Sarah's Health Notes: What to do when you don't love your wrinkles...
A friend rang the other day; her stress levels had been high for some time and showed no sign of diminishing. One thing had improved: after nine years of hot flushes, she’d finally ‘given in’ and decided to go on HRT. The flushes retreated but there was an unexpected side effect: she lost a fair amount of weight. As she said, great for her figure but bad for her face, which sprouted lines and wrinkles that had never affected her complexion before. ‘I look so much older,’ she said sadly.
One thing that would help her get through the morass of stressors, she told me, would be the right skincare and perhaps treatments to improve her skin. So… I turned to one of my favourite aesthetic doctors, Sophie Shotter, now the recipient of many awards.
‘We age in spurts,’ says Sophie. ‘For women, one of the biggest accelerators of ageing skin is perimenopause, mainly because of the reduction in oestrogen, which causes skin to become more dry, and also collagen, so it loses firmness and bounce.’ We start to lose collagen from the age of 25, and within the first five years of perimenopause, we lose 30%.
Nature dictates that we lose muscle mass (volume), strength and elasticity as the years pass and this affects our face too, as we have more than 40 muscles in the face (some counts make it over 50 – it depends how you count them).
‘Stress – physical, mental or emotional – definitely speeds up skin ageing, because of the high levels of cortisol it triggers,’ says Sophie Shotter. And weight loss is a significant factor: ‘there’s less subcutaneous fat holding the skin taut and plump so more lines and wrinkles’. And, of course, don’t forget ultraviolet light – sunshine in other words, which causes what’s called photoageing – the equivalent of a Mafioso godfather in terms of skin ageing.
Alongside these factors come skin dryness and/or dehydration. These terms are often used interchangeably and many skins have a combination. But they are different: dry skin is an actual type, which lacks lipids (oil), while a dehydrated complexion is a condition where the top layer of skin (stratum corneum) lacks water. (Dehydration can affect all skin types, even acne-prone skin.) In many cases, the skin barrier is impaired so water escapes – known as trans epidermal water loss (TEWL).
However, telling the difference is tricky. Dry skin can feel rough, look flaky and dull, and often has eczema or other skin conditions. Dehydrated skin may also feel rough, tends to be sensitive, look dull and is more prone to deeper lines and wrinkles and loss of elasticity. It may also go with dark shadows under eye and tired looking eyes.
We would never say that you can banish all your lines and wrinkles but we do know that you can make them look better. So read on for Dr Shotter’s expert advice and some from our own experience and that of our thousands of totally independent Beauty Bible testers.
The wonder of hyaluronic acid for dehydrated skin
Drinking more water helps many things but it won’t help dehydrated skin unless you have enough hyaluronic acid (HA) in your skin. HA acts like a sponge, absorbing up to 1,000 times its weight in water so HA is a major helper with dehydration, hydrating and plumping the cells. Our natural production – yep, you guessed it – reduces markedly with age and needs replenishing on a daily basis.
Dr. Shotter recommends taking an HA supplement as well as applying it topically. Her preferred supplement is EverNutri EverHydra®, which will also help increase collagen levels.
Many beauty editors I know choose VH Hyaluronic Acid, formulated by pharmacist Shabir Daya.
Omega 3 can help dry skin
For dry skin, which is often accompanies by inflammatory skin problems such as eczema and redness or rosacea as well as an impaired skin barrier, Dr. Shotter suggests taking omega-3 essential fatty acids, such as EverNutri Omega 3 6 9 Fish & Plant Oils, which also contains vitamin E.
It may help to take Omega 3 twice daily. Dr. Shotter recommends EverNutri Omega 3 Fish Oil, or Strong Nutrients Antarctic Krill; in both cases taking one capsule am/pm. (I take Lamberts Pure Fish Oil, a high potency product at a very reasonable price.)
The outside/inside approach: apply topical HA
For skincare, HA serums are a boon. Try Neostrata Skin Active Tri-Therapy Lifting Serum with Hyaluronic Acid, currently on special offer here. Revision Skincare Hydrating Serum is ultra light and oil free but super hydrating.
Leading French skincare brand La Roche-Posay offers Hyalu B5 Hyaluronic Serum. Also look for brands such as Medik8, SkinCeuticals, Skin Better Science (for a targeted wrinkle filler) and Beauty Pie.
Many of the Award winning serums trialled by our Beauty Bible testers contain hyaluronic acid alongside other complexion carers so do look at the Comments here.
More topical products for dry skin
For dry skin, look for products with lipids, ceramides, free fatty acids and even cholesterol. SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore is a favourite with Dr Shotter. Also NeoStrata Skin Active Rebound Sculpting Cream, currently on special offer here.
Three other thoughts: firstly, gentle exfoliation to remove dead skin on the surface will make lines look less deep. Try peel pads such as NeoStrata Restore PHA Renewal Pads to help fine lines and dark spots.
Do also read our BB testers reviews of the peel pad Award winners here. And liquid facial exfoliators here.
Secondly, a gentle retinol is an option but do remember you must use SPF50 every day. Dr. Shotter recommends Medik8 Crystal Retinal serum in five progressive strengths, which won a Silver Award in last year’s Beauty Bible Awards.
In the Miracle Night Cream category of last year’s Beauty Bible Awards, This Works My Wrinkles Midnight Moisture took a Gold Award; it contains a gentle granactive retinoid blended with bakuchiol (a natural retinol) and HA so a bunch of great ingredients.
For extra brightness, we’d always suggest looking for products that contain vitamin C, such as Skin Diligent Vitamin C Serum in Oil. Or IMAGE Skincare Vital C Hydrating Repair Crème, currently on very special offer here.
And finally - make-up! Matte, full cover foundations are best avoided if you have lines and wrinkles. Dr. Shotter loves Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk, as do we. For extra luminosity and lightness, mix on your hand with a dab of Huda Beauty GloWish MultiDew Skin Tint.
