Anti-Aging Skincare FAQ, ver. 4.0
ANTI-AGING SKINCARE FAQ version 4.0, June 2004
This FAQ may be reproduced if it is referenced as the Anti-Aging Skincare
FAQ, version 4.0, posted to alt.skincare.
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Anti-Aging Skincare Frequently Asked Questions, Version 4.0
Revised June 2004
Posted to alt.skincare
Author code 91587355
CONTENTS:
1. Introduction
2. What is the anatomy of the skin?
3. What factors affect skin health and aging of the skin?
4. What are Retin-A (tretinoin) and retinoids?
5. What is retinol?
6. What is copper peptide?
7. What are alpha-hydroxy acids and skin exfoliation?
8. What other topical treatments are available?
9. What is skin resurfacing?
10. What are nonablative treatments?
11. How can I treat excessive skin oil?
12. How can I treat scars?
13. How can I treat visible capillaries?
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1. Introduction
Most people start seeing aging effects in the skin by their late 30s. Over
the years you may also accumulate scars from cuts, scrapes, and burns. This
FAQ answers common questions about how to slow skin aging and improve the
appearance of aged or scarred skin. The information applies to both men and
women. It does not cover cosmetics, injected fillers or Botox (botulism
toxin). It does not cover plastic surgery procedures, except for skin
resurfacing and scar revision. Rather, it deals with products and medical
procedures that can improve skin structure. It is based on a review of
medical research, dermatology textbooks, popular skincare books, Internet
consumer reviews and personal experience.
The pharmaceutical information and product brand-names are for customers in
the USA. Products with the same active ingredients are obviously available in
other countries. Brand-name products from the same company will often have
slightly different names in different countries. If a generic version of a
prescription product is available from your pharmacist, it is simply
identified by the active ingredient name. For example, the active ingredient
in the brand name product Retin-A is called tretinoin. Generic versions
usually cost much less than brand-name products. Prices for the products
mentioned in this FAQ, in USA dollars, were current as of the revision date.
The information on importing prescription products into the USA under the
FDA regulations should not be considered legal advice and should be used only
at the reader's own risk.
This FAQ does not constitute professional medical advice. Most internal
medicine specialists and general practice physicians can provide you with
basic medical skincare information, but for specialized advice and procedures
you should consult a dermatologist or a nurse or physician-assistant who
specializes in dermatology. Plastic surgeons also understand skincare and do
procedures such as resurfacing and scar revision. The information about
medical professionals and cosmetologists in this FAQ applies to the USA.
2. What is the anatomy of the skin?
The outer layer of the skin is the epidermis, and the next layer is the dermis.
The epidermis, which is generally less than a millimeter thick on the face, is
constantly being regenerated as surface cells are shed. As epidermal cells
are pushed to the skin surface, they become flattened, and a hard protein
called keratin is formed in them. The thicker dermis under the epidermis
contains collagen and elastin fibers that give skin its elasticity. The pores
contain fine hairs and secrete sebum (skin oil) to keep your skin moist.
Sweat glands open onto the skin surface to cool the body in high temperatures.
Both the pores and sweat glands are sources for new cells that spread out on
top of the dermis to form the epidermis. The appearance of your skin is
governed by the condition of both the dermis and epidermis.
As we age, changes occur in the structure of the skin that affect its
appearance. The dermis becomes less elastic and the epidermis becomes
thinner. Because of these changes, wrinkles and fine lines develop, pores
appear larger, and the surface texture becomes more coarse. Dynamic wrinkles,
which are caused by making various facial expressions over the years, become
more prominent. Discolorations also often appear. Some of these changes are
cause by intrinsic cellular aging, but most are caused by extrinsic damage
from sun exposure (called photoaging or photodamage). Solar ultraviolet light
damages all types of cells in the skin and can also cause skin cancer.
Dark-skinned people usually have much less photoaging because the melanin
pigment in their skin partially blocks sunlight from reaching the lower
dermis. The best-looking skin most people have is in areas without much sun
exposure - under the arms, on female breasts or on the rear. Note that you
probably haven't been using any special cleansers or expensive skincare
products on these areas, and the skin there still looks like a baby's.
