Anti-Aging Skin Care Tips
By Cynthia Bailey MD.
Anti-aging skin care tips that work. Today skin care science has great options to fight the signs of skin aging. Not all products work equally well though. How do you sort through the promises and marketing prose to find the products that really work?
Dermatologist explains the best scientifically proven skin care products and routines to fight the signs of facial skin aging.
At Dr. Bailey Skin Care, I sort through the science to give you only the best product formulations and routines that work well together and that have proven results to reverse and prevent skin aging - during my 35 years as a dermatologist, I've devoted myself to knowing what anti-aging skin care works best for my patients, my readers and my own 64-year-old skin.
Feel good about how your skin ages with my proven products and skin care routines. - Dermatologist Dr. Cynthia Bailey
What are the top 6 proven skin care ingredients to fight the signs of skin aging?
- Retinoids: These ingredients are related to vitamin A. They help stimulate skin collagen renewal, reverse age-related skin thinning and uneven skin pigmentation. The best non-prescription retinoid to fight skin aging is retinol.
- Glycolic Acid: This is the best alpha hydroxy acid to fight skin aging. This acid also helps build collagen, improve uneven skin color, hydrate dry flakey skin, and soften rough or crusty age spots. It also stimulates your skin to make hyaluronic acid in the deeper layers. This hydrates skin to a dewy and youthful look and feel.
- Vitamin C: This vitamin and antioxidant also helps to rebuild skin collagen and improve darkened uneven skin pigment. Vitamin C has a more subtle impact on skin aging that the first two ingredients I mentioned. It is however an important and powerful antioxidant to fight free radical skin damage.
- Green Tea Antioxidants: These powerful antioxidants have proven benefit to soothe skin irritation and redness and help load skin with protective antioxidants to fight aging and sun damage. Green tea EGCG polyphenol antioxidants are my favorite antioxidant to fight free radical skin damage for all complexion types.
- Zinc Oxide Sunscreens: Mineral zinc oxide sunscreens provide the best level of broad spectrum protection against UV induced skin destruction. UV damage is the number one cause of skin aging and must be blocked to fight skin aging.
- Skin Lighteners: These help treat uneven skin hyperpigmentation due to sun damage. The best ingredient is hydroquinone, which is available only by prescription. Other skin lighteners include kojic acid, arbutin and azelaic acid.
With all of these powerful age-fighting ingredients, product stability and formulation are critical for delivering results.
- My medical-grade products are all made in a pharmaceutically approved laboratory, have stable formulations and advanced delivery systems.
- I combine them for you in synergistic combinations in many of my skin care kits.
For example, my Ultimate Pigment and Sun Damage Repair Kit combines about every ingredient,
The Ultimate Pigment and Sun Damage Repair Kit has made an amazing difference in my longstanding Poikiloderma of Civatte skin condition. I've tried so many products that never made much difference. IPL and Microneedling were of no benefit. I'd almost given up after ten years of trying to find relief for this condition while spending a few thousand dollars doing so. The combination of these products has reduced my symptoms by 50% in two months! I've reduced the amount of heavy coverage makeup on the lower face and neck areas. as the discoloration fades. Plus, the kit has improved the overall texture and appearance of my entire face. I anticipate even more improvement over the next few months. Very grateful I took the chance on this kit as it has exceeded expectations and is helping me regain confidence in my appearance. - Ms. Green Eyes, 2019
Skin care product combination and quality matter, my products get results!
Build a Dr. Bailey Complete Skin Care™ routine with each of the key skin-rebuilding ingredients for best results; reverse past damage and keep your skin looking younger as the years pass.
Remember, Complete Skin Care always gets the best results because it gives your skin everything it needs to be healthy and attractive. Dr. Bailey's Complete Skin Care Routines™ involve layering products for these 4 essential skin care steps of,
- CLEANSE
- CORRECT
- HYDRATE
- PROTECT
Build a powerful facial Complete Skin Care Routine to fight the signs of skin aging
CLEANSE: Wash your skin twice a day. Chose a cleanser matched to your skin type. Extremely Gentle Foaming Facial Cleanser is ideal for all skin types. It's an ideal cleanser to use at the end of the day to remove product, oil, dirt and debris. In the morning you can brighten your skin with Triple Action Exfoliating Cleanser; exfoliate with eco-friendly beads and the perfect blend of salicylic acid and glycolic acid.
Alternate one of these cleansers with Calming Zinc Bar if you suffer from rosacea or seborrhea.
