Intrinsic ageing:

As we age, our body’s internal processes, particularly skin cell turnover slows down and this results in a delay in tissue repair and renewal. It is not unusual for skin to take longer to heal and sometimes cells stop reproducing altogether. This all leaves room for signs of wear and tear to develop. 

Extrinsic ageing:  

In addition, external factors such as over exposure to UV light,  pollution, nicotine, alcohol, poor diet and stress all compound the problem.

Sadly these changes can occur earlier than expected, and we would consider signs of ageing before the age of 35 to be “premature”. 

Common signs include: 

• Sun spots /sometimes known as liver spots, caused by accumulated years of sun exposure. Flat and pigmented in nature they can appear anywhere on the body. They are more common in fairer skins and can develop into skin cancers so should not be ignored. 
• Thinning of the skin:
  • Over time, the top layers of your skin become thinner and contain fewer structuring proteins, such as collagen, that give your skin its shape. As a consequence we begin to see lines and wrinkles on the face and the hands and the decollate and neck can be come ‘crepey’. Those areas exposed to the sun will often age quicker. 
• Broken veins:
  • Once again as the skin thins the small