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What Women Can Do To Help Improve Aging Skin

What Women Can Do To Help Improve Aging Skin

By: Evelina Vasiliauskas PA-C • Posted on November 17, 2021

Have you ever looked in the mirror and pulled your cheeks upward and thought “my face used to look more like this” or “my skin is really changing." I’ll be the first to admit that I have done and still do this!

What are the Causes of Aging Skin?

As the age on our Driver’s license goes up, our collagen levels decrease. After age 20, we begin to produce less and less collagen each year. Not only is there less collagen but there is less elastin in our skin and this leads to skin that is more dry, less firm and thin. Collagen loss is mainly due to intrinsic aging, which is aging we cannot stop or control as it is a normal part of life.

So let's talk a little bit about what we can control!

Daily Skincare Tips to Help Stop the Signs of Aging

  1. Limit your exposure to extrinsic factors including the sun, pollution, unhealthy diets, alcohol and tobacco use.
  2. We can also eat healthy, drink 64 ounces of water daily, limit alcohol intake and choose to not smoke or use tobacco products.
  3. However, the most important step we can take for our skin is limiting our sun exposure.
  4. Daily use of SPF 30 or more is recommended with reapplication every 2 hours when outdoors. Even if you spend the majority of the day indoors, there is more sun exposure leaking in through the windows around you than you may think.
  5. Couple your morning SPF with a Vitamin C serum and now you are protecting yourself from the sun and pollution as well. Vitamin C serves as an antioxidant that helps prevent photoaging, uneven skin tone and other visible signs of aging.

Nighttime Skin Routine to Improve Wrinkles

That sums up what is necessary in the AM for our skin, but what about the PM?

  1. Before bedtime, it is important to wash away the day by using a gentle face wash.
  2. You want to remove any makeup and be ready for bed with clean skin.
  3. A great addition to the evening routine is a retinoid. There is prescription strength retinoid known as tretinoin (we recommend to speak with your medical clinician about this) or over the counter products that contain a lesser strength retinoid like retinol. Retinol has numerous benefits including improving texture, reducing fine lines and pores, and helping treat acne and the scars that come with it.

Non-Surgical Anti-Aging Skin Care Treatments

Listed above are steps that we can take as part of our daily regimen to help us make the clock move a little slower. If you feel like that is not enough, there are other treatments out there that can be done in addition to a good daily routine. There are numerous advances in the availability of in-office skin treatments.

Infini (Radiofrequency Microneedling)

For skin that feels like it has lost its firmness and shows signs of fine lines, sagging skin, volume loss and textural changes, consider getting a radiofrequency (RF) treatment. Radiofrequency is a way to stimulate our bodies to create new collagen. There is radio frequency micro-needling that uses both heat and creates micro-injury to the skin helping to improve acne scars, texture changes, all while subtly helping skin firmness. This procedure is recommended to be repeated a total of three times for the best results.

Thermage® (Radiofrequency Skin Tightening)

If you see more jowling and sagging skin in the mirror, then there is a treatment that uses radiofrequency technology to heat the deep, collagen-rich layers of the skin called Thermage®. Thermage is a non-invasive skin tightening treatment that can tighten the skin by up to 2mm-3mm for an overall younger looking appearance of the face.

Results of both of these treatments can take up to 6 months to be seen. These treatments are a little uncomfortable, however are usually well tolerated. For further questions about RF micro-needling, RF skin tightening or other non-invasive procedures, please call 216-444-4004. Our Cosmetic Concierge can help to schedule you for a consult.

Be Strong, Be Healthy, Be in Charge!
- Evelina Vasiliauskas PA-C

Evelina Vasiliauskas is an Aesthetic Dermatology and Plastic Surgery Physician Assistant in the Departments of Dermatology and Plastic Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. Evelina is a certified Physician Assistant with a special interest in non-invasive cosmetic procedures, including Thermage, Infini (radiofrequency microneedling), microneedling, laser hair removal, and Coolsculpting (noninvasive cryo lipolysis).

I work closely with my supervising physician, Dr. Shilpi Khetarpal, who has trained me in all of the procedures that I do today.

skin, skincare, skin health, skin treatment, aging skin, women's health, skincare treatment, thermage, Radiofrequency (RF) Treatment, Radiofrequency, collagen, vitamin C, SPF, antioxidant

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