The dermis can also be damaged by injuries. If a wound penetrates deeply into
the dermis, thick, uneven scar collagen can form as the wound heals. This
produces a raised scar. If a wound causes significant tissue loss in the
dermis, a pit or depressed scar may form. Burn scars can have an irregular
appearance with both raised and depressed areas.
While the condition of the dermis is reflected in wrinkles, lines and scars,
the condition of the epidermis affects the surface texture of your skin.
Generally, the best appearance is produced by a thick epidermis. A thicker
epidermis also tends to minimize the appearance of pores and depressed scars.
However, if the epidermis grows abnormally or is excessively dry, the skin
can appear rough or scaly. At the other extreme, stripping off the upper
epidermal layers with excessive scrubbing or over-use of cosmetic acids can
temporarily produce an uneven surface texture and increase the size of the
pore openings. Scraped or burned areas sometimes have a thinner epidermis,
even after complete healing.
You should not expect the texture of the epidermis to be porcelain-smooth.
The openings of the pores and sweat glands cause small indentations, and
there are small ridges covering the surface. Many people have a false sense
of how smooth adult skin should appear because they see models and
celebrities who seem to have perfect skin in magazine photos, on TV and in
movies. Only children or people who have generally avoided sun exposure have
this type of skin. Most close-up magazine photos are touched-up to smooth
skin texture, and both men and women wear a lot of makeup on TV and in the
movies. (There is a Net site with candid photos showing that many
celebrities have the same skin problems as everyone else.) Even politicians
and news-people wear a lot of makeup on TV. Special camera lenses, filters,
lighting, and digital image processing help to hide wrinkles and rough skin.
A recent magazine article and companion network news report had an interview
with a famous actress who showed exactly how her skin was "cleaned up" for
magazine photos with computer software. Remember too, that after about age
50, many celebrities have facelifts, which stretch the skin and make the
surface appear smoother than normal (often unnaturally smooth, with a
stretched appearance ).
Based on skin anatomy, we can say that a true anti-aging skincare treatment
will produce one or more of the following effects:
1. Prevent or repair damaged collagen and elastin in the dermis;
2. Promote the growth of new collagen and elastin;
3. Repair other damaged cells in the dermis;
4. Promote epidermal growth to thicken the epidermis; or
5. Smooth the epidermal surface.
There are scientific methods to determine if a substance or procedure has any
of these effects, and research in this field is ongoing. However, despite
advertising claims, most skincare products sold today, such as cleansers and
moisturizers, don't produce any significant effects in skin structure. The
"special" ingredients advertised in some of these in these products (such as
vitamins, proteins, and plant extracts) generally don't penetrate into the
lower epidermis or dermis, so they can't improve collagen or elastin. Any
improvement in appearance they produce is confined to the upper epidermal
cell layers and is usually temporary. Because of this, you will generally
find that inexpensive cleansers and moisturizes work just as well as expensive
products. (We will cover the products that do affect skin structure below.)
3. What factors affect skin health and aging of the skin?
Scientific research has identified a variety of factors that affect extrinsic
and intrinsic aging of the skin. Many of these factors are controllable by
simply modifying your behavior and diet. This section covers ways to prevent
skin aging, and the following sections cover ways to treat it.
Avoiding sun damage is the most effective thing you can do to prevent aging
of your skin. The sun is a huge nuclear fusion reactor, producing not only
visible light and heat, but also intense ultraviolet (UV) light that can
damage your skin. Sunlight is the major cause of extrinsic skin aging because
it damages collagen and elastin, and produces abnormal changes in other cells.
Doctors call aging due to sun exposure photoaging, that is, aging produced
by light. While photoaging is usually described as a cosmetic problem, it is
also a serious health concern since it can lead to skin cancer.
Unfortunately, apart from dermatologists, many healthcare providers don't
warn their patients adequately about the risks of sun exposure.
Everyone is susceptible to photoaging, even people with dark skin. Though
more skin pigment reduces sun damage, the intensity of sunlight and cumulative
exposure will eventually cause photoaging in people of all skin ...
http://www.ardice.com/Health/Pharmacy/Drugs_and_Medications/A/Adapalene/