About a year ago I came to the horrifying realization that I was no longer immune to aging. I consider myself pretty lucky that I made it into my 30s without a wrinkle in sight. I credit good genes, somewhat healthy living and the weight gain I experienced in the past couple of years (maybe it stretched out my would be wrinkles!).
When I noticed some very light wrinkles forming at the corners of my eyes where they crinkle when I laugh I immediately knew who to call: my friend S. S is a professional model. She is a hard drinking, chain smoking, veggie hating model and she had once told me that with her lifestyle it was necessary to know all the beauty secrets of the trade. She sent me an email of her ritual. I immediately had to cross out her first trick, which is botox, and her second trick, which involves going to a pricey spa so that someone can pour acid all over your face and sand it down.
So here's what was doable to me and how I do it:
Microderm abrasion: The thought behind this is that if you buff the stratum corneum (top layer of epidermis), the body interprets that as a mild injury and begins the healing process to replace the lost skin cells. Some imperfections like wrinkles, sun damage or spots are removed. Skin is also more receptive to moisturizers without the barrier of dead cells. I just started trying this out. I don't trust the spa "professionals" to not buff off too much of my face so I do it at home. I am currently using the Olay Regenerist Micro Dermabrasion Kit because it is less abrasive than some of the others but I suspect that it is more of a glorified facial scrub. I have read good reviews of the Neutrogena kit but I can't find it in HK. In fact, the Olay kit was bought stateside because I couldn't get it here. Hmm...I'm really helpful so far, aren't I?
Must-do skin care: lots of water and sun protection. I don't think I need to explain too much about this.
Cleanser: I use Cetaphil. It is inexpensive, dermatologist recommended and available at the Watson's that I go to (near Times Square). It is very gentle for my skin. Sometimes I use it with a facial brush for extra cleansing.
Toner: I don't use it. My cleanser gets off the oil and dirt from the day. That is toner's only real purpose.
Facial Moisturizer: I have tried a lot of different lotions and potions. My mother used plain old Oil of Olay and she has great skin but I wasn't satisfied with the lack of hype. I admit it- I am a victim of shameless advertising. I used Patricia Wexler's MMPi Skin Regenerating Serum for a while because SB saw me once after I had put it on and commented that my face looked smooth. It took me a while to realize that this stuff made me look smooth because it was basically a heavy coat of gunk. It was so thick that I couldn't wear makeup with it and it sometimes clumped up on my face. Next I bought the Clinique system and liked it, especially the Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief. It was non-greasy and really hydrated my face, plumping up the skin.
Other stuff I was recommended that is not part of my daily routine but occasionally included:
Retinol: otherwise known as vitamin A's active metabolite. Retinol, retinyl palmitate or retinaldehyde is thought to increase the the amount of retinoic acid in the cells, thus encouraging skin renewal. It can also cause irritation. I use it in the Roc Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream that was given to me by someone who worked for Johnson & Johnson. It smells like laundry detergent, which is weird, but has not irritated my skin. I don't know if there is a better brand out there so I have no strong feelings on the brand. What I do know is that it does seem to work on the fine dehydration and laugh wrinkles on my face that sprout up from time to time.
Glycolic or Lactic Acids (Alpha Hydroxy): it exfoliates the surface layers of skin and increase cell reproduction by removing the built-up top layers of skin, allowing healthier cells to come to the surface. Exfoliation helps reduce skin discolorations, gives skin a smoother texture, and improves how skin functions. Glycolic and lactic acids also have water-binding properties, making them beneficial for improving dry skin. There also is a good deal of research showing that use of a well-formulated AHA product can increase collagen production. I use Neutrogena Healthy Skin Face Lotion.
Salicylic Acid (Beta Hydroxy): it is similar to glycolic and lactic acid but is better for dealing with blackheads and acne because it not only exfoliates the skin surface but it can penetrate through the oil in the pore and exfoliate the lining of the pore, it is antibacterial and it has anti-inflammatory properties. You can find it in a lot of acne products at the pharmacy.
Vitamin C: often in the form of ascorbic acid, it is an antioxidant that reduces signs of aging by increasing collagen production, reducing skin discoloration, strengthening the skin's barrier response, enhancing the skin's repair process, reducing inflammation, and helping skin deal with exposure to sunlight. I haven't tried to apply it yet.
Vitamin E: often in the form of alpha tocopherol, tocopheryl linoleate, tocotrienols, alpha tocopherol, and tocopheryl succinate, it protects skin cell membranes from oxidative damage. It reduces the formation of free radicals when skin is exposed to UVA rays, protects the top layers of skin from early stages of sun damage, reduces water loss from skin and prevents the peroxidation of fats (a leading source of cell membrane damage in the body). I use Kiehl's Light Nourishing Eye Cream but not in combination with my retinol.
Niacinamide (vitamin B3): it increases ceramide and free fatty acid levels in skin, prevents skin from losing water content, stimulates microcirculation in the dermis and can improve skin's elasticity. This is found in most of the Olay line, including my Regenerist.
Well, I hope this is useful to someone. If you have any skincare secrets, please pass them along. And no, I do not want to hear of anything involving wiping baby parts across your face or eating endangered animal penis.
When I noticed some very light wrinkles forming at the corners of my eyes where they crinkle when I laugh I immediately knew who to call: my friend S. S is a professional model. She is a hard drinking, chain smoking, veggie hating model and she had once told me that with her lifestyle it was necessary to know all the beauty secrets of the trade. She sent me an email of her ritual. I immediately had to cross out her first trick, which is botox, and her second trick, which involves going to a pricey spa so that someone can pour acid all over your face and sand it down.
