Understanding the active ingredients in the products you buy is important in any area of wellness, but the perhaps most important area is that of anti-ageing. People slather all kinds of things on their face or even take pills in the name of looking younger and fresher, so it’s vital you know exactly what you are subjecting your body and, as a result, your wellbeing to. Let’s take a look at how seven active ingredients can affect your anti-ageing wellness.
1. Peptides: These short chains of amino acids can be synthesized in an infinite order of different combinations, but in skincare scientists add fatty ends to help peptides penetrate the skin. Various peptides can
- Stimulate your collagen production
- Regulate your fibroblast collagenase production (which breaks down collagen)
- Stimulate growth factors
- Stimulate antioxidant enzymes
- Enhance matrix proteins
- Enhance your skin’s wound healing and cell repair
- Modulate your skin pigmentation
- Provide antimicrobial activity
However, be sure to check the percentage of peptides on the label as some products only contain enough for marketing reasons, and won’t do anything at all for your skin.
2. Retinol: This is derived from vitamin A and works on your DNA so that it promotes healthy keratinocytes. When you administer retinol on your skin, it causes the epidermis to thicken, collagen and elastin to increase and UV-induced collagenese to decrease. This means that retinol is handy as a treatment for your fine lines, wrinkles, and hyper-pigmentation.
3. Antioxidants: Vitamin C neutralises free radicals in your skin and stimulates and cross links collagen during synthesis. In skincare, it works great for fine lines and course wrinkles, and improves your tone, laxity and dark pigmentation. Vitamin E protects your skin from the oxidative damage of UV exposure, such as erythema, edema, and sunburn cell formation. Like French and Saunders, though these antioxidants work well on their own, they are at their best when used together.
4. Sun cream: You might confine sun cream to the summer months, but it’s actually the most important product on this list. True, modest amounts of exposure to the sun helps your body to produce vitamin D and this is beneficial to your wellbeing, too much UV exposure is detrimental, and injures your skin’s fibroblasts. This means you produce less collagen and elastin, leading to less dense, robust, and elastic skin – with more wrinkles and pigmentation! Use a sun cream that is protective of UVA and UVB and is photo stable.
5. Advanced Glycation End-products (AGE): Wellness experts have joined the dots between glycation and disease and ageing. In the abnormal process of glycation, sugars are joined to fats and proteins your body in a non-enzymatic way, which, over time, influences the metabolism of your cells. The sugars bind to proteins such as collagen, elastin, and cell membranes, which causes the formation of Advanced Glycation End-products. However, some skincare products promote your ability to help protect the skin’s natural collagen from this, so try Prestige-Clinique Youth Surge SPF 15 or Dr. Brandt Lineless Anti-Glycation.
6. Sirtuins: These cellular proteins are thought to be the prime central regulators of ageing, promoting cell repair and production of protective antioxidants. Some products even enhance your body’s ability to turn on these “longevity genes” which helps to maintain the healthy balance of your skin cells.
7. Ceramides: These cellular fats (lipids) are found in between your skin cells, and help keep pathogens out and moisture in your skin. You need this hydration in order for your skin to look healthy and vibrant.