If you want an entirely natural cleansing alternative consider my Naturally Best Bar Soap. My Naturally Hydrating Pore Minimizing Toner adds an extra clean to help products penetrate better while refining pores and soothing skin with hypoallergenic, organic botanicals.
CORRECT: In the morning apply Green Tea Antioxidant Therapy to fight redness and load skin with antioxidants for the day.
If you want to incorporate vitamin C into your routine layer your favorite vitamin C serum on top of the Green Tea or in place of it. When using vitamin C, be sure to let each step dry for a minute or so.
If you have crepey skin with lines and wrinkles, you can plump them instantly by applying Instantly Luminous Multi-Action Serum before the Green Tea. I do this every morning and love how my skin looks and feels! Get this popular product combination in my Layered Up Besties Kit!
At night apply Retinol Intensive Anti-Wrinkle Cream then right after it apply Glycolic Acid Face Cream. This second product also hydrates your skin. You could just pick one of these products at first. If you have sensitive skin start with the Retinol. If you don’t, you can pick either. You will find use instructions on the pages for these products. Combining them gives amazing results - but is tricky! If you are new to these ingredients pick one and add the other in a month or two.
HYDRATE: where your skin gets dry with Daily Moisturizing Face Cream. Areas of dryness include the cheeks and around the eyes. The T-zone of oily complexions may contain adequate oil gland production and will hydrate your skin naturally. If you use a correcting product in a hydrating cream base, such as the Glycolic Acid Face Cream then you have accomplished 2 steps with one product.
PROTECT: Every day wear broad spectrum sunscreen. Yep, every day on all exposed skin because UV exposure of even small amounts starts a cascade of chemical events inside skin that result in collagen destruction. Sun also causes age spots and uneven skin pigment.
Pick your sunscreen to match your skin type and needs. Zinc oxide provides the best protection. It is non-irritating for sensitive skin, safe for everyone to use and now invisible on the skin thanks to high-tech advances. My top sunscreen choices for the face include:
Sheer Strength Pure Physical Spray Water Resistant SPF 50+ Sunscreen is a favorite that is weightless on your skin and rubs in to provide almost invisible protection. It dries completely, leaving no greasy feel. I wear this every day on non-facial skin like my neck, decollate, back of my hands etc. It is easy to spread across hair skin making it popular with men.Sheer Strength Pure Physical Tinted Matte SPF 30+ Sunscreen is my personal favorite daily facial sunscreen because the tinting evens any complexion flaws, the matte base is ideal for under makeup and iron oxide in the tinting technology to help block visible light rays and blue light from devices. Both of these non-UV rays can contribute to pigment problems. The matte base is also oil absorbing to fight skin shine.
Sheer Strength SPF 50 Refresh Powder Sunscreen is the easiest way to reapply sunscreen during the day when you are out and about. It contains a heft amount of iron oxide to provide continuous protection from visible and blue light. The tinting technology blends into all skin tones.
Let me help you build a powerful medical-grade facial anti-aging skin care routine with my dermatologist-created skin care kits!
My Ageless Rejuvenation Kit gives you the key products for collagen renewal, (retinol and glycolic acid), the best antioxidant (green tea EGCG polyphenols), and compatible facial cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen for your skin to thrive.
To target tough pigment problems, I've created my Ultimate Pigment and Sun Damage Repair Kit. This routine adds ingredients that target melanin production including hydroquinone-free ingredients that target skin melanin overproduction, and a second skin cleansing step with my Naturally Hydrating Toner to enhance ingredient pigment.
Another popular kit that you can use to complement your own retinoid, AHA or other age-fighting products is my Complete Facial Skin Care Kit
Let's say goodbye to skin aging, including dry, scaly, wrinkled, crinkled, thin and crepey skin covered with spots and uneven skin pigment or crusty barnacles. Who needs it? In these modern times we can intervene and see fantastic results right away.
The bottom line for anti-aging skin care:
These dermatologist's anti-aging skin care tips can be used with a Complete Skin Care Routine or you can customize your own routine using the info I've discussed above.
Did you know that I often see the same degree of skin aging on a patient's hands as I do on their face?
The good news is that many of the same ingredients that work for facial skin care will work to fight skin aging on your hands. It's true - read these guides for actionable steps to help:
With this information, you’re on your way to younger looking and healthier skin!
Do you want to know more about the science behind skin aging?? Here is some geek info for those who crave to know more......
What happens to facial skin that makes it look old?
