Is your skin losing tone? Here’s my expert skin tips to tighten and firm the skin.
COLLAGEN
Collagen fibers are microscopic fibers that make up 70% of the layer of the skin known as the dermis. Collagen fibers bunch together to form strong, ordered bundles that resist stretching, thus giving skin firmness. Young skin has beautifully organized bundles, giving it structure and support.
ELASTIN
Like collagen, elastin is a fibrous protein that is a main constituent of the dermis. These fibers are less ordered and highly flexible so they extend easily and give skin elasticity. Elastin provides moisture to keep the skin supple, gives skin its resiliency and smooth feel, and provides our skin its “spring and snap”.
COLLAGEN AND ELASTIN BREAK DOWN …
Although our skin has a remarkable ability to renew itself, it is influenced by the detrimental effects of ultraviolet light, smoking, pollutants in food, water and air and free radicals from inflammation. Genetics also certainly plays a role. As we age, collagen production slows, and collagen begins to break down. The free radicals damage collagen and elastin at a pace which exceeds our body’s ability to repair itself. The structure starts to weaken, gaps form, the skin loses its elasticity, becomes less resilient, and wrinkles begin to form. As wrinkling occurs, the skin becomes unable to hold onto precious moisture.
SLOWING DOWN THE BREAKDOWN
In order to slow down aging, one strategy includes introducing products that contain free radical scavengers. Free radicals are highly reactive and unstable molecules that can cause serious cellular damage. Reducing fat, sugar and salt intake, avoiding smoking, doing regular exercise and eating foods rich in antioxidants should help reduce the damage these free radicals will cause. For those who don’t eat a well balanced diet, supplements are highly recommended.
Read: How to Prevent Lines and Wrinkles from Forming
To get the best results with your skin, use professional skincare products. Vitamins A, C and E are naturally occurring antioxidants (found in Renée Rouleau Hawaiian Nourishing Cream and Multi Vitamin Cream) and are valuable weapons against premature aging. Vitamins C & E (in Renée Rouleau Vitamin C & E Treatment) work beautifully together to stop hydroxyl radicals from attacking DNA and are considered essential in any anti-aging program. Our form of stabilized Vitamin C serum delivers C to the lower layers of the skin, where it needs it the most. Vitamin C is essential for the formation of hydroxyproline which protects the breakdown of collagen.
Read: Are People Overusing Botox and Dermal Fillers? Renée Rouleau Thinks So
STIMULATING COLLAGEN AND ELASTIN
Stimulating collagen production is just as important as eliminating free radicals. Aging skin shifts the balance between production and breakdown of collagen, and this leads to wrinkles. Stimulating cells to produce collagen can partly reverse this process as it improves the skin texture. Stimulating collagen synthesis can be achieved through chemical peels. The irritation to the skin via the acids, is enough to trigger the skin’s healing process, which ultimately creates collagen. On a daily note, home exfoliation is another way to stimulate this process through the use of gentle scrubs, AHA’s and enzyme peels. (Try Renée Rouleau Triple Berry Smoothing Peel or any of our three Glycolic Serums.) Remember that chronic irritation of the skin (exfoliating too much) will compromise your skin and introduce further damage, so choose your weapons carefully with the help of a licensed esthetician at Renée Rouleau. Our skin care experts will be able to assist you in choosing the right methods that will work for your unique skin type.
Read: Are You Exfoliating Around Your Eyes? If Not, You Should Be
Another effective way to encourage the stimulation of collagen and elastin is by using products containing peptides. Peptides are protein fragments that can stimulate the production of dermal proteins (collagen and elastin), and can thicken the dermis (the mattress under the skin that keeps the skin plump) without any harsh side effects. Renée Rouleau Intensive Firming Serum contains Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3, one of the best peptides for firming the skin. In addition to using on the face, this also offers tremendous benefit when used on the neck and chest area. Bio Radiance Night Serum also uses skin firming peptides.
Read: How Do Renée Rouleau Products Compare to Other Skin Care Lines?
Which products are right for your skin? See our nine skin types and get products recommended.
Need expert advice from a licensed esthetician? Schedule My Skin Prescription to get personalized advice in person, over the phone or via Skype or Facetime.
For more expert skin advice, check out Skin Source–the A-Z guide on all things skin. Also sign up for our skin tip e-newsletter, follow Renée Rouleau on Twitter and join the discussion on our Facebook page. You’ll be your own skin care expert in no time.
Celebrity Esthetician & Skincare Expert
As an esthetician trained in cosmetic chemistry, Renée Rouleau has spent 30 years researching skin, educating her audience, and building an award-winning line of products. Her hands-on experience as an esthetician and trusted skin care expert has created a real-world solution — products that are formulated for nine different types of skin so your face will get exactly what it needs to look and feel its best. Trusted by celebrities, editors, bloggers, and skincare obsessives around the globe, her vast real-world knowledge and constant research are why Marie Claire calls her “the most passionate skin practitioner we know.”
