We are women- beautifully powerful, unique and always evolving. Just as we grow and change throughout the decades, our skin does the same. The things we need and desire in our twenties take different form as we enter our thirties, forties and fifties; and like clockwork, our skin follows. But some people want to remain youthful and go to O’Neill Dermatology’s website available here in order to keep their smooth and clear skin. By doing this, they are able to keep their confidence and feel better about the way they look,
Intrinsic aging is determined by heredity, a genetic programing that controls the hormones responsible for growing older. “The rate of ageing is significantly different among different populations, as well as different anatomical sites, even within a single individual,” explains Shaukat A. Shah, M.D., of Total Body Cosmetic Surgery Center. “The intrinsic rate of skin ageing in any individual can also be dramatically influenced by personal and environmental factors, particularly the amount of exposure to ultraviolet light,” notes Dr. Shah. People trying to reverse the effects of ageing and damage to their skin often look towards products like dermal repair complex to improve the appearance of their skin with the aid of supplements.
Also differing among women is our skin type, explains Brittany Davis, General Manager of Perfect Balance Day Spa. Skin ranges from normal to dry, oily, combination and sensitive. Differing types depend on many factors like water intake, skin elasticity, oil or lipid content, pore size and of course, genetics. To identify your skin type and best regimen, Davis suggests paying attention to your “T-Zone”, (your forehead, nose and chin.) Typically, 80 percent of women have combination skin, with an oily T-Zone and dry skin on their cheeks. “As we age, our skin type changes based on what is in the air, where we live and our hormone levels,” Brittany notes.
Let’s venture through the decades to further understand how and why our skin is changing, and with help from local experts, ways to put our best face forward…
Ah, twenties; a time of growth, change and confusion. It seems life often mirrors our skin at this time, calm and then suddenly irritated… thanks, hormones.
According to Dr. Shah, the biggest issue of twenty-something skin is often battling breakouts. To properly treat acne, we must disrupt one or more of the four processes that occur: excess sebum production, hyperkeratinization, colonization of propionibacterium acnes, and inflammation, explains Lam Le, a Physician’s Assistant at Central Valley Dermatology. “Salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, topical clindamycin, topical tretinoin, oral antibiotics, spironolactone and oral isotretinoin successfully treat adult acne,” adds Le.
Pores can also be a concern in our twenties, and Brittany suggests Dr. Murad’s personally generated treatment, the Pore Reform Facial, available at Perfect Balance Day Spa. “The pore reform mask almost diminishes the look of pores, and even the color of black heads,” she says. But, there’s also a host of positives happening in our twenties. As Le explains, the hormonal changes experienced during our teens and twenties not only influence our sexual characteristics, but also have a profound, positive, influence on our skin. “Estrogen not only develops the women’s physique, but is responsible for the feminine aesthetic. Estrogen can increase glycosaminoglycan such as Hyaluronic Acid, which maintains fluid balance, structural integrity and keeps us hydrated.”
At a time when most women are coming into their own, building families, careers and experiencing successes, our skin is at its best. During this decade, hormonal cycles become regular for most women (who are not experiencing pregnancy), having a profound influence on our aesthetics. At this time, estrogen and androgen allow the skin to thicken, hydrate and prevent wrinkle formation, says Le. ?However, many women in this decade begin expanding their family. As Dr. Shah explains, skin changes due to hormone fluctuations of pregnancy and can include worsening acne, Spider Angiomas (facial spider veins) and Melasma-when sun exposed skin on our cheeks, forehead and upper lip turns a tan, brownish color due to excess pigment deposited in the skin’s upper layers.
To combat pregnancy skin woes, Total Body Cosmetic Surgery Center offers advanced technology and state of the art systems, like Vein Therapy, to safely and effectively treat superficial face veins that may occur during pregnancy, or appear throughout your life. As we enter our forties, we often say hello to a new life phase, surely full of excitement and change. Saying goodbye to our thirties unfortunately means we bid farewell to our “best skin.” With many life experiences under our belt, our hormones decline, environmental stress begins to catch up, and the ability to regenerate diminishes. “There is also decreased collagen and elastin production, which leads to thinning, dry and loose skin,” adds Le of CVD. “We also see those fine lines become a bit deeper,” adds Brittany. To combat these changes, Le suggests treatment products like CVD’S Dermasweap and Gentle Yag Lift laser skin therapy treatment. In addition, Shah suggests, “Cleansers with low concentrations of exfoliating alpha or beta hydroxy acids- in addition to the Anti-Aging Therapies and Botox we offer at the center.”
Brittany says life at forty is a great time to add variety to our skin regimen. “In addition to Dr. Murad’s peels, like the Intensive Wrinkle Reducer, it’s smart to invest in more intensive procedures if needed,” she continues, “Microdermabrasion uses a natural sand blast to break down skin and lift unevenness.For ladies that struggle with acne scaring and deep wrinkles, the Microdermabrasion used in conjunction with the specialty peels are a truly customized treatment offered at Perfect Balance Day Spa.”
Living life as a fifty and fabulous woman surely inspires, as we begin to day dream of retirement, grandchildren and the host of new hobbies we’ll discover in our free time, now that the kids have grown. Most women reach menopause during this decade, and diminished hormone levels have a deep impact on our skin. As Le explains, “We begin to notice more apparent wrinkles and dark spots called lentigines. Capillaries lose their elasticity and become dilated. This, combined with the thinning of the skin leads to facial redness,
such as a condition called Rosacea.”
During this period, we should focus on recognizing changes to our skin, as we’ve absorbed a barrage of chemicals, free radicals, UV light and toxins over the years, all of which catch up to us in the form of dark spots, deeper wrinkles, redness and possbile skin malignancy.
The team at CVD treats dark spots with products containing topical hydroquinone, and corrects facial redness with lasers or topical Mirvaso. Perfect Balance Day Spa helps us age gracefully with Intense Pulsed Light Therapy, a treatment that induces natural collagen production of the skin, and Total Body Cosmetic Surgery Center offers BOTOX® and JUVÉDERM® in addition to a variety of less invasive anti-aging services.
While discussing women’s skin care with some of San Joaquin’s most respected professionals, the extreme importance of sunscreen and UV protection was seriously stressed, for every decade. “You want to find the PA +++ sunscreen,” suggests Brittany.
PA ranking refers to the amount of protection sunscreen offers from the UVA rays, since SPF just ranks protection from UVB rays. Dr. Shah agrees, saying, the intrinsic rate of skin ageing in any individual can be dramatically influenced particularly by the amount of exposure to ultraviolet light.
Women of San Joaquin, we wish you graceful aging and eternal happiness. With our annual skin-focused stories, we’re here to help you transition through life, bringing you the latest trends and care, with help from community experts.