The Best Facial Treatments for Preventative Skin Care
One of our favorite phenomenon occurring at this time is the growing drive toward preventative skin care. While anti aging skin care still reigns supreme in the beauty industry, more and more young people are recognizing the value of preventative skin care. In other words, our youth is staying educated and investing in skin health earlier so that they can extend the longevity of their youthful glow.
The First Signs of Skin Aging to Look Out For
The first signs of skin aging that you may want to look out for are fine lines around the eyes, loss of volume and loss of elasticity in the face. Fine lines around the eyes and mouth might be the most common first sign of aging noticed because this is where we carry a majority of our expressions. As our skin loses elasticity and volume, fine lines appear in these frequently used facial areas. Hyperpigmentation, or sun spots, due to overexposure of UV rays with little protection from SPF are another premature sign of aging to be aware of. These beginning signs of aging in the face commonly appear when our cellular activity slows down in our thirties, but it isn’t uncommon for twenty-somethings to notice signs of aging if they don’t jump on board with preventative skin care.
The Hardest Signs of Skin Aging to Reverse
If you don’t invest early in preventative skincare, the consequence is a wide range of unfavorable aging skin conditions, from wrinkles to hyperpigmentation. One of the most difficult signs of aging to reverse is hyperpigmentation, which is caused by sun exposure. Hyperpigmentation appears on the skin as liver spots and Chloasma. Chloasma is defined as dark, brown patches of skin on the face (VeryWellFamily, 2020). Liver spots are similar and appear as small, flat dark areas on the skin (MayoClinic, 2020). Sagging skin is another sign of skin aging that is incredibly difficult to reverse and can lead to deep lines around the mouth called nasal labial folds. At that point, without more advanced anti aging facial treatments like microcurrent (which can re-educate and lift the muscle around the skin), giving the skin a more lifted and smooth appearance is challenging.
When Should I Begin Preventative Skin Care Practices?
When it comes to answering the question, “when should I start preventative skin care practices?” the answer is… now! It is never too soon to get into the habit of integrating preventative skin care into your routine. The longer you wait, the more time, money and energy you will need to invest down the road to reverse damage that is being done right now. But the sooner you start, the easier it is to ensure great skin.
Because of how difficult it is to reverse some of the most troublesome signs of aging, it goes without saying you should begin preventative skin care practices as soon as possible. If you begin early, you take control of the situation and can prevent premature aging. The added benefit is that you get into a really good habit and educate yourself early on in the best methods for protecting your skin and taking good care of yourself. Yay #selfcare! You’ll have a much better awareness of how your environment and the sun can take a toll on our skin over time. The longer you wait to begin preventative skincare, the more time you will spend playing catch-up to reverse damage being done, and the less likely it will be to eliminate some of the more frustrating signs of aging on your skin. By that point, you may have lost too much healthy fat, collagen and muscle tone in your face -- all of which are responsible for looking younger and more vibrant.
Professional-Grade Anti Aging Facial Treatments
The best anti aging facial treatments are microcurrent facial treatments. Microcurrent therapy has quickly become the “go-to” anti aging facial treatment for many reasons, but particularly because of these three: it’s pain-free, it naturally tightens and lifts facial muscles, and it helps to even skin tone.
Until the early 2000’s, one of the only reliable options for eliminating signs of aging fast was a surgical face lift. This method has been ridiculed in the media for appearing unnatural and requiring timely, painful downtime and recovery. This has made it an undesirable option for many.
Microcurrent therapy opened up new possibilities of a face lift as a non-invasive, natural alternative yielding facial contouring results. The lift comes from stimulating your facial muscles with tiny electrical current, which encourages the facial muscles to tighten to their healthiest state. This process is often compared to the results you see when visiting the gym regularly and building definition and tone in the muscles of your arms or legs. The muscles have always been there, but with age, lifestyle and other factors they aren’t always as healthy as they could be.
