Preventative Aging

How to Prevent Premature Aging

Getting older is absolutely something to be thankful for, but that doesn’t make fine lines and wrinkles any less shocking when we get them!

Signs of aging are some of the top-voiced skin concerns across all skin types, so we’re sharing some preventative measures you can incorporate in your 20s and 30s to help keep your skin looking youthful, longer. 

TIP 1: Prioritize SPF + Vitamin C

UVA rays are strongly associated with skin aging so you want to make sure you’re having a full-blown love affair with daily SPF. Doesn’t matter if you’re indoors or out, in direct sun or shade, using at least SPF 50 daily on your face, neck, and chest is the number one thing you can do to prevent premature aging—fine lines, wrinkles, and dark spots.

Anytime you’re choosing SPF protection, make sure you select products that protect against BOTH forms of UV rays. (Sheer Protection SPF 50+ and Tinted Protection SPF 50+ do just that!)

Vitamin C serum is a powerful antioxidant that when applied to the skin topically checks all of the below boxes:

• Produces collagen (firms skin/reduces wrinkles)
• Provides UV protection from harmful rays
• Improves texture of the skin
• Prevents/actively fades dark spots
• Fights free radical damage (ex: cigarette smoke, household chemicals, environmental toxins, etc.)

Unless you have a known sensitivity to l-ascorbic acid, we recommend Liquid Gold! It’s a multitasking, antioxidant powerhouse micro-emulsion designed to penetrate deep into the skin, providing mega protection from UV damage, defending against premature aging of skin, while encouraging collagen production and boosting effectiveness of SPF.

Plus, unlike traditional Vitamin C serums, which are water-based and can be drying, Liquid Gold is a micro-emulsion formulated with coconut based esters to provide long-term hydration, working together with turmeric and avocado extract to give you soft, vibrant, nourished skin.

If you experience breakouts or sensitized reactions when using Vitamin C serums, try this instead: Revision C+ Correcting Complex 30%. It’s great for all skin types.

TIP 2: Aid Cellular Turnover

As we get older, our skin’s ability to regenerate new cells starts slowing down. When that turnover process starts happening less often:

• Elasticity decreases
• Dryness + dullness increase
• The skin starts thinning
• And fine lines + wrinkles become more common

This is why we (and every skincare professional on the planet) love products that aid in cellular turnover–like these:

Retinoids

They're the ultimate defense against this cause of fine lines + wrinkles because they increase cellular turnover and boost collagen/elastin production. And when you include retinoids as part of a full skincare routine, it’s simply unmatched in promoting long-term skin health.

Retinol is a non-prescription retinoid that the skin has to convert into its active form retinoic acid (tretinoin) before it can start working it’s anti-aging magic.

Retin-A (Tretinoin) is a prescription-strength, higher-concentrated retinoic acid that is already in its active state so when it is applied topically to the skin, it begins working right away. It tends to be good for people who have oily, more tolerant skin.

Retinaldehyde (aka “retinol's gentle cousin”) is another over the counter/non-prescription retinoid. It goes through one less conversion before it is in the active state. This is the derivative used in our RetinAL Skin Therapy.

Both retinol and retinaldehyde are good for people who have sensitive skin. Personally, we have found retinaldehydes to be better tolerated than retinols, and an added bonus is that retinaldehyde is gentle enough to be used around the eyes and on the neck + chest!

Additionally, RetinAL Skin Therapy contains a time-released delivery system specifically designed to quickly and efficiently work on the skin while:

• protecting the potency of the retinaldehyde
• helping lessen side effects
• allowing for a more targeted delivery of active ingredients over a period of several hours
• getting the product deep into the skin allowing our product to yield better results

All of these effects ultimately allow you to be more compliant, optimizing your retinoid usage and maximizing the benefits (i.e. more cellular turnover)!

AHAs

Alpha Hydroxy Acids—found in Toning Pads, Toning Pads II and Glow Peel Pads— are another great tool for keeping signs of aging at bay. Toning Pads (II) can be used up to twice a day as tolerated, and GPP can be used 1-3x a week for deep exfoliation; stimulating blood vessels and increasing cellular turnover.

TIP 3: Make Lifestyle Changes

This image kind of explains everything we need to say here…

Did this info help you fear fine lines + wrinkles a little bit less?! Remember, growing older is a gift not everyone gets! (But…never grow up, it’s a trap.)