Are there anti-wrinkle products that work? Can we get rid of wrinkles altogether?
Strictly speaking, we cannot stop ageing, and our skin will develop the signs. The skin gets thinner, the elasticity and firmness are reduced, the hydration diminishes, and the skin gets dry and fragile as we age. The consequence of losing elasticity is the appearance of wrinkles. Hundreds of studies published in peer-reviewed journals show the main cause is reduced collagen production. Environmental factors, such as photoaging, pollution, stress, diet, and lack of sleep, all contribute to the skin's loss of hydration and radiance. Actually, environmental factors cause more than 90% of skin ageing signs! Though we cannot stop or reverse ageing, we can significantly slow down the appearance of the signs! So many high-performance botanicals are clinically proven to fight against certain signs of ageing. What are the physiological symptoms of skin ageing?
- Dry skin
- Inflammation
- Loss of firmness
- Hyperpigmentation
- Wrinkles
- Fragility
- Roughness
- Ease of bruise
How can we fight against these signs?
- Strengthen barrier function (ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids)
- Moisturise (occlusive, emollients, humectants)
- Antioxidants (Cathelin, Vitamins, Polyphenols, Minerals, Flavones, Tannins)
- Anti-inflammatory agents (Bisabolol, Chamazulene, Apigenin)
- Skin lightening agents (Hydroxy acids, AHA, BHA)
- Photo protecting botanicals
Most of these clinically proven actives can be found in plant extracts. We just need to formulate them into a pleasant cream or serum that has good skin feel and ensure the actives get into the skin cells.
Several companies offer professional dermatological tests for claims that are limited to cosmetics. Cosmetics are not allowed to make medicinal claims, but being a pharmacist, I cannot help to use medicinal plants in my formulations. Most of these ingredients are also sold as food supplements, so this is what we intend to provide the matured skin – nourishment.
I started to use my skincare products in 2019. I thought I would be pleased if it did not get worse. However, I can see and feel consistent improvement in the skin texture, firmness, hydration, and small wrinkles plumped up. The regular skincare routine significantly reduces the sagginess and puffs under the eye with high-performance anti-ageing products. Based on the research in a big pharma company for 22 years, where we developed topical formulations (painkillers, nicotine patches) to get the active compounds to the bloodstream through the skin, I developed several formulae that focus on the delivery of the actives into the skin.