Microcurrent therapy triggers the healing process in our skin and helps even skin tone by increasing Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) levels in the skin cells. As we age, our cellular activity decreases. The stimulation of microcurrent to the face boosts cellular activity of the skin cells, resulting in collagen production and elastin production. These proteins are what help our skin appear more lifelike and glowy. The increase in the production of these proteins helps our skin cells reflect light, rather than absorb that light (which can give our skin a dull appearance).
Other professional-grade anti aging facial treatments our educators suggest are a combination of LED Light Therapy facials and / or Radio Frequency facials. Both treatments are commonly paired with a Microcurrent facial to powerfully reduce signs of aging. Radio Frequency facials are oftentimes used just before a Microcurrent facial because this technology works by, “gently heating dermal tissue to the optimum temperature to stimulate collagen growth” and opening the pores to help the skin absorb any ingredients put onto it (NEWA, 2020). The heat generated by a Radio Frequency facial helps Microcurrent probes more easily grab hold of (and target) current to the facial muscles. This protocol also helps microcurrent drive the beneficial ingredients of gels and serums deeper into the already-opened pores.
With LED Light Therapy (also known as Light Emitting Diode Therapy), the idea is that different colored LED lights spark different healing reactions from different layers of the skin on the face. The result is benefits like reduced inflammation and hyperpigmentation as well as treatment of Acneic skin or Rosacea skin conditions. When using LED Light Therapy with Microcurrent, LED helps to calm inflammatory skin conditions and gets the muscles relaxed. Use of LED addresses the surface of the skin and Microcurrent comes in to help strengthen, firm and tone the muscles underneath. The combination provides a well-rounded healing of the skin, increase of deep hydration, and reduction of the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Microdermabrasion is another professional-grade anti aging skin care treatment that works well on its own or combined with a Microcurrent facial. This technology works to remove dead and damaged skin cells by spraying strong crystal minerals onto the face. The benefits of microderm are that it, “softens fine lines and wrinkles, helps to smooth coarsely textured skin, decreases the appearance of shallow scars, decreases pore size, and reduces superficial hyper-pigmentation.... [and] helps build collagen, which gives skin its plump, youthful appearance” (TripSavvy, 2019).
Finally, Enzyme peels can be incorporated into your regular anti aging skin care routine. Enzyme peels are, “very gentle on the skin… stimulates new cell growth and accelerates natural exfoliation” (Dermani MedSpa, 2018).
The Best Preventative Skincare Routine At Home
The best preventative skin care routine at home depends largely on your individual skin type. Whether you have oily skin, dry skin, combination skin or otherwise existing skin conditions is something that should be determined by your esthetician or dermatologist. At that point the right skin care routine can be laid out for you. Working regularly with your esthetician will also help you identify important factors like how often you should be applying preventative products to your skin and which ingredients you should look out for.
Taking the initiative to make time in your day for your unique preventative skin care routine will make a significant difference in getting the best results. Making sure to mark your calendar with upcoming appointments and regular maintenance treatments with your esthetician will also ensure the longevity of your youthful skin.
Additional Preventative Skin Care Tips
Finally, we want to remind you that efforts to prevent aging should not be limited to your skin care routine. Checking in on our mental health, lifestyle, sleep habits, and stress levels is essential as they all factor in and make a difference in aging gracefully. Lifestyle and sun damage are the primary influencers of aging skin, so at the very least we encourage you to consistently apply SPF and reduce intake of damaging elements like cigarette smoke and highly processed foods. Additionally, keep your hands off of your face and try to clean your cell phone to avoid congesting your skin with bacteria. Regularly clean your sheets, keep your room cool and leave technology outside of your bedroom to make your hours of sleep a time of healing and relaxation for your mind and skin. There are so many little steps we can take that add up to either prevent our skin from aging or expose our skin to aging. Being mindful of our daily habits is one of the best things we can do to prevent aging skin.
