Time flies, and skin aging quietly strikes, becoming an indelible problem in the hearts of many people. When the topic of skin anti-aging jumps into our field of vision, questions and explorations follow. What is skin anti-aging? And how to resist it? Today, let's explore it together.

I.Changes in skin aging

Affected by various endogenous and exogenous factors, skin aging presents a variety of complex and profound changes at the physiological level.

1.Changes in collagen and elastin

Young state: rich and tightly arranged collagen, elastin like a spring makes the skin quickly return to its original state after stretching.

Aging manifestations: decreased synthesis ability, slowed collagen production and accelerated decomposition, reduced elastin damage, resulting in loose skin, wrinkles, and sagging.

2.Slowing down of skin metabolism

Young state: vigorous metabolism, timely shedding of old and dead keratin, and continuous generation of new cells

Aging manifestations: weakened basal cell division and proliferation ability, accumulation of old cells, dull and rough skin, affecting nutrient absorption and self-repair and regeneration ability.

3.Decreased skin moisture content

Young state: sufficient moisturizing factor, normal secretion of sebaceous glands and sweat glands, hydrated skin.

Aging manifestations: reduced moisturizing factor, weakened secretion of sebaceous glands and sweat glands, water loss, dry skin, fine lines, and cracking.

4.Damage to skin barrier function

Young state: the stratum corneum and sebum membrane form a good barrier to resist external stimuli and lock in moisture.

Aging manifestations: thinning of the stratum corneum, loose cell connections, reduced secretion of sebum membrane, easy invasion of external stimuli, triggering inflammatory reactions and accelerating aging.

5.Influence of cell oxidation and free radicals

Young state: moderate free radicals have physiological effects, and the body's antioxidant capacity is normal.

Aging manifestations: decreased antioxidant capacity, excessive free radicals attack cell biomolecules, triggering inflammatory reactions, destroying collagen and elastin, and accelerating aging.

II. Scientific strategies for anti-aging

1. Lifestyle

Healthy diet: Eat more foods rich in antioxidants, such as berries, nuts, green leafy vegetables, etc., to provide antioxidant protection for the skin; eat foods rich in collagen to provide raw materials for the body to synthesize collagen; ensure adequate water intake to keep the skin hydrated.

Sufficient sleep: Ensure 7-8 hours of high-quality sleep every night, allowing the body to repair and regenerate itself during sleep, including the renewal of skin cells.

Moderate exercise: Perform at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, combined with strength training, to promote blood circulation, provide more nutrients and oxygen to the skin, and maintain the body's health, which is reflected in the vitality of the skin.

Reducing stress: Relieve long-term high stress through meditation, yoga, deep breathing, etc., and avoid endocrine disorders from causing adverse effects on the skin.

2. Skin care methods

Strict sun protection: Use broad-spectrum sunscreen every day to protect against UVA and UVB damage. UVA causes skin aging, and UVB causes sunburn.

Wear a sun hat, sunglasses and parasol when going out to reduce the chance of direct exposure of ultraviolet rays to the skin.

Gentle cleansing: Choose a mild cleansing product to avoid over-cleansing that damages the skin's barrier function. Excessive cleansing can cause the skin to lose its natural oils, leading to dryness and sensitivity. Do not wash your face too many times a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.

Efficient moisturizing: Use skin care products containing moisturizing ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and glycerin to replenish moisture to the skin and lock in moisture. You can use moisturizing masks regularly to enhance the moisturizing effect of the skin.

Moderate exfoliation: Choose the right exfoliating product according to your skin type to remove old dead skin cells and promote skin metabolism. However, the frequency of exfoliation should not be too high to avoid damaging the skin. Dry and sensitive skin can exfoliate once every 2-3 weeks, and oily and combination skin can exfoliate 1-2 times a week.

III. Choice of skin care ingredients

1. Antioxidant ingredients

Vitamin C: Neutralizes free radicals, promotes collagen production, whitens and resists oxidation.

Vitamin E: Works with vitamin C to enhance the antioxidant effect and protect cell membranes from free radical attacks.

Coenzyme Q10: Exists in human cells, is antioxidant and improves skin energy metabolism.

Green tea extract: Rich in tea polyphenols, has strong antioxidant capacity, and reduces UV damage.

Astaxanthin: Strong antioxidant activity, removes free radicals, reduces oxidative damage, and has anti-inflammatory effects.

Resveratrol: A natural antioxidant that activates cell autophagy, removes damaged proteins and organelles, and enhances the overall antioxidant effect.

2. Ingredients that promote collagen production

Retinol (vitamin A): Stimulates collagen production, reduces wrinkles and fine lines, but use needs to start from low concentrations to build tolerance.

Peptides: Different types of peptides have different effects, promoting collagen production, reducing muscle contraction, and improving skin elasticity and firmness.

Bosin: Promotes glycosaminoglycan synthesis, increases skin moisture content and elasticity, and stimulates collagen production.

Blue copper peptide: Promotes collagen and elastin production, has anti-inflammatory and skin repair effects.

3. Ingredients that repair the skin barrier

Ceramide: an important component of the skin barrier, enhances moisturizing ability, and repairs damaged barriers.

Squalane: similar to skin oil, easily absorbed, moisturizing and repairing the barrier.

Ecdoin: strong moisturizing and repairing ability, protects skin cells from external damage, and enhances barrier function.

Centella asiatica extract: anti-inflammatory, repair, promotes wound healing, and helps repair damaged barriers.

4. Emerging skin care ingredients

NMN (β-nicotinamide mononucleotide): as a NAD + precursor, it is converted into NAD + to activate the Sirtuins protein family, participate in energy metabolism, promote collagen production and anti-oxidation, activate the longevity protein family, promote skin metabolism and anti-aging.

PQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone): scavenges free radicals, activates the antioxidant enzyme system, regulates cell signaling pathways, anti-oxidation, promotes mitochondrial function and gene expression regulation, promotes collagen production, enhances skin cell energy metabolism and anti-inflammatory.

Carnosine: reacts with sugar to prevent glycosylation reactions, reduce collagen cross-linking and damage, anti-oxidation, prevents and improves skin aging caused by glycosylation.

Fullerene: strong antioxidant capacity, adsorbs and neutralizes free radicals, reduces oxidative stress damage, has high stability, and provides continuous antioxidant effects.

IV. Summary

Anti-aging of the skin involves many aspects. Understanding the physiological changes of skin aging can help us take better countermeasures. From developing healthy living habits to using scientific skin care methods to choosing the right skin care ingredients, every link is crucial. Only by taking comprehensive measures and persisting can we effectively delay skin aging and keep the skin healthy and young.

Do you now have a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of skin anti-aging?

Statement

This article is only for sharing scientific knowledge, not medical advice.

The pictures in the article are from the Internet.