Do you know what the CO2 Laser can do for your skin?
8 de November de 2023
- Rambla de Catalunya, 60. Barcelona
Menu
There are many factors that influence skin aging, and there are numerous medical aesthetic treatments available to slow down and reduce its symptoms. But are there any measures we can take in our daily lives to contribute to maintaining youthful skin? Can skincare truly combat the signs of aging?
If you read the previous article where we explained the transformation process that the face undergoes over the years from the inside out, you’ll know that the skin is the tissue that suffers the most from environmental factors and lifestyle. So, the answer is yes, our daily life has a direct effect on the quality of our skin.
A balanced and nutrient-rich diet, especially one rich in antioxidants, can help protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals and reduce signs of aging. Antioxidant-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables, can help reduce inflammation and prevent cellular damage that leads to premature skin aging.
Furthermore, it’s important to remember that healthy lifestyle habits, such as not smoking, limiting alcohol consumption, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly, can also help maintain healthy and youthful skin for a longer period of time.
On the other hand, cosmetics can offer a wide range of treatments and products that can help reduce the visible signs of skin aging, such as wrinkles, fine lines, sunspots, and sagging. Skincare products can contain active ingredients that stimulate collagen and elastin production, hydrate, and protect the skin from the sun and other external agents that can cause damage.
Let’s take a closer look at how skincare and nutrition help delay the effects of aging over time.
Dermocosmetic treatments are topical treatments designed to improve the appearance of the skin and delay the signs of aging. These treatments can include products such as moisturizers, serums, exfoliants, masks, and other products designed to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, dark spots, and other signs of aging.
There are several ways in which dermocosmetic treatments can help delay skin aging:
Exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells from the skin. The buildup of dead skin cells on the skin’s surface can make the skin appear dull and lackluster, which can accentuate the signs of aging.
Peels renew the layer of cells in the epidermis and help stimulate new cell production. Furthermore, by removing layers of dead cells, the penetration of active cosmetics applied to the skin is facilitated.
Glycolic acid, lactic acid, or gluconic acid peels applied in a treatment room help regenerate the skin by removing dead cells and improving its appearance.
Our skin is covered by a hydrolipidic mantle formed by the secretion of structures such as sebaceous glands or sweat glands. This hydrolipidic mantle is what prevents us from losing water through the skin, and the water retained within it is what hydrates our skin.
Some individuals have a more protective composition than others, but what is certain is that we all lose protective capacity as the years go by. Knowing our patients’ skin well is essential in order to recommend the best cosmetics for their skin. Do you know about our free online skin diagnosis service?
Sun exposure is one of the main causes of skin aging, as we already discussed in the previous article. At Clínica Escoda, we like to say that the best anti-aging cosmetic is a good sunscreen that filters different types of radiations, such as UVB, UVA, IR-A, and Visible light.
But skin protection isn’t solely achieved through sunscreens; we also protect our skin when we apply antioxidants and repairing products that help counteract the action of free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage skin cells and accelerate the aging process.
Vitamin C is a highly interesting antioxidant not only when taken orally but also when applied topically, due to its high capacity for neutralizing free radicals. Exactly for this reason, it’s very challenging to prevent vitamin C from oxidizing before it penetrates our skin, and this has posed a challenge for laboratories to develop an effective yet sustainable format. Many pure vitamin C serums come in small single-use ampoules or in pearl-like formats that are activated just before application to the face.
In summary, dermocosmetic treatments can help delay skin aging by providing hydration, protecting against free radical damage, and exfoliating the skin. By incorporating these treatments into a daily skincare routine, you can achieve healthier and more youthful-looking skin in the long term.
There is increasing evidence of the importance of nutrition in skin health and beauty. As we discussed in the previous article, aging has an endogenous component that applies to the entire body and depends on our genetics, as well as an exogenous component influenced by external factors, such as diet.
Therefore, nutrition should be the foundation of good health for both our face and our entire body.
A good anti-aging nutrition should be rich in:
They are a group of molecules capable of neutralizing the free radicals that are generated when the body experiences damage, such as sunlight exposure on our skin.
Within this group, we find vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and even organic silicon, all of which have antioxidant functions.
Nutrition is closely related to the gut microbiota, which refers to the bacterial composition of our intestines. The bacteria in our intestines play a crucial role in the overall health of our body. They are closely related to the immune system, and scientific studies even suggest the influence of our gut microbiota composition on our mood.
To take care of our gut microbiota, nutrition is essential. It’s very important to have a diet rich in prebiotics, which serve as food for our bacteria. We’re talking about diets rich in insoluble fiber, which is a main source of nutrition for our bacteria.
Discover the difference between probiotics and prebiotics, and their effects on health in our blog article.
Collagen is a protein composed of three intertwined amino acid chains in a spiral shape, and it’s what provides elasticity to our skin. When we’re young, our collagen is intact, and so is our elasticity. As the years go by, the collagen throughout our body loses its elasticity, and that of the face even more so due to exposure to ultraviolet rays.
A good way to assist our repairing cells, the fibroblasts, in replenishing this collagen is by consuming a diet rich in collagen and taking supplements that contain it. Because while the complete collagen molecule isn’t absorbed by the intestines, the amino acids that make it up are absorbed, and these nutrients are what cells use to create new collagen.
Organic silicon is an essential trace element and, therefore, indispensable for our health and well-being. It’s a crucial mineral for the body as it’s involved in the regenerative processes of our body, especially in the formation of collagen and elastin, which contributes to the health of our skin, hair, nails, as well as bones and joints. Starting around the age of 35, its levels begin to decrease, so it’s highly recommended to provide an extra intake of it.
Both skincare and nutrition can be effective tools to slow down skin aging, and by combining both, significant improvement in appearance and health can be achieved.
More than 30 years of experience in aesthetic and regenerative medicine is at your service in Barcelona.
Doctora Nuria Escoda
Premio Top Doctors Awards 2022 como mejor especialista en Medicina Estética en España
OPENING TIMES
From Monday to Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
FIND US
Rambla Catalunya 60, pral 1ª
08007 Barcelona
Fener, 11–13
AD500 Andorra la Vella
andorra.clinicaescoda.com
CONTACT US
FOLLOW US
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
And get -10% on your first online purchase!
