When it comes to the best preventive tweakments to invest in during your twenties and thirties, preventative anti-wrinkle injections have traditionally been the go-to treatment. Yet, for truly optimal outcomes, it’s wise to also embrace the concept of ‘age-proofing your face.’ This strategy champions lifestyle modifications along with gentle, non-invasive treatments that enhance skin quality and fend off early ageing signs without the need for recovery time. Its popularity is surging for good reason. Here’s everything you need to know about correcting and preventing the signs of ageing effectively…

What is age-proofing?

Age-proofing your face is all about safeguarding and extending the vitality and condition of your skin to delay premature signs of ageing like wrinkles and dark spots for as long as possible. Rather than augmenting facial features (as with dermal fillers), removing elements (the objective behind toxin injections for wrinkle reduction), or inducing aggressive skin damage to prompt healing (seen in many device based rejuvenation procedures), the burgeoning trend of age-proofing gently and crucially, non-invasively, enhances and supports your skin’s overall look over time. The goal is to minimise the occurrence of ingrained wrinkles, sun-damage, and acne marks, resulting in a more even and unblemished complexion.

A particularly popular and effective approach for age-proofing is to tackle sources and signs of inflammation in your skin, which has been increasingly proven to cause premature ageing.

Make healthier lifestyle habits

How you take care of your body, shows up in your skin.  Make sure that your diet incorporates foods rich in vitamins, healthy fats, fibre, and antioxidants. Salmon, flaxseed, and walnuts are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids which keep skin hydrated and supple. Avoid smoking and limit your consumption of alcohol which dehydrates the skin, making it appear dry and dull. Excessive drinking can also cause skin inflammation and premature wrinkling.

And make sleep a priority. The skin naturally regenerates itself at night. Thus, pushing back bedtime hampers the process of skin repair. Little shuteye also accentuates wrinkles and fine lines and makes your skin flaky as well as more susceptible to breakouts.

Build a strategic skincare regime

When it comes to skincare products, look for ingredients like retinol and antioxidants such as vitamin C, niacinamide, alpha hydroxy acids and peptides, all of which will help to bolster your collagen levels. Retinoids are vitamin A derivatives that can effectively unclog pores, boost collagen production and smooth fine lines. Meanwhile, antioxidants protect the skin from damaging free radicals and help lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. And, of course, wear a broad-spectrum SPF every day to minimise the effects of UV damage.

Focus on regenerative and skin-strengthening treatments

As we age, our skin doesn’t produce collagen like it used to, so collagen-stimulating energy-based treatments, such as Ultrasound and RF Microneedling, can be particularly effective for addressing laxity, crepeyness and deeper lines and wrinkles. They work by kick-starting the production of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid in the skin, resulting in firmer, smoother, lifted and hydrated skin. You’ll see an improvement in contour, and the skin will be tighter, healthier, and more youthful. Another treatment that may be worth a look is EMface, which uses high-intensity electromagnetic stimulation to wake up and tighten sagging muscles in the cheeks and forehead, along with radiofrequency energy to improve skin condition.

Boost your NAD+ levels

NAD+ is a molecule found in every cell that is critical for cellular energy production and repair. When we are young, we have high levels of NAD+. However, as we age our NAD+ levels decline, by around 50% every 20 years. This decline in NAD+ means cells struggle to sustain critical processes such as energy production, cellular maintenance, and repair. This contributes to the signs of ageing that we see and feel.

Research shows that increasing your cellular NAD+ levels is a promising strategy to promote healthy aging and reduce biological age. I love Nuchido TIME+ which is a very effective NAD+ supplement that has been found to reduce biological age by an average of 1.26 years after 28 days of supplementation.

Instead of Botox, try peptides

If you’re not ready to start investing in anti-wrinkle injections yet, there is an injectable-free way to improve static lines. Our skin is mainly made up of collagen. This is an essential protein that provides elasticity to our skin, keeping our complexions youthful and healthy. However, once we reach the age of 30, the amount of collagen produced by our bodies starts to decline, leading to fine lines, loose skin, wrinkles and other signs of ageing. That’s where peptides come in, as they can encourage collagen production and help to relax your facial muscles, having a similar but gentler effect to Botox. There are various skincare products available that feature this wonder ingredient in different forms. My favourites are the Revision Skincare Revox Line Relaxer which utilises patent-pending LineRelax™ Technology to deliver clinically-proven benefits for reducing and softening lines and wrinkles caused by expression and ageing, and the Meder Beauty MyoFix Complex.

If you’d like to learn more about age-proofing your face, and the best ways to correct and prevent the ageing symptoms, click here to enquire or to book a consultation with an expert.