Influencing factors in ageing well

So why are we delving into the influencing factors in skincare?  We have an amazing founder who has a wealth of knowledge that she kindly shares and inspired us with every week, and…

Guess who is turning 60!
The clinic’s creator & owner of 20 years!

It’s time to Celebrate Gaye’s Birthday and so enjoy reading all about…

• What influencing factors she’s learnt about skin and skin care in her 20 years
• Why she thinks the future of skin care is in her clinic

 

What influencing factors have I learnt about Skin and skincare?

That all skins have their own story.
The older the skin the more varied the story.

There are four influencing factors in how the skin ages within that story:

• UV damage
• Internal gut health; good diet and sufficient daily water intake
• Stress from external factors or internal such as illness or poor diet.
• Genetics

Skin may be light or dark, oily or dry, the 4 factors above make the difference between a person having an inflammatory skin response such as breakouts or full-blown acne, rosacea, melasma or pigmentation or simply ageing faster than their mother or sister.

When i began in skin care the skin was considered an isolated organ. It was all about the products we applied with treatments being real “peels” designed to traumatise the skin in order to stimulate new cell growth. We never thought of the damage we were doing in the long term and, unfortunately research in the last decade has revealed that many skins advanced in age quicker because  products and treatments were too strong. They were also full of preservatives and nastys which often made skin’s feel nice, but were masking the potential damage.

In my first months, being introduced to my first retinol product – it’s 1996 – and the A was pretty strong, I thought i was pretty smart, neglected to prep myself with a home retinol serum and had a Vitamin A (retinol) Peel!

Now I had been a sun lover, I lived a pretty fast stress-filled life as mother, wife and skin care nurse and, no surprises I had quite a dramatic result which in today’s world would have people jumping up and down in disgust!  I was very red, my face peeled, but before I did this my face swelled so I could hardly see, it then blistered all over and I’ll never forget the pain I felt when outside in any small amount of sun!  It was a lesson learnt not just for me but for every client i have treated since!!

Two of my favorite products that combined can assist these influencing factors

I did discover 2 of my still favorite recovery products: CosMedix Rescue Balm and CosMedix Reflect Spray on Sunblock. These two products are still best sellers because they deserve to be!! Both are full of anti-inflammatory antioxidants with the Spray-on Reflect so easy to apply over sore skin – or any skin!

In a nut shell I’ve learnt to listen to my client, to hear her (or his) story, to examine the skin and be ready for surprises because every skin reacts differently and one person’s perception of beauty may be totally different to mine!

Holistic Skin Care – the future!

My 20 years has also taught me, and research is at last agreeing, that your skin is truly a reflection of your inner health.

Inner health means your gut health, and gut health is not just about what you eat and drink but how you live your life. How you manage stress, whether you get sufficient sleep, the type and amount of exercise you have, your general enjoyment of life – these  all effect your gut health and in turn your skin. Today’s food often does not contain all the nutrients it should and did a few decades ago.  Of the goodies we eat only a small % reach our skin which means topical serums and creams are required to treat skin concerns. However if your diet is not good your skin will not be able to function optimally.

As a person and then as nurse and nutritionalist i guess i love the look of enlightenment i see on clients faces as they discover that they have the power to easily change their skin, before we even discuss products. It is one of those moments that keeps me in the clinic!

Skin care research –
So many discoveries especially in the last 5-10 years and i love that the companies we represent are at the forefront of this research. This means our products have the latest in effective ingredients!  No longer do we need to harm the skin, we feed and nourish it instead. We heal the top layers and give cell walls the tools to repair themselves so more water can be retained – the chronically dehydrated, inflamed, impaired skin can now feel soft and supple.

So have your essentials changed with these influencing factors?

Retinaldehyde – Vitamin A or any of the Retinols is still the mainstay of effective skin care. However now it can be delivered deep into the skin effectively without the need for unnecessary extra “nasty” ingredients. Vitamin A works inside the cell, so why add chemicals which the cell has to deal with before the A can be utilised. There are so many types of Vitamin A, we use stabilised Retinaldehyde in the clinic. It only needs to change once before it can enter the cell – again, why make your skin work harder than it has to? If you’ve never been able to use an old fashioned A – try one of our!

Antioxidant research is now so much more than a Vitamin C serum. Which Vitamins are stored in the skin, the functions they are needed for and the interactions they have with each-other have all resulted in new serums to help in our skin.  It is now clear that Vitamins A, B, C and E are required for a skin to be healthy.

UV Protection is the single most important factor in decreasing the rate that your skin ages.  The balance between this and ensuring sufficient levels of Vitamin D in the body is an ongoing discussion.

Gut health is the root of skin problems. Your skin is definitely a reflection of your inner health and today’s food often does not contain all the nutrients it should and did a few decades ago.  Of the goodies we eat only a small % reach our skin which means topical serums and creams are required to treat skin concerns.  However if your diet is not good it will influence how your skin works.  There are superfoods now that can assist with maintaining a better balance within your gut and thus assisting your whole body.

Cleansers can be gentler and more effective than in the past.  It is not necessary now with new cleansing acids and enzymes to use harsh products to clean and stimulate new cells and general skin function.

Influencing Factors with your essentials also include –

Toxic chemicals: They are not necessary in skin care and have been recognised as increasing inflammation in the skin causing faster ageing, more acne and dehydration. Guess what, most generic skin care products still add them. Meaning that you need more and more of their product to solve your problem.  There are ways skin care can be produced and still be effective without the nastys!

Skin Hydration: If skin is dehydrated, it cannot function optimally and subsequently its immunity becomes impaired which increases this inflammation.  Adult stem cells and growth factors are the secret to helping cells repair themselves so they can retain water.

Delivery systems: In order for ingredients to reach just where they need to be there needs to be some fancy science added to the ingredient. This is a delivery system. They were around in the early days, however there are still few skin care ranges utilising them.

Skin inflammation: is what ages you and causes all other problems.

Stress: a chronic high level of cortisol from low grade constant stress is effecting your entire body which, in turn decreases the health and look and feel of your skin.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the last 20 years. The clinic has grown alongside my youngest child, he is now big and strong and so is the clinic. My wonderful team are all as passionate about holistic skin care as i am and they do a superb job in supporting our clients here in Hobart as they solve their skin concerns.  Of course i have an equally superb team who assist me with my online clients as i help them via cyber space. The clinic is so much more than i envisaged way back in the 90’s. Keeping up with the latest research, discovering better health and enjoying watching people heal their skin is a joy to us all.

And lastly – as a person and then as nurse and nutritionalist i guess i love the look of enlightenment i see on clients faces as they discover that they have the power to easily change their skin, before we even discuss products. It is one of those moments that keeps me in the clinic!

Thank you, I will forever be grateful for your support.

Best Wishes,
Gaye