Understand the structural and physiologic changes in skin aging to target your unique challenges:
The key issues with skin aging are:- Wrinkles and skin thinning due to a loss of collagen and elastin. This happens in the second layer of your skin called the dermis. Daily sun exposure is the most common cause.
- Fragile, crepey skin due mostly to a thinning of your top living skin cell layer called the epidermis, and to scaling in the dead cell layer called the stratum corneum. This happens from both sun exposure and intrinsic aging (the passing of years).
- Age spots due to increased pigment in the top epidermal cell layer. Some age spots also have excessive epidermal cells and dead stratum corneum cells. Both sun and age play a role in causing age spots.
The common path for most causes of skin aging is free radicals; free radicals matter!
The goal is to load our skin with antioxidants. We can pack the skin with high levels of antioxidants from inside (by eating fruits and vegetables) and from the outside, too. That’s why my anti-aging skin care products are packed with the highest level of the best proven antioxidants which are the green tea polyphenols found in my Green Tea Antioxidant Skin Therapy Cream . ~ Dermatologist Dr. Cynthia Bailey
How much does the sun age your skin?
Sun exposure is the biggest cause of skin aging and wrinkling; most of the structural and physiologic damage that leads to skin aging starts with exposure to a UV ray. Keep the UV rays off of your skin! When patients are skeptical about how much of their skin aging is sun induced, I ask them to explore the facts for themselves. Here’s how: Look closely at your skin. Compare the areas that are sun protected, such as your buttocks and tummy, to the commonly sun-exposed areas of your outer forearms, the sides of your face and neck or the V of your chest. Do the sun-protected parts of your skin have fewer wrinkles, crinkles and age spots? Doesn't the skin look thicker too? When you bunch up the sun protected skin, aren't there fewer fine wrinkles and folds? The wrinkles, crinkles, crepey lines, thinning and age spots are due to years of sun.
How can you make old skin look younger, fast?
You can quickly buff and polish the dull and crepey look on aging skin to a dewy luster with simple exfoliation. You can do this gently on a daily basis or more intensely several times a week. Exfoliation doesn’t change the structure or cause of skin aging, but it ‘picks up’ the youthful glow almost instantly. When you moisturize skin that has just been exfoliated it has the dewy and smooth look of younger skin.4 key steps to stop and even reverse the signs of skin aging:
- Protect your skin from UV rays with the best quality broad spectrum sunscreen and avoid direct sun exposure as much as possible.
- Protect your skin from free radicals by using proven antioxidant products.
- Build up your skin's structure including cells, and vital components of the two living layers of your skin, the epidermis, and the dermis, using proven active ingredients.
- Brighten your skin's texture and tone to create a more youthful and healthier complexion.
I do it all for you with my Ageless Rejuvenation Skin Care Kit - powerful medical-grade products to reverse the signs of skin aging.
References:
DiNardo Joseph, et. al., Clinical and Histological Effects of Glycolic Acid at Different Concentrations and pH Levels, Dermatolol Surg, 1996;22:421-424
Babilas Philipp, et. al., Cosmetic and dermatologic use of alpha hydroxy acids, Journal of the German Society of Dermatology, 2012 (10): 488-491
Beasley Donathan G, et. al. Characterization of the UVA Protection Provided by Avobenzone, Zinc Oxide, and Titanium Dioxide in Broad-Spectrum Sunscreen Products, Am J Clin Dermatol 2010; 11 (6): 413-421
Maier T., Korting H.C., Sunscreens – Which and What for? Skin Pharmacol Physiol 2005; 18:253-268
Farris Patricia K, Topical Vitamin C: A Useful Agent for Treating Photoaging and Other Dermatologic Conditions, Dermatol Surg 2005:31:814-818
Varani James et. al., Vitamin A Antagonizes Decreased Cell Growth and Elevated Collagen-Degrading Matrix Metalloproteinases and Stimulates Collagen Accumulation in Naturally Aged Human Skin, J Invest Dermatol 114:480-486, 2000
Katiyar Santosh K et. al., Green Tea Polyphenol Treatment to Human Skin Prevents Formation of Ultraviolet Light B-induced Pyrimidine Dimers in DNA, Clin Cancer Res 2000,6: 3864-3869
Tsukahara Kazue, et. al., The Effect of Sunscreen on Skin Elastase Activity Induced by Ultraviolet-A Irradiation, Biol Pharm. Bull 28(12) 2302-2307 (2005)