The beauty space can be very overwhelming these days. Any time you go online or instore, there are advertisements for the next big thing in skincare, what you should and shouldn’t be doing for your skin and the newest beauty treatments to give you the skin you’ve always wanted.
This makes many of us feel confused, so I decided to break down the top 3 anti-ageing ingredients your skin will love!
Vitamin A
Simply put, Vitamin A is the best anti-ageing ingredient you can look for in your skincare.
- It stimulates your fibroblast cells to create healthy collagen and elastin fibres. Collagen is the most abundant structural protein in your body and helps the skin hold its bounce, stay firm and healthy – something we all want and need.
- Vitamin A increases the blood supply to the deepest layers of the skin meaning more oxygen and nutrients are getting to those layers to create healthier skin. Just like our bodies need oxygen and nutrients (think exercise and eating healthy) so does our skin.
- Langerhan cells (the skin’s protectors) need Vitamin A to function properly. Therefore not having a supply of Vitamin A in the skin prevents them from recognising DNA damage and removing it – so abnormal cells continue to develop creating problems such as skin cancer or rough sunspots.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an antioxidant responsible for protecting the skin against free radical damage. The New Zealand sun stops for nobody, so protecting your skin with antioxidants to prevent and pigmentation is really important if you want to have young, healthy skin.
- It can be absorbed by the cells so it’s generally present for 30-36 hours after application, which means it’s still giving some sun protection despite swimming and sweating. Please make sure you don’t rely on this completely – still wear your sunscreen every day and reapply often!
- Vitamin C helps with wrinkles and fine lines by promoting healthy collagen and elastin production. Healthy collagen and elastin improves the skins ability to resist breaking down through sun damage and thickens the dermis (the layer that supports and holds up the outermost layer of the skin)
- Pigmentation is something a lot of NZ women worry about. Vitamin C helps pigmentation in two ways:
- Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that hinders the process of oxidation which produces melanin (pigment) in the skin.
2. Tyrosinase is an enzyme responsible and essential for the creation of melanin. Vitamin C is an inhibitor of this enzyme, stopping it from being able to create melanin when we are exposed to free radicals and the sun.
Peptides
Peptides are very important to regulate the function of the cells in your skin. They can stimulate the activity of growth factors to produce collagen and elastin, thicken the epidermis and stimulate keratinocyte growth.
*Keratinocytes are cells that keep the structure of the skin and serve as a barrier to keep nasties out.
There are a few different peptides that are used in cosmetics:
- Signal peptides that stimulate the formation of collagen and elastin
- Inhibitors of enzymes in the skin that destroy things like collagen and elastin
- Peptides that stop the release of chemicals involved in stimulating muscle fibres (these give a botox-like effect)
- Peptides that alter pigmentation by changing the way melanin is produced
- Peptides with antioxidant activities