Growing old – it’s inevitable but it sure is unpleasant when it catches us off guard. One moment we are going through our daily routine when all of a sudden it hits, and the damage is done.
Take for instance the shock when you woke up one morning and noticed changes in your skin that weren’t there the night before – the faint imprint of ‘11’ lines, the slight crinkle at the corners of your eyes, the unwelcomed brown specks on spots where the sun frequently hits.
Bad lifestyle habits such as snacking your way through a Netflix binge at 3am, neglecting sun protection, struggling to meet your KPIs at work exacerbate stress on our skin and body, causing what we commonly know as premature ageing.
While we can’t turn back the hands of the clock, we can attempt to slow it down with a ‘know thy enemy’ approach. This means being familiar with the subject of ageing and knowing how to pre-empt its onslaught before it happens to you.
Let’s get down to it.
First Signs of Ageing
If you are still believing in the myth that you only start ageing at well…‘old age’, it’s time to prick your bubble. Most dermatologists agree that ageing can happen anytime in your 20s.
As we approach the mid-20s, our skin slows down in its cell turnover rate and our body doesn’t product antioxidants as quickly to fight against external stressors.
First signs of ageing can usually be seen in these areas of your skin:
Loss of Collagen
Remember the time when you started to lose your ‘baby fat’? Your face might appear slimmer and your contours more defined as you mature into a young adult but this is also an indication that your body is slowing down in its collagen production rate.
Oxidative breakdown of collagen molecules in our skin coupled with our body’s slower response to produce antioxidants make it harder for your skin to regain its bounce. Your skin might look much thinner and less plump.
Solution:
Replenish antioxidants through your diet and skin care routine to fight against premature breakdown of your skin elasticity. DR’s Secret C15 Essence 7 is a good example of an antioxidant (Vitamin C) in skin care.
Appearance of fine lines
Fine lines usually start to appear at the forehead first followed by the delicate corners of the eyes (also known as crow’s feet).
Frequent squinting of the eyes through hours of ‘screen staring’ or crinkling your face when you sleep may worsen this condition.
Solution:
Engage the help of vitamins and peptides such as in DR’s Secret Age Arrest A3 and Eye Cream to give your skin the extra boost of nutrients to make more collagen. This will help to fill up the sunken areas of your skin.
Pigmentation and dullness
This is where your past habits of not putting on sunscreen return to haunt you. Overexposure to the sun and UV rays cause your body to produce melanin, the dark brown stubborn substance that gets deposited into your skin.
Skin dullness on the other hand is often caused by the accumulation of dead skin cells on our skin surface. Our body metabolism drops as we age, and our skin is unable to shed fast enough to replace dead cells with fresh cells. A dull skin tone gives off tired lethargic vibes and we know the feeling of exasperation each time someone tells us ‘you look tired’.
Solution:
Using sunscreen unscrupulously is key and non-negotiable if you are planning on keeping your youthful glow. Exfoliating regularly and using brightening ingredients that encourage skin renewal definitely helps. Potent and concentrated with botanical ingredients concocted to encourage skin renewal, DR’s Secret Skinlight T3 and Skinrecon T4 are your best pals when it comes to skin brightening.
However, if you are in your mid 30s to 40s and have already felt the effects of ageing on your skin, fret not, for these stories by our DR’s Secret users below show that it is possible to reverse the clock.
Testimonial Story
“I’m 51 this year and am currently a music teacher. Throughout my life, I have never stopped trying all sorts of skin care products and services as long as my finances allowed it. Yet dull skin, dryness, sensitivity, fine lines and acne never left. With time, my skin started ageing and I didn’t know how to deal with it.
3 years ago, I chanced upon a photo of a long-time friend and saw that she and those around her had a natural glow on their skin. I decided to give myself a chance and try out the products they used – DR’s Secret.
After using for a year and 2 months, people around me started to ask if I’d done anything to my skin and even those who didn’t knew me personally complimented on my good skin! I was pleasantly surprised to find that I looked so much younger today makeup-free as compared to the past when I had makeup on. My students would also often ask me for skin care tips. In the past, I used to be ill-confident and reluctant to share about my age, but today, I can proudly say that I am 51 years old, and I’m foundation-free.” – He Siao-Cih
“I’m 42 this year and I used to struggle with saggy skin, obvious wrinkles and dark spots. I really like the Aestier Age Arrest A3 set as I felt that it helped my skin improved tremendously with its skin renewing properties. It also helps to encourage the production of collagen. To date, I’ve been using DR’s Secret for 1 year and 3 months and the pigmentation on my skin have visibly faded. Thank you DR’s Secret for helping me recover my skin confidence.” – Winnie
Finally, how you care for your skin in your 20s will eventually affect how you look in your 30s and 40s.
While you may not see a stark difference in someone who diligently applies sunscreen and someone who doesn’t in their 20s, the difference gets more visible as they mature into their years.
When it comes to anti-ageing, it’s never too early to start!