Defying Gravity: How You Can Combat the Signs of Ageing

Keeping your skin looking young is a source of worldwide fascination, but when the first few wrinkles start appearing on your skin, you might dismiss them as no big deal. It’s often only when you catch sight of yourself in the wrong light years later that you think “Yikes! I need to start taking care of my skin!” By which point, the damage is already halfway done.

Prevent, Maintain, Reverse. The holy trinity of skin care – and three different mechanisms that are all too often confused.

Whether you’ve already started to see your skin lose volume and are unhappy with the lines on your face; or you’re just looking to put your best foot forward as you age – there are plenty of ways of making sure you get the appearance you desire.

Prevention

You’ve almost certainly heard the phrase that prevention is better than cure, and whilst true – the sad fact is, everyone ages. Even the healthiest people have lines on their faces; but lifestyle factors can contribute to skin ageing more quickly.

Smoking, drinking and poor diet can all starve your skin of the nutrients, oxygen and hydration it needs to repair and regenerate itself; so cutting out bad habits will prevent unnecessary damage to your body’s largest organ.

The other main culprit when it comes to preventing the premature ageing of skin is sun damage. Whilst you might look better with a tan, the ultraviolet rays of the sun penetrate the skin, damaging the elastic fibres that keep it firm – so always wear sunscreen and under no circumstances allow yourself to get burnt!

Maintenance

Now we know what not to do, what do we do? Anti-ageing is often focused solely on the prevention and treatment of wrinkles. However, what’s often underestimated is how the reduced production of collagen, and the loss of fat on the face, allows gravity to drag skin down, creating hollows in the face, sagging skin and exacerbating wrinkles.

While Botox can partially relax muscles, preventing the worsening of creases by reducing facial expressions – how can we keep collagen levels up and preserve the lift and plumpness of our youth?

The answer is, mainly, ensuring that you have a healthy and balanced diet. Eating five portions of fruit and veg a day is crucial, as is proper hydration.

Particularly important is getting enough vitamin C and amino acids. They are essential components in the production of collagen, so eating a varied diet filled with ingredients such as leafy green vegetables like kale and broccoli, colourful fruits and vegetables, and omega acid rich nuts and fatty fish, will help give your body a boost.

Reverse

No matter how much you prevent, or how much you maintain, fine lines and sagging skin are an inevitable consequence of ageing. Controlling your lifestyle factors will only protect you so far, the rest is in your genes.

But does that mean that we simply have to accept the effects of age on our faces? The answer is no.

Dermal fillers are a way of reversing the appearance of ageing on your skin. Skilfully applied, they can return natural volume to skin that has begun to loosen and sag, lifting out and softening the appearance of lines and wrinkles. The leading product on the market, Juvederm, uses a synthetic form of hyaluronic acid – a substance that is naturally present in the skin, helping to keep it moisturised. Fillers, carefully injected into areas such cheeks, lough lines, chin, marionette lines and temples, can enhance virtually any facial features and contours, often providing an immediate effect.

The effects of Juvederm are not permanent – so while they can return the volume and vigour to your skin, the procedure will need to be repeated as the filler naturally breaks down. However, with results lasting for about a year, these are hardly short-term effects. You should be confident in your decision and research the background and previous work of the person who will be injecting your fillers. A skilled and experienced practitioner makes all the difference. While some clinics, like Revere, can correct poorly done fillers, it’s highly-skilled, not widely done and in some cases, isn’t possible.

So whether you’re looking to pursue or preserve naturally fresh, young looking skin – it’s never too late to start. Keep what nature gave you looking healthy and happy for as long as possible; and when gravity starts taking its toll – there’s always a way to give nature a helping hand.