As we age, there are several telltale signs that can be a real blow to our self-confidence. Crow’s feet, sagging jowls, dark spots, droopy eyelids, dark eye bags, cellulite, and hair loss are part of a longer list of all the natural signs of aging that can start as early as our 20’s.
Behind the scenes, the turnover rate of skin cells slows more rapidly with age, leaving older, dead skin at the uppermost layer for longer. This creates the ‘duller’ appearance associated with aging. Not only does age affect the skin cycle, but so do our hormones, environmental factors, and stress levels. In today’s demanding world, it’s just as important to cater to our mental and emotional well-being, because chronic stress can suppress the immune system, cause skin conditions, and drastically speed up aging.
Learn more: What is Cell Turnover or Skin Cycle?
The most common natural signs of aging
- Uneven skin tone and dull complexion
There are a few ways to combat tired, weary-looking skin to restore a healthy glow. LED Light Therapy is a popular choice of treatment to give new life to dull skin, working within specific wavelengths to promote faster healing of the skin.
Facial rolling is also an effective technique that stimulates the lymphatic system to drain toxins, ease muscle tension and promote blood flow. We prefer this technique over a manual massage, as the rose-quartz and jade facial rollers provide extra benefits such as calming inflammation. Gua Sha is a complementary scraping tool that can promote collagen production and restore a youthful look by kneading along the facial TCM meridian lines.
- Enlarged pores
As we age, our skin naturally loses elasticity due to sun damage and a variety of environmental factors. This, coupled with hormonal factors and a poor skincare routine, can cause dirt, dead skin cells and oil to clog up our pores and stretch them out.
To fight enlarged pores, deep cleaning and exfoliation are key. Exfoliation can remove surface debris and dead skin cells to reduce pore size, while also stimulating skin cell renewal and turnover. Exfoliation can easily be incorporated into your skincare routine at home and drastically improve skin texture, using gentle scrubs, microdermabrasion, Comedo suction, or a facial brush.
Learn More:
What is the Difference between Exfoliation and Chemical Peel
How Does Pore Size Change over Time? Can We Shrink Pores?
- Dark spots
Besides all the topical skin lightening creams you can pick up over the counter, you can opt for modern beauty remedies such as LED Light Therapy. With zero downtime needed, LED Light Therapy is the preferred method for brightening skin. Green LED (520nm) regulates melanin production, reduces pigmentation and acts to ‘normalize’ skin to reduce redness.
Learn More:
Fighting Dark Spots, Blemishes and Splotchy Skin
- Fine lines around eyes & mouth
Fine lines, as opposed to deep wrinkles, are shallow creases that appear on parts of the face with repetitive movements such as frowning, smiling, or squinting. Usually, fine lines will form on the thin skin around the eyes and mouth first.
There are several beauty treatments to combat fine lines and prevent them from deepening into wrinkles. Laser resurfacing is one such option, which tightens skin and improves skin texture. Another is RF(Radiofrequency), which is a non-invasive treatment that uses radio wave energy to soften lines, lift and tighten skin.
- Hand, finger, neck, and chest wrinkles
When fine lines on the face go untreated, they result in wrinkles. Deep wrinkles can also form on the thin skin of the neck, chest, hands, and fingers, which are prone to losing their volume and dermal elasticity as we age. For deeper wrinkles, we advise the use of HIFU and most importantly, sunscreen with SPF30 or above to prevent further creasing.
HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) can be used to stimulate collagen production in the hands, reducing the appearance of wrinkled skin and restoring elasticity. The same pulses of ultrasound energy can be applied on the neck and décolletage for similar skin improvement.
- Loss of skin elasticity (sagging)
After the age of 25, our body’s collagen production reduces dramatically – and it shows. To fight the effects of aging, RF and HIFU are powerful beauty tools that are often paired together for optimal skin tightening and lifting results. While HIFU penetrates deep into the skin to stimulate production of collagen to increase skin elasticity, RF focuses on the upper layers of skin to improve facial volume and promote skin cell regeneration.
- Hair loss, receding hair line
While receding hairlines and hair loss are generally associated with men, women are also susceptible to female pattern baldness. Age, anemia, stress, and vitamin deficiency are all factors that can contribute towards hair loss.
Our best kept secret for stimulating hair growth? Laser light therapy. Non-invasive and painless Red Light Therapy is found to be effective at treating hair loss (620nm-660nm), working to restore blood flow to the scalp and stimulate hair follicles. Now with the option to treat yourself in the comforts of home, the result of Red Light Therapy is thicker, shinier and denser hair growth.
- Droopy eyelids
A condition known as Ptosis, hooded and drooping upper eyelids are caused by the weakened muscle that opens the eye. This undesirable outcome of aging can be remedied with various facial massages, Gua Sha techniques, and plasma treatments. A non-invasive plasma eye lift can address saggy eyelid issues in place of painful surgical blepharoplasties, and is preferred for its ability to treat targeted skin without damaging it.
Learn more:
Yoga for Eyes and other Anti-aging Exercise to Prevent Droopy Eyelid
Droopy Eyelids Remedy - Face Rolling and Tips
- Dark under-eye circles & bags
Not surprisingly, the number-one remedy to improve dark under-eye circles is sleep. Beyond that and reducing stress levels, you can indulge your eye area with a relaxing facial rolling massage to improve lymphatic circulation. This brings fresh oxygen and nutrients to the area, brightening up the skin and greatly reducing the racoon-eyes effect. We recommend cold remedies to relieve puffy, under-eye bags. Devices that reach temperatures below -10 degrees Celsius constrict blood vessels, effectively ‘shocking’ the dermis, de-puffing and improving the appearance of eye bags.
Learn more: Hot and Cold - The Power of Temperature
- Cellulite
A condition that affects around 90% of women and 10% of men, cellulite causes skin to appear dimpled and lumpy, and often appears on the thighs, buttocks, and stomach. Some tried-and-true tested ways to reduce the appearance of cellulite include dry brushing your skin to boost blood circulation, or topical solutions such as collagen-promoting raw shea butter and coconut oil.
Learn more:
Dry Brushing Routine for Radiant Skin
“The” Beauty Staple: Coconut
Shea Butter Basics