The Key Ingredient
What's causing us to age? and can we reverse the signs of ageing? Collagen is a key ingredient of the body that provides strength and flexibility to the skin. As we age, our bodies produce less collagen, leading to the appearance of wrinkles and a decrease in skin firmness. It has been claimed that using collagen supplements may reduce skin ageing. Collagen is like scaffolding it keeps all the bodies structures in place and upright.
Many factors influence the ageing process within the skin and also how fast our skin and body ages. So what exactly are these factors? multiple factors, including genetic makeup, lifestyle choices such as diet, and environmental exposures.
Oh Mr. Sun
Believe it or believe it not, sun exposure is a major contributor to premature skin aging. Studies show that up to 90% of visible skin aging is due to sun damage. By protecting your skin from UV rays, you can help prevent wrinkles, age spots, and other signs of aging. Above is a picture of William the truck driver, one face… but two sides of a story. At first, it looks like a photoshopped image showing ageing in action. But the image of truck driver William McElligott, is certainly not photoshopped, but is actually reminder of the destructive power of the sun, and how important it is to protect your skin all year round with SPF. The left-hand side of the 66-year-old's face is deeply lined, pitted and sagging after 28 years of sun exposure through the side window of his lorry. The right-hand side, shaded by the cab as he delivered milk around Chicago, is the taut, unblemished face of an apparently much younger man.
UVA= Ageing, UVB= Burning
Surely we only need to wear sun factor during the summer right? We don't get sun in the winter? in fact we don't get sun at all in Ireland! Wrong, despite the weather we actually need to wear sun factor all year round.
UVA rays are out all year round and can penetrate your skin more deeply and cause your skin cells to age prematurely. About 95% of the UV rays that reach the ground are UVA rays. The other 5% of UV rays are UVB. They have higher energy levels than UVA rays and typically damage the outermost layers of your skin, causing sunburn.
The best way to remember it is UVA rays are your "ageing Rays". And UVB rays are your "burning rays". UV rays are present all year round but levels vary, depending on your location, time of year, time of day, and weather conditions. The higher the Sun in the sky, the greater the intensity of UV rays.
You also need to remember to top your SPF up. Generally, sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours, especially after swimming or sweating.
There are so many different types of SPF and for different skin types, keep an eye out on our blog posts and we will delve in deeper to the world of Sunfactors.
Other ageing accelerators
We all love to kick off the shoes and have a glass of vino but alcohol can accelerate our ageing. Now everything in moderation. Drinking too much alcohol can dehydrate and damage your skin over time, leading to signs of premature aging.
Poor sleep… lets face it none of us get enough of it. Studies show that low quality (or not enough) sleep makes your cells age faster.
Stress, Yes the good old stress. When you're stressed, your brain pumps out cortisol, a stress hormone, which guess what… leads to ageing.
Can we reverse the signs of ageing?
As Lloyd says to Mary in the movie dumb and dumber " You're telling me there's a chance". We cannot fully halt Aging, but it can be slowed. Getting enough sleep, maintaining optimal sex hormone levels, eating a diet rich in plants, and staying physically active all promote healthy aging. The majority of skin aging results from UV damage and can be prevented with the routine use of sun factor. Also the daily use of vitamin A topically and orally. Vitamin A is the only scientifically known element that keeps skin healthy and combats the effects of aging. Dr Des Fernandes, founder of environ skincare says "Ageing skin is a direct result of sun-induced Vitamin A deficiency, Correct the deficiency and you'll have more radiant-looking, youthful skin. Our favorite in the salon is environ AVST range find it here.
We hope you found our What's causing us to age? and can we reverse the signs of ageing? helpful, if you would like to find out more contact us on 09096-23894.
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