Lindsey and I recently attended the iS Clinical Skincare Advanced Training.
The seminar covered a lot of great information about skin anatomy, industry trends and products.
Here are some important points we wanted to share:
There are 4 Main Causes of Aging Skin:
1) Free Radicals and Oxidative Stress. Were you aware that, 85% of free radicals and oxidative stress comes from the SUN! 15% comes from toxins and pollution.
2) Infalmmation. (Skin’s natural response from injury). Inflammation combats infections, clears away damaged tissue and heals sunburn and other oxidative processes. It is the excess inflammation that results in accelerated rates of aging, scarring and destruction of normal tissue structure.
3) Glycation. This is the chemical process where glucose (sugar) attaches to a protein (collagen). Collagen-rich tissues include: skin, blood vessels, joints, etc. Damaged collagen becomes stiff, has much less resilience and becomes stretched.
4) DNA Damage. A cell with damaged DNA cannot properly function and may even become cancerous. DNA can be damaged by free radical damage so antioxidants are important. Some growth factors can direct the DNA of fibroblasts to make more collagen.
Skin is our largest organ. It shields our body from the sun, extreme environment, injury, pollution, toxins, etc. Improving any of 4 processes above can help decrease the rate of aging and it’s never too early to start!
Antioxidants are substances that prevent oxidation damage to cells. We need them to neutralize those free radicals that age skin. Stay tuned for the next blog post on “What can YOU do to Prevent Aging Skin”.
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– Lisa (Medical Esthetician, Innovative Directions in Health)