds, firmer gels are often used, such as Restylane®.14 A qualified healthcare practitioner will know what filler to use in each individual case.
If you are considering an aesthetic treatment to reduce signs of aging skin, make sure you consult a qualified healthcare practitioner.
1. Stern R, Maibach HI, Clin Dermatol. Mar-Apr 2008;26(2):106-22.; 2. Gubanova EI et al. Poster presented at IMCAS 2015.; 3. Distante F et al. Dermatol Surg 2009;35(S1):389–93.; 4. Gubanova EI et al. J Drugs Dermatol 2015;14(3):288–98.; 5. Lee BM et al. Arch Plast Surg 2015;42(3):282–287.; 6. Matsubara et al. Skin Res Technol 2012;18(1):29–35.; 7. Fisher GJ et al. Arch Dermatol 2008;144(5):666–72.; 8. Werschler WP et al. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol 2015;8 (10 Suppl):S2–S7.; 9. Ganceviciene R. et al, Dermatoendocrinol. 2012;4(3):308–319.; 10. Vollmer DL., Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Oct; 19(10): 3059.; 11. Alster S, Graham PM, Dermatol Surg. 2018 Mar;44(3):397-404; 12. Goldberg D et al. Dermatol Surg 2013;39(6):915–22.; 13. Restylane® Refyne™, soft and flexible: MA-43049; 14. Restylane® firmer: MA-43049