Premature Ageing? Future proof your skin.

When’s the right time to start?

Ever wondered at what age you should begin to future proof your skin? You know, stop it from prematurely ageing? Well, it’s around about 12 months. Seriously. This is the age to safely introduce our first skincare product, which should be gentle sun protection for your delicate baby skin.

Keep doing this every day, and by the time you reach 50 years, you’ll be so pleased with the condition and health of your skin. But wait, what if this didn’t happen?

Sure, you dabbled over the years, but perhaps, like me, you didn’t get serious about sun protection until early adulthood.

Fast forward to around 36, and some well-meaning beauty-counter-guru announces to you, diplomatically of course, that you’ve got problems. The first signs of lines around your eyes, evidence of blotchy pigmentation on your cheeks, and she’s trying very hard not to look at your chest, where the last fifteen years of forgetfulness indicate that you are, indeed, cooked.

What’s worse, they’ll tell you; this has all happened prematurely! Like a cheap cask of red wine rushed to sale, you haven’t aged gracefully. Nor are you maturing at the rate of any other 36-year-old woman with the same skin type. Nope, it’s premature!

What!! You mean this was not inevitable? Could it have been prevented? Behind your calm exterior, you’re screaming. How did this happen? I’m only 36! You admit you came to the sun protection party a little late, but you’ve been wearing a moisturiser with an SPF15 for years! Miffed and disheartened, you walk away. How dare she!!

Like a cheap cask of red wine rushed to sale, you haven’t aged gracefully. Nor are you maturing at the rate of any other 36 year old on the entire planet!!

It’s unsettling, this feeling you’ve been doing it wrong all these years. Were all your efforts to future-proof your skin in vain? What went wrong? What’s still going wrong?

All is not lost!

You can turn this around. Starting today. Without any hype. Just one indisputable fact.

But it’s not what you think.

Sure, we could talk about all the treatments currently available to you. We could discuss the banishment of 10 years from your face with the help of various, and I might add amazing devices.

But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s stick with the simple solution to this minor catastrophe. Your largest organ, your skin, is designed to protect you and is in a constant state of repair. You know this. You’ve seen the power of wounds healing before your eyes since you were a kid.

The premature ageing of your skin, in a way, is just another scrape along the path of life.

Your skin, being so amazing and all, spends its whole day in the ready, waiting for any sign of damage. A necessary function, as without your skin, you really would be toast.

The sun damage responsible for premature ageing can be reversed naturally. Your skin can and will repair itself if you dramatically reduce you sun exposure.

And here’s the good news!

Yep, your skin will repair itself. Of course, you’ll need to be committed. Stay out of the sun. Diligently apply your sun protection 365 days of the year, and eventually, your skin will begin to repair sun damage. I’m talking about the kind of damage that breaks down collagen; an activity is known as collagenase or the dysfunction in the production of pigment-forming melanin cells, leaving it blotchy, red and not so pretty.

If all you do from today forward is to protect your skin from the sun, you will reverse sun damage, not all, and your current age will matter, but it will improve. It will take some time, a few years, but you will reverse the damage and halt future damage to the skin.

You’ve been doing this already!

You wear sunscreen; it’s in your moisturiser. It’s in your BB Cream, your makeup? Is it?

Sure it’s 15+, but what does that mean? Is it enough?

This is where many of us find ourselves. Convinced we’ve been doing the right thing all these years only to find; we still have sun damage. We are prematurely ageing!! I know I hear you. I’ve heard you many times.

I know you wear sunscreen. Yep, you do. But is it good enough? Is it the right combination of sunscreen ingredients to offer you what you really need?

By all means, buy the all-in-one moisturiser with an adequate SPF rating but, if it’s not labelled as broad-spectrum, then it may not be providing you with anything more than protection from UVB radiation which are the rays that burn your skin. It may not prevent UVA damage, and if premature ageing is your concern, well, then that’s a problem.

You may not know this, and it’s important!

The sun protection factor (SPF) is irrelevant. Of course, it’s there to advise you on how long you can stay in the sun without getting burnt. You want this. No one in their right mind wants to get sunburnt. It will damage your skin and put you at a greater risk of skin cancer.

So while it’s true, skin continuously exposed to UVB will age before its time, the SPF rating, however, does not indicate whether your skin is being protected at a deeper level to protect you from, yep, you guessed it, premature ageing of your skin!

Cloudy with a chance of the unexpected.

But it’s cold and grey outside? You’re just popping out to the shop. No need for caution; after all, it’s cloudy, wintery and bleak. You can skip the sun protection. Right? No, not if you’re serious.

Broad-spectrum sun protection should remain constant and consistent. Regardless of the season, UVA radiation is penetrating your skin all the way down to your dermis. It’s why you’re ageing prematurely. Lifelong exposure to UVA radiation accumulates in your skin. It’s the reason why you have blotchy pigmentation.