So here's what was doable to me and how I do it:
Microderm abrasion: The thought behind this is that if you buff the stratum corneum (top layer of epidermis), the body interprets that as a mild injury and begins the healing process to replace the lost skin cells. Some imperfections like wrinkles, sun damage or spots are removed. Skin is also more receptive to moisturizers without the barrier of dead cells. I just started trying this out. I don't trust the spa "professionals" to not buff off too much of my face so I do it at home. I am currently using the Olay Regenerist Micro Dermabrasion Kit because it is less abrasive than some of the others but I suspect that it is more of a glorified facial scrub. I have read good reviews of the Neutrogena kit but I can't find it in HK. In fact, the Olay kit was bought stateside because I couldn't get it here. Hmm...I'm really helpful so far, aren't I?
Must-do skin care: lots of water and sun protection. I don't think I need to explain too much about this.
Cleanser: I use Cetaphil. It is inexpensive, dermatologist recommended and available at the Watson's that I go to (near Times Square). It is very gentle for my skin. Sometimes I use it with a facial brush for extra cleansing.
Toner: I don't use it. My cleanser gets off the oil and dirt from the day. That is toner's only real purpose.
Facial Moisturizer: I have tried a lot of different lotions and potions. My mother used plain old Oil of Olay and she has great skin but I wasn't satisfied with the lack of hype. I admit it- I am a victim of shameless advertising. I used Patricia Wexler's MMPi Skin Regenerating Serum for a while because SB saw me once after I had put it on and commented that my face looked smooth. It took me a while to realize that this stuff made me look smooth because it was basically a heavy coat of gunk. It was so thick that I couldn't wear makeup with it and it sometimes clumped up on my face. Next I bought the Clinique system and liked it, especially the Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief. It was non-greasy and really hydrated my face, plumping up the skin.
I have since moved on to another line that I love: Olay Regenerist. I use the Regenerist lotion with UV protection during the day and the Regenerist micro-sculpting serum at night. Regenerist gained quite a following after a Consumer Reports study found that it performed the best out of brands including StriVectin-SD and La Prarie which also cost a lot more. It has antioxidants, which give the skin cells ample protection against the destructiveness of free radicals and increase your skin's ability to protect and heal. I couldn't find it for the longest time here although I could find Olay's Total Effects line which isn't as good but recently I have been able to find almost the entire line at Mannings.
Retinol: otherwise known as vitamin A's active metabolite. Retinol, retinyl palmitate or retinaldehyde is thought to increase the the amount of retinoic acid in the cells, thus encouraging skin renewal. It can also cause irritation. I use it in the Roc Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream that was given to me by someone who worked for Johnson & Johnson. It smells like laundry detergent, which is weird, but has not irritated my skin. I don't know if there is a better brand out there so I have no strong feelings on the brand. What I do know is that it does seem to work on the fine dehydration and laugh wrinkles on my face that sprout up from time to time.
Glycolic or Lactic Acids (Alpha Hydroxy): it exfoliates the surface layers of skin and increase cell reproduction by removing the built-up top layers of skin, allowing healthier cells to come to the surface. Exfoliation helps reduce skin discolorations, gives skin a smoother texture, and improves how skin functions. Glycolic and lactic acids also have water-binding properties, making them beneficial for improving dry skin. There also is a good deal of research showing that use of a well-formulated AHA product can increase collagen production. I use Neutrogena Healthy Skin Face Lotion.
Salicylic Acid (Beta Hydroxy): it is similar to glycolic and lactic acid but is better for dealing with blackheads and acne because it not only exfoliates the skin surface but it can penetrate through the oil in the pore and exfoliate the lining of the pore, it is antibacterial and it has anti-inflammatory properties. You can find it in a lot of acne products at the pharmacy.
Vitamin C: often in the form of ascorbic acid, it is an antioxidant that reduces signs of aging by increasing collagen production, reducing skin discoloration, strengthening the skin's barrier response, enhancing the skin's repair process, reducing inflammation, and helping skin deal with exposure to sunlight. I haven't tried to apply it yet.
Vitamin E: often in the form of alpha tocopherol, tocopheryl linoleate, tocotrienols, alpha tocopherol, and tocopheryl succinate, it protects skin cell membranes from oxidative damage. It reduces the formation of free radicals when skin is exposed to UVA rays, protects the top layers of skin from early stages of sun damage, reduces water loss from skin and prevents the peroxidation of fats (a leading source of cell membrane damage in the body). I use Kiehl's Light Nourishing Eye Cream but not in combination with my retinol.
Niacinamide (vitamin B3): it increases ceramide and free fatty acid levels in skin, prevents skin from losing water content, stimulates microcirculation in the dermis and can improve skin's elasticity. This is found in most of the Olay line, including my Regenerist.
Well, I hope this is useful to someone. If you have any skincare secrets, please pass them along. And no, I do not want to hear of anything involving wiping baby parts across your face or eating endangered animal penis.
Comments
I was heading into Sai Kung this morning to look for new skincare products while reading this post on my blogreader, having literally this week decided I need a new skincare regime. I bought the Cetaphil. Even if it doesn't work, my son has made some sort of spaceship out of the shiny blue box, so it's still pretty much a winner. Thanks!
1) Wear a hat
2) Seek shade
3) Eschew make-up
4) Wash your face daily
5) Use moisturizer
6) Use sun-block
8) Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
8) Accept the aging process & smile