In this day and age, there’s an enormous arsenal of skin care products aimed at preventing and slowing down the aging of skin. Yofing has created a variety of products – cleansing, moisturizing, nourishing, lifting, and collagen stimulating – which can aid in preventing skin aging and reducing and eliminating imperfections that are already there. But before you choose any skin care product, you have to know about the aging mechanisms of the skin on your face and on your body in general.
Reasons for skin aging
Our skin begins to age with the decrease and gradual termination of collagen and elastin production at the age of 25-30. Almost 70% of all skin proteins consist of collagen fibers. When the skin is still young, these fibers are flexible and firm, and together with elastic fibers, which are quite stretchy, they frame derma and provide it with its qualities. Another collagen function is the transformation of protein molecules into amino acids, which are vital for the human body. As we get older, collagen fibers are broken down, and their deteriorated components build up in our bodies. As a result, our skin becomes flabby and dry, and therefore prone to wrinkling.
Types of skin aging
According to dermatologists, there are four different types of aging: photoaging, hormonal aging, intrinsic aging, and mechanical aging.
1. Photoaging (free radical aging) is correlated to repeated exposure to ultraviolet light, which horribly affects our skin. The visual signs of photoaging are skin dryness, pigmentation, flakiness, yellowish skin tone, and wrinkles. Sometimes the stratum corneum grows bigger and more intensively as a natural reaction to sunburns. First, a rapid destruction of elastin and collagen is observed in derma, and later it starts to pathologically accumulate these proteins. Some people who experience photoaging are susceptible to vascularity spots (telangiectasia), which often appear around the nose area and cheeks. It happens due to the expansion of venous capillaries of derma.
Tip: If you want to prevent photoaging for as long as possible, don’t limit yourself to using sun protection only, but try to also incorporate a skin care product that has collagen in it, as it aids in skin nourishment and moisturizing.
2. Hormonal aging is connected to the decline of hormonal secretions. Women, unfortunately, begin experiencing this process during and after menopause, at around 45 years old. The loss of collagen is associated with a decrease in the production of reproductive hormones, especially estradiol and estrogen. These two particular hormones are in charge of fibroblasts, located in connective tissue of derma, which regulate the synthesis of collagen and elastin. Since the epidermis is renewed every 45 to 60 days, this leads to skin dehydration. Skin becomes very dry and loses its firmness.
Tip: If you can get your hands on supplements or vitamins that manage to restore your hormonal balance, please do it!
3. Intrinsic aging happens to all of us as we get older, although scientists still do not really know what leads to this type of aging and how to truly prevent it. One of the most plausible theories is the “cumulative damage theory”. According to this theory, the older you get, the more calcium accumulates in your skin; thus, it becomes less and less stretchy. Collagen is stored in large arteries, while the “wear-and-tear” pigment lipofuscin stays in the tissue. You may experience various changes in your skin: due to thinning of the epidermis, the skin begins to sag, loses its volume, become dry and thin, and even resemble parchment paper. Deeper wrinkles are formed, and pigmentation shows up more frequently, often on your face and hands. Sometimes skin loses its natural blush and looks quite pale and sickly.
Tip: Don’t give up; aging is natural. In this day and age, there are countless ways to prevent or slow down the aging process. Some little aging flaws are even reversible. You don’t necessarily have to resort to costly skin care, as simply following a healthy lifestyle and clean eating will help you tremendously.
4. Mechanical aging is in no way connected to your actual age. The essential feature of this type of aging is fine lines, and they can appear even in your early 20’s. Their development is correlated to liveliness and facial expression. These small, shallow wrinkles often appear on the outer corners of the eyes, around the mouth, on the bridge of the nose, and on the forehead, as these are the areas in which our facial muscles are most active. Fine lines are considered to be the first sign of aging.
Signs of aging can be divided into several categories:
Fine lines are the skin creases that tend to appear where the facial muscles are most active or where tiny muscle suppressions are formed. If you love to have a good laugh, you’re most likely to develop smile lines (or nasolabial folds). If you squint your eyes often, crow’s feet may appear. Love to contract your forehead or to knit your brows? Then you’re in for some fine lines on your forehead and the bridge of your nose.
What to do? Try to keep an eye on and possibly control your facial expression – and use quality skin care, of course. Though 20-something girls can get away with using only a moisturizer, women who are a bit older are advised to use skin care that stimulates collagen production.
Gravitational changes of facial features. These changes start happening after 35, when the production of collagen and elastin is greatly slowed down and all the facial tissues – facial muscles and skin – start gradually sagging. Why does this happen? It’s all about the law of gravity – even our face is affected by it. The more our muscles weaken and the more skin becomes flabby and loses its elasticity, the more prone to sagging our skin becomes. The first areas that suffer from the effects of gravity are our cheeks, as they are the largest area of our face. With time, cheek muscles begin to sag, and the apples of the cheeks go down, forming jowls. The skin on the chin area sags as well and becomes a double-chin. Overweight people may experience this at an earlier age.
What to do? First of all: try to tone up your facial muscles with facebuilding and do various facial massages regularly. Try to use skin care that not only has moisturizing properties, but also improves collagen and elastin production. The perfect choice would be the Anti-Aging Miracle Set or the Face Lift Treatment Set with stem cells. Don’t forget to moisturize your skin in between treatment courses with the Hydration Skin Care Set.
