8 Dermatologist Approved Ingredients to Help Treat Ageing Skin

Beauty marketing is a blood sport.

It’s never enough to sell something that works.

It must be the latest and most innovative skin solution.

But nine times out of ten, all you need is something topical that works.

And your skin will give the illusion of youth.

Especially when diligently cleansed, toned, serum’d, oiled, essenced and moisturised.

We compiled a list of dermatologist-approved ingredients.

To get you barreling down the path to the correct anti-ageing skincare routine.

Step 1. Apply your ABCs’S

The absolute best routine for treating ageing is to start with your ABC basics.

Vitamin A

This essential Vitamin regulates skin processes, rebuilding collagen fibres, strengthening blood vessels and boosting cellular turnover.

A retinol formula such as A + skin shot will help build your base and strengthen your skin’s foundation.

A vast body of research on this ingredient, as seen in this study (1), demonstrates its anti-ageing effects when used regularly.

Vitamin B

This multitasking Vitamin works on your pigmentation and dark spots, helping to lift them from within the dermis, especially when combined with N-acetyl glucosamine.

Vitamin B also increases ceramide levels, making skin look dewy, hydrated, and supple and improving its surface structural integrity.

Vitamin C

This Vitamin is essential for skin repair and renewal, minimising scarring and rebuilding collagen.

It is a potent antioxidant that protects your skin from UV light and environmental pollutants.

This is why, as estheticians, we recommend applying your ABC ingredients daily.

We discuss this in more detail here for further reading.

Step 2. Make Antioxidants Your Best Friend

Antioxidants protect against damaging free radicals, the tiny molecules that attack healthy skin cells, setting off a destructive cycle.

This is why applying antioxidants topically helps ward off premature ageing and shield your skin against oxidation, thereby preventing signs of premature ageing.

 Step 3. Lay off the Sugar

This is a critical dietary factor that has been scientifically proven to impact the ageing process.

As this research (2) demonstrates. Glucose and fructose in everyday foods break down your skin’s collagen and elastin proteins.

Sugar kick-starts glycation, which stiffens protein fibres in your skin, accelerating the formation of wrinkles.

If you cut down your sugar intake, your skin will become firmer and less dry.

In the industry, this condition is commonly referred to as “sugar face.”

Step 4. Hydration

We know it’s been said many times before, but keeping your skin hydrated is vital to ward off premature ageing.

The human body contains between 45% and 65% water, so it should come as no surprise that staying hydrated is beneficial for your overall health.

Drinking the right amount of water helps your body eliminate toxins and allows your organs and cells to function properly.

Staying hydrated internally helps replenish your skin cells, resulting in clearer, healthier-looking skin.

Step 5: Hyaluronic Acid 

Like the collagen and elastin fibres in your skin, the intercellular glue that holds these fibres in place also undergoes age-related changes.

This means the distribution of Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), such as Hyaluronic Acid, also changes.

The amount of Hyaluronic Acid found in the deeper layers of your skin, the dermis, diminishes as early as your thirties.

This loss often causes dehydration and structural damage, contributing to altered elasticity.

So never underestimate hyaluronic acid; it’s a vital humectant. H₂O Hydrating skin shot is the perfect antidote, helping to combat topical dehydration in your skin.

When hyaluronic acid is coupled with other essential humectants in your skin, like urea, sodium PCA, and peptides, in our Quench skin-plumping moisturiser.

When used synergistically, their important anti-ageing properties help slow down the hands of time.

Step 6: Caffeine Reverses Ageing

Research (3) has found that caffeine can slow down the effects of ageing.

Yes, you read that right. Despite the negative press coffee receives, caffeine can actually protect your body from persistent inflammation.

While drinking coffee won’t make your skin look younger, skin care products containing caffeine can help protect it.

Step 7: Exercise Keeps You Young

Regular exercise increases blood flow, which carries oxygen and nutrients to your cells.

This increased blood flow also removes those aggravating free radicals.

Physical activity also helps reduce stress, which is another major contributor to skin health and ageing.

This interesting article discusses how the correct amount of exercise can add years to your life, both mentally and physically.

 Step 8: Replenish Ceramides Topically

In addition to dermal dehydration, research (4) has found that as we age, the moisture content of the outer layer of skin significantly decreases.

This is due to a reduction in essential lipids, including cholesterol, ceramides, and phospholipids, which are also naturally found in the skin.

When these skin-identical ingredients are reduced, the skin struggles to bind and retain water; as a result, it becomes less pliable, and its integrity is compromised. This causes inflammageing, leading to fine lines and wrinkles.

Fortunately, regular application of ceramides and lipids can rebuild the barrier and alleviate this problem.

All these essential ingredients are found in Fortify barrier repair cream and our Reset age-defy cream.

To conclude. The naked truth

Ageing causes your skin to lose moisture, leading to wrinkles and drier skin.

To prevent this, it is essential to use intelligent ingredients:

1. Replenish your skin with skin-identical ingredients like ceramides, lipids, and cholesterol topically to help keep your skin moisturised and supple.
2. Keep inflammation at bay by using sun protection daily.
3. Regularly apply hyaluronic acid and humectant-rich products to keep your skin plump and healthy and prevent dehydration.
4. Please avoid overusing harsh ingredients, such as actives and acids.

Always remember that your skin is the largest living organ on your body; its function is to protect you from the outside world and to be the “topcoat” of your body.

It deserves to be kept as healthy and vital as possible.

References

1. Vitamin A antagonises decreased cell growth and elevated collagen-degrading matrix metalloproteinases, thereby stimulating collagen production.
2. Nutrition and Ageing Skin: Sugar and Glycation.
3. Current insights into skin lipids and their roles in cutaneous health and disease.
4. Anti-ageing effects of coffee