Aug 8 / 2011

Anti-wrinkle solutions

A skin with wrinkles and without turgor it is an aged skin. What a difference with the skin of a child! How smooth, how smooth and how elastic! The skin loses its smooth appearance, gives way, sags, in some points and folds or wrinkles appear at the same time as the sagging is perceived.

How to delay wrinkles as much as possible

There are a series of cares, mostly cosmetic, focused on avoiding as much as possible the different recognized causes of aging: lack of oxygen, dehydration and exposure to the sun without protection.

External or cosmetic care: from an early stage in a woman's life (14 years old) she should acquire the habit of a routine of internal and external care that we will practice until maturity. It is very important to ensure that each routine constitutes a pleasure in itself: cleansing the skin, applying a cream, relaxing with a mask ... in order to follow them with conviction throughout our lives.

every night it should leave the skin free of makeup, dust, oil and sweat. This is the only way to make the most of the restorative effects of sleep, at any age, and the benefits of creams applied at older ages. It is convenient to use suitable products for each skin and each age. It is not worth using the same soap from 20 years to 60. Each moment of our life requires different cosmetics.

Hydration: the skin needs water to maintain its metabolic activity as well as its properties as an elastic envelope of the body and a barrier to the outside. The water that represents 70% in the deepest layers of the skin, is lost towards the outside, so that the outermost layer of the epidermis only has 15% water. The skin stays hydrated if we drink, on the one hand, at least one liter of water a day and, on the other, we apply moisturizing cosmetics that provide water and / or help retain water. The active moisturizing components are substances that reproduce the components of the so-called "hydrolipidic mantle" which is the natural mixture of water and sebum, which in the form of a thin layer hydrates the epidermis in a natural way. You have to effectively avoid having dehydrated skin since the lack of water in the skin is a safe step prior to the appearance of wrinkles.

Protection: without a doubt, to delay the appearance of wrinkles it is also essential to avoid the impact of wrinkles on the skin without photoprotector. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun causes damage ranging from erythema or sunburn to accelerated aging effects, in such intimate areas, such as cellular DNA. To the choice of the Sun Protection Factor (SPF) that in general, we recommend 50 for the face and at least 30 for the body, we must add the choice of formulations that provide hydration. From an age, biological or of the skin of about 40 years, products that include some active anti-aging will be chosen, and that will be applied with a frequency of 2 to 4 hours. Remember that the effects of the sun are cumulative and that sunburn in a 5-year-old girl can mean the appearance of premature wrinkles.

Treatment to correct wrinkles

There are different levels of "correction":

The cosmetic application of creams with substances such as among others: Hydroxy acids such as Glycolic, Lactic and Malic acids, at doses that do not exceed 25%, which manage to reduce wrinkles and dryness by causing cell renewal.
- Plant extracts such as Ginko Biloba or vitamin C itself that by different mechanisms are able to stimulate collagen synthesis.
Professional treatments.

In cases where self-care is insufficient, which is almost always a subjective assessment, an accredited professional will be chosen to apply, for example:

A chemical peeling that, when performing a deep exfoliation, causes the destruction of several layers of the skin, which responds with a cellular regeneration in response.
Botox (medicine) or injections of botulinum toxin or similar that produce a paralysis-relaxation of the area that erases wrinkles.
Implants with more or less physiological materials that fill the large furrows such as those between the eyebrows or on the sides of the nose.
Injection or application of anthologous growth factors –which are taken from the person's own blood– and which stimulate cell regeneration.
High power laser radiation to reduce wrinkles and blemishes

Techniques that, all of them, can provide very satisfactory results as long as they are applied by a good professional, that we are aware of the results that can be expected while we continue with the hygiene-hydration-protection routines to prolong the effects obtained.

Take care of the skin inside

Any external treatment described must be supported by a series of beneficial internal skin care:

Drink enough water, liter or liter and a half, in its different forms: water, juices, broths, and infusions. Essential to keep the skin and our entire body hydrated.
Fleeing from the drastic ones that produce lack of nutrients that detract from the vitality of the skin. Avoid even more low-protein diets that cause sagging skin and accelerate the appearance of wrinkles.
Take sufficient amounts of fruits and vegetables, which are key, among others, for the synthesis of collagen in the skin.
Limiting alcohol, which among other effects, hinders the absorption of the aforementioned vitamins.
Incorporate into the diet generous amounts of polyunsaturated fats, "the good fats" such as those that come from the oils of seeds and nuts, or blue fish that are essential for the maintenance of the skin.

Finally, remember the slogan "wrinkles is beautiful" that was popularized in the '90s, in defense of wrinkles in linen clothing, it is very applicable to our skin. A wrinkled face can be very beautiful if it conveys inner peace, optimism and enthusiasm for life.

You have doubts? Via Sap, MAPFRE's digital health services platform, you can try one wherever you choose.

Wrinkles can be delayed by cosmetics, good hygiene, hydration, and protection.
Treatment against wrinkles must be applied by a professional and consists of applying cosmetic products or using professional treatments.
Any external treatment described has to complement a series of beneficial internal skin care.

Mercè Camps Miro

Pharmacist, specialist in Dermopharmacy

(Updated at Apr 13 / 2024)