Showing posts with label Glycolic acid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Glycolic acid. Show all posts
The lowdown on wrinkles
What can be a more refreshing way to relieve one’s self of the daily grind of work than to go out to the beach and stay in the sun….but wait till you hear the lowdown on wrinkles.
It is a fact that skin ages, as much as our physical appearance and it does that all over our body, especially on parts of the skin that is most often exposed to the sun.
These ageing come in the form of changes brought on by sun damage called photoaging, characterized by dryness or roughness, sagginess, skin growths called ‘liver spots’ or keratoses and – commonly – wrinkles.
There are two categories for wrinkles, which involves two varying degrees of wrinkle development, which are fine surface lines and deep skin furrows, for which common and general wrinkle treatments are more effective for the former, but the latter would require more aggressive treatments like long-term dermatological or plastic surgery.
Among the primary factors that contribute to skin wrinkles are smoking, which dries out the skin since it reduces moisture; skin type as well, since people with light-colored skin and blue eyes are susceptible to sun damage; hereditary peculiarities since there are family lines that are more prone to skin wrinkles; hairstyle, which obviously depends on how much skin is covered by the hair and protected from the sun; dress style, since this will also determine how much skin is covered or left exposed to the sun; and finally, recreational and occupational sun exposure that may spans over a period of years.
Currently, there are a lot of treatments available in the market today, both over the counter and prescription treatments, among them, Vitamin A acid, alpha hydroxy acids, antioxidants and moisturizers.
These treatment methods also include cosmetic procedures like glycolic acid peels deep
peels, dermabrasion, laser resurfacing, surgical procedures and the ever popular Botox.
There is a popular belief that chronic stress can be a cause of aging in people, thus, the appearance of skin wrinkles, but most of these evidences are not specifically based on scientific findings, rather, more on people’s observations and perceptions.
There is, however, a little-known yet significant study back in 2004 that established the link between between chronic stress and aging.
The study revealed that telomeres, these are structures located at the end of chromosomes that6 shorten with aging, also tend to shorten prematurely in subjects that are subjected to long-term psychological stress, resulting to prematurely ‘aging’ cells.
Although the results of this study shows a link between cellular aging and stress, the direct relationship of stress on aging is far complex and has not yet been fully understood nor backed with incontrovertible findings.
However, it could still be considered an ounce of prevention to keep stress at bay, since it can indeed have adverse effects on physical and emotional health.
Anybody concerned about getting wrinkles or other signs of aging should still be advised to practice a healthy and, better, a stress-free lifestyle or if not possible, even just keeping stress levels under control.
Finally, exposure to ultraviolet light, whether UVA or UVB, from sunlight accounts for most symptoms of premature skin aging, especially since most of the photoaging effects occur by the late teenage years around 19-20 years and so on.
Thus, the amount of damage to the skin, especially the presence of wrinkles is determined by the total lifetime of exposure to radiation and the person’s pigment protection.
These may be the lowdown on wrinkles, but don’t be anxious, with all the tips and treatments available everywhere, there’s no need to hide and fear wrinkles.
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Treatment for skin wrinkles
Whether it be topical, cosmetic or surgical, there is a broad range of treatments available in the market from just reducing wrinkles to totally eradicating its presence, which would ultimately require surgical treatment.
Here is a list of cosmetic treatments, both medical and surgical, including topical medicines and creams that are available in the market.
Vitamin A Acid- also known as tretinoin, with common brand names like Retin- A and Renova, are among the most common ingredients for wrinkle treatment.
This ingredient, available by prescription, has the longest success record in the treatment of aging skin and removing fine lines, especially in the facial area.
Creams and lotions containing tretinoin must be used continually and diligently.
Initial symptoms may cause redness and peeling, however, the discomfort of the side effects may be reduced my lowering the concentration of the ingredient with the base cream and applying it less often until the skin has adjusted to it.
Alpha-hydroxy acids, also termed as ‘fruit acids’, include active ingredients like glycolic and lactic acid.
Medical preparations containing these fruit acids are safer alternatives and cause very little or no skin irritation at all, however, effects are not as significant, though.
Antioxidants- these are basically topical preparations that contain vitamins like A, C and E, as well as beta-carotene. These are commonly coupled with sun protection and provide mild treatment for fine wrinkles.
There are also ordinary moisturizers that claim to reduce wrinkles, however, moisturizers that do not contain any of these topical ingredients or substances can only mask or hide wrinkles temporarily and only reduce the appearance of fine lines.
There are also cosmetic procedures readily available in the market, usually offered by dermatological experts or medical practitioners.
Glycolic acid peels- Although this form of treatment involves hands-on application, these superficial peels can only make slight effects in the intensity and degree of fine wrinkles.
Deeper peels- This skin peel process involves the use of chemical substances like salicylic acid and trichloroacetic acid that penetrates deeper into the skin.
It is believed that the deeper the treatment penetrates into the skin, the more effective it gets in smoothing out the fine lines of wrinkles, however, the deeper the peel, the greater risk of having side effects, among them, long-lasting pigment changes or changes in the color of the skin and scarring.
These peels generally do not require anesthetics, however, patients can request for mild sedation to help ease short-term but painful treatment process.
Microdermabrasion- this process primarily involves ‘scrubbing the skin’ using a machine containing silica or aluminum crystals that is being used to ‘sand’ the skin.
These services are often offered in packages of six to seven treatment sessions and does not change skin anatomy or generally have chemically-adverse effects, but does guarantee to make skin feel smoother.
Over the counter cosmetic products that are being sold as ‘home microdermabrasion’ are just mild exfoliants and are generally harmless but are less likely to produce significant, sometimes barely noticeable, changes in wrinkles.
Dermabrasion – this is the real surgical process usually performed by medical practitioners, mostly plastic surgeons or licensed dermatology practitioners, under general anesthesia.
This surgical treatment involves the deft hands and skill of the treating physician, using a rotating instrument to sand the skin down.
Dermabrasion can produce excellent results, however, a greater risk is involved in the process, since it can produce significant side effects like scarring and permanent changes in skin color.
With the many treatments for skin wrinkles, people now have several choices as to which one to choose should they decide to choose the right treatment that would suit them.
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