When we’re young, our body has an abundance of collagen that gives our skin its firmness and elasticity. Alas, as we get older, our production begins to slow and the quality begins to degrade. This is why, if you want to look younger for longer, it’s important to use products containing collagen-encouraging ingredients (such as retinol, growth factors and vitamin C) and give your skin a regular ‘turbo-boost’ with an in-office treatment designed to do the same.
At Skin Renewal, you’ll find many collagen-stimulating ‘starter’ aesthetic treatments as well as those that target the very first signs of ageing. These include light and laser treatments, microdermabrasion, beta hydroxy peels and transdermal mesotherapy. The best bit, however, is that they’re all needle-free, painless and require zero downtime. They’re also suitable for any skin type and, if performed regularly, can help delay the need for something more invasive later on.
See the light
Upon hearing the words ‘laser treatment’ many imagine something that might hurt, burn or peel. Fortunately, there are many completely painless laser and light options that require zero down time and yet they can make a big difference.
A prime example is Photo Dynamic Therapy (PDT) which uses visible red and blue as well as invisible yellow light at varying wavelengths to stimulate the deeper tissues of your skin. Depending on the combination, PDT can soften fine lines, improve skin tone, stimulate wound healing, diminish acne and reduce inflammation.
For the prevention of premature ageing, red and yellow light is best as they encourage your skin to produce more collagen. For optimal results, most need between eight to ten sessions, but your therapist will be able to guide you as to how many you’d require, as well as which light combinations would suit you best based on the condition of your skin.
Laser Genesis Rejuvenation is another way to stimulate collagen production. It can also improve skin texture, refine pores, minimise the appearance of acne scars and reduce the look of wrinkles, redness and sallowness. With every treatment, you’ll see compound results but without the unwanted side effects, like redness or swelling, that are linked to more aggressive laser-type treatments.
Peel and reveal
Don’t underestimate the importance of exfoliation. Getting rid of old, dead skin cells doesn’t just reveal a brighter, fresher-looking complexion, it also keeps your pores clear of debris which assists with the prevention of acne. Regular exfoliation also ensures you get more bang for your buck from skincare products as their active ingredients can better penetrate your skin.
You can exfoliate at home using either a mechanical scrub (something with grains or beads in it) or apply a leave-on product containing chemical exfoliants like alpha or beta hydroxy acids. Both of these methods will shift dead skin cells, but an in-office exfoliating treatment like microdermabrasion or a peel will yield even more impressive results.
Microdermabrasion, which can be performed as often as once a week, involves blowing a stream of air that circulates microcrystals across the surface of your skin. It doesn’t hurt at all and most say it feels like a tiny vacuum cleaner is gently running across their face. Unlike the mechanical exfoliation you could do at home, microdermabrasion is a lot more effective. You’ll notice that skin that was once dull, now has a glow and your pores look more refined after just one treatment. After several, you should see that fine lines have softened and any mild pigmentation has improved.
As far as chemical exfoliation goes, a beta hydroxy peel is a wonderful no downtime option for ‘peel newbies’. It uses salicylic acid that has the ability to lift away surface skin cells as well as penetrate deep inside your pores to keep them clean and clear. Just one peel will reveal a brighter, more refined-looking complexion but a series, the number of which your therapist will recommend, can improve the look of pigmentation as well as acne.
Depending on the strength of your peel, once it’s done, your skin will either look and feel perfectly normal (yet be improved) or you’ll experience mild redness, dryness and perhaps a little bit of scaling that ends within three to seven days.
Keeping lines and pigmentation in check from the get-go prevents a ‘too little too late’ in the future, something that then requires breaking out the ‘big guns’, like very invasive lasers or a peel that’s more intensive.
Let’s go meso!
Chances are you’ve heard about mesotherapy which involves using lots of tiny, incredibly fine needles to deliver active ingredients into the deeper layers of your skin. Transdermal mesotherapy, however, can give you similar results but without the needles. Instead, it relies on dermoelectroporation - electrical pulses and vibrations that transfer an elixir of beneficial ingredients into your skin via its microscopic water channels.
The rejuvenating solution used at Skin Renewal contains a mix of collagen-encouraging active ingredients along with mega-moisturising hyaluronic acid. This way, your skin is instantly plumped and will become even firmer over time as the actives stimulate it to produce more collagen. For best results, 4 to 8 treatments are recommended two weeks apart.
In short, preventing premature ageing is a long game. The earlier you start addressing the first signs before they become entrenched as well as increasing your skin’s collagen reserves, the better. You’ll be able to look more youthful for longer and be less likely to want a more invasive procedure later on. What’s not to love about that?