Now here’s where it all gets a bit cloudy and grey.

Look beyond the SPF rating. Look for a broad-spectrum sunscreen with ingredients that protect you from UVB and UVA. Most good skincare brands will proudly label their product as a broad spectrum. But if not, look for a combination of sunscreen ingredients.

Zinc, when combined with other sunscreen actives, is usually a good sign. Sunscreen actives like Homosalate, Avobenzone or Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Tinosorb, Titanium Dioxide and Mexoryl SX, to name but a few that you’ll find in many sunscreens.

Skincare brands you can trust?

Getting the right balance of sunscreen actives to protect your skin from both UVB and UVA radiation adequately can be confusing. So, as I’m here to demystify, I’ve found six brands that will deliver the right sunscreen active ingredients and future proof your skin.

I’ve chosen brands that will do more than protect you from UVB and UVA. I’ve looked at brands that include nurturing and protective ingredients. All you have to do now is wear it. Every. Single. Day. From this day forward. And please, don’t forget your neck and decolletage.

Choose from any of these brands, and you can be secure in the knowledge you’re future-proofing your skin and protecting your skin from the full force of UVA radiation regardless of the season.

Synergie – Uber Zinc

Synergie prides themselves on their clean science formulations to limit potentially harmful ingredients that find their way into many sun products. With this in mind, Synergie Skin has created Uber Zinc, which gives you 21% of perfectly refined Zinc Oxide to protect you from UVB and UVA and soothe the skin and antioxidants to protect from the ongoing damage caused by the environment every day as well as moisture protection. Your skin will be protected right down to the deeper layer of the dermis.

Personally, I love the way Synergie has packaged this product in a jar with a pump-action dispenser allowing for a measured amount of product. I hate wasting a good product, so, for me, this is a great feature. Retail price $110.00AUD for 50ml.

Stockist: Synergie Skin (once there, Synergie Skin will direct you on where to buy).

Alpha-H – Protection Plus Daily SPF50+

Always a favourite. An Australian cosmeceutical brand loved the world over.

Broad-spectrum sun protection with the added benefits of moisture protection. As well as the addition of Pomegranate and Mango Seed Oils to improve your skin’s tolerance to heat well as UVB and UVA. Retail Price $62AUD for 50ml.

Stockists: Cult Beauty, Adore Beauty, Facial Co.

Paula’s Choice – Moisture Boost Daily Restoring Complex

Another broad-spectrum sun protector providing you with the convenience of moisture protection. Paula’s Choice have many Sun protecting products in their range; you’ll be sure to find one that suits you.

I’ve chosen this one for its multifaceted approach and a generous dose of Zinc Oxide, without being thick, as well as Pomegranate extracts to shield from heat response and bisabolol for calming the skin. And, it’s rich in antioxidants, vitamins C & E and green tea extract. Retail Price $39AUD for 60ml.

Stockist: Paula’s Choice

Ella Bache – Great 50+ Facesaver Active

A creamy formulation will suit all skin types and give you the all-year-round protection you need.

Although a French brand, Ella Bache has a big following in Australia and are probably one of the first beauty brands to focus our attention on the importance of sun protection way back when we were all still sunbaking with baby oil. Retail price $44.00AUD for 50ml.

Stockist: Adore Beauty

Environ UVA & UVB Broad-spectrum Sun Care RAD SPF 15

A protective broad-spectrum sunscreen with the added benefits of antioxidants. If you’ve struggled to find a sunscreen that you can happily wear every day, then this may finally be the one you’ve been looking for.

The cornerstone of Environ is Vitamin A. If you’re protecting your skin with a daily dose of retinyl palmitate to avoid any potential deficiencies in the skin, you’ll find everyday use with an SPF15+ is enough to give you total protection. It’s creamy, moisturising and very comfortable on the skin. It’s great!

Stockist: The Beauty Issue

Ultraceuticals – Ultra UV Protective Daily Moisturiser SPF30+

Another brand putting sun protection front and centre where it should be.

Plenty to choose from at Ultraceuticals. I’ve chosen this one because it includes Panthenol (B5) and Nicotinamide (B3) and the dual action of providing the skin with moisture protection. Even so, and regardless of which you choose, applying a serum underneath will complement the effectiveness of this product and give you maximum protection from environmental damage. Retail Price $69.00AUD for 100ml

Stockist: Ultraceuticals.

Bravo!

You got to the end of this article. I hope you now feel a little wiser about stopping premature ageing in its tracks!

But perhaps you want to do more than to halt sun damage. You don’t want to wait a few years to see the rewards? Fair enough, in that case, you will want to read this article about hyper-pigmentation or this article on banishing 10 years from your face.