Your skin is a major indicator of your overall health, and one of the most obvious outward manifestations is its 'youthfulness'. Understanding how your skin works is the key to preserving great skin for as long as possible.
Photo Aging
Wrinkles, fine lines and pigmentation are inevitable skin issues that often appear as we age. While we like to place blame on getting another year older, the main culprit is photoaging — damage to the skin caused by exposure to sunlight and ultraviolet (UV) light. Responsible for 90 percent of visible changes to the skin, photoaging is a direct result of cumulative sun damage you’ve been exposed to throughout your life.
Wearing sunscreen every day can do more than prevent skin cancer — it can prevent signs of photoaging as well. In fact, many people tout sunscreen for being their go-to antiaging weapon, and for good reason. Regular use has been shown to keep photodamage at bay for a longer period of time.
Natural Aging
Even if it’s not obvious when you look in the mirror, every day, your skin is aging, just like the rest of your body. Signs of aging vary according to your age, lifestyle, genetics, and external factors like sun exposure and environmental stress.
Keeping your skin healthy or improving its appearance means making positive lifestyle and skin care choices and avoiding not-so-healthy choices (like smoking, drinking alcohol, and eating poorly) that can cause skin to age prematurely. It’s never too late to change your habits — and the health of your skin.
How Can, All About You Help?
You already know that All About You has a passion for caring for your skin and helping our clients achieve realistic results:
Our hero Vitamin... There are a few key nutrients that the skin really needs — and vitamin A is one of them. Whether you find it in your diet or in products, A’s protective and nourishing ingredients, and the nutrients your body uses to do so, contribute to keeping your skin healthy, firm and radiant.
Most of your vitamin A intake comes from eating foods rich in beta-carotene and provitamin A carotenoids, which are powerful antioxidants. Not only do free radicals break down collagen (the building block of your skin) and contribute to fine lines and skin tone, they also reduce skin sensitivity to the sun, providing some natural protection against sun-redness and color.
Topical vitamin A in the form of retinol (found in over-the-counter products) and retinoic acid (found in doctors ‘creams) are wrinkle-fighters. Studies have shown that these ingredients can stimulate collagen production: When collagen is damaged due to UV exposure and other invaders, wrinkles begin to grow, much like the cracks in a weak foundation. Retinoids “open up” the cells responsible for making new collagen, strengthen your skin and fill in fine lines under the face so that the skin looks smoother.
How to Add Vitamin A to Your Skincare Routine
Even if you haven’t been using vitamin A in your beauty routine, the good news is you’re already ingesting it on a daily basis thanks to nutrient-dense foods (like eggs and dairy products). Orange and green leafy vegetables (like sweet potatoes, spinach, carrots, and cantaloupe) contain an ample amount of beta-carotene, which our body then converts into vitamin A.
In order to reap the anti-aging benefits and maximize cellular turnover, your best bet is to apply vitamin A topically. When incorporating the nutrient into your skincare routine, it’s best to introduce it on a gradual basis and allow your skin to build up a tolerance to it. Start by asking your therapist for a recommendation at your next appointment. Its never too late to start.
