People have always told me that I look young for my age, whatever that really means. And much of that can be attributed to the fact that I have been diligent about my skincare regime from quite an early age, and I also make time for regular professional treatments to help maintain my collagen levels and keep my complexion healthy. But in a few weeks, I’ll be turning forty, which means that I have had to ramp up my skincare efforts in recent years. So, what strategies have I put in place to help age-proof my skin and prepare it for the changes it will undergo over the next decade?
Collagen stimulation treatments
As you approach and enter your forties, it’s worth shifting your focus towards promoting collagen and elastin production: the two proteins that keep your skin plump, radiant, and elastic. Production of both slows from your mid-twenties and almost stops entirely in your forties, so you must support and boost your levels through good quality skincare and in-clinic treatments.
Skin boosters and energy treatments are one of my favourite ways to stimulate collagen and elastin production. I have been consistent with my Profhilo, Sofwave, HArmonyCA and Juvederm Volite to help keep my skin hydrated, plump, and firm. All of these things have various immediate benefits, but they also stimulate the production of collagen and elastin, which is what, in time, will make the skin smoother, plumper, and bouncier and keep it looking youthful and healthy in a very natural way, no matter your age.
Regular dermal fillers
Fillers are an essential part of my aesthetics journey – it will come as no surprise that I love and believe in the great benefits that fillers provide. With age, we lose the fat that keeps our features plump and supported. As it shrinks and shifts downward, features that were formerly round may sink, and skin that was smooth and tight gets loose and sags. Meanwhile, other parts of the face gain fat, particularly the lower half, so we tend to get baggy around the chin and jowly in the neck. Fillers can greatly reverse these changes, restoring crucial support in the face and lifting jowls and nasolabial folds.
Several years ago, I started having fillers in my cheeks to support my tear trough. I had a very early loss of volume under the eyes, which I wanted to address preventatively. I now also have fillers in my chin, lips, jawline, and tear trough. My chin has been a concern for several years as it’s naturally slightly receded and will make me prone to heavy marionette lines in the future, so filler projects it forwards slightly and gives me a stronger jawline.
Nanofractional radiofrequency
Now, I don’t have ‘bad’ skin texture by any means, but I want to keep it good as I age and nonfractional radiofrequency is perfect because it helps the skin rebuild itself from the inside out: filling in any scars, smoothing lines and wrinkles, tightening the skin and improving irregularities like hyperpigmentation and discolouration. Again, it stimulates the fibroblasts in the skin to increase the production of collagen, repair the damaged tissue and remodel existing collagen, so it gives my skin the tools it needs to stay in great shape.
Good quality skincare
I believe in using high-quality skincare products with active ingredients alongside my in-clinic treatments. This involves using ceramides and lipid-rich moisturisers to keep hydration locked in. I use a good, dedicated eye cream because that’s the area we often notice crepeyness and wrinkles starting first. And, of course, daily sun protection is key, and without it, it makes all my efforts entirely pointless.
I think that collagen supplementation is also beneficial alongside collagen-stimulating treatments, as it gives your body the building blocks to make its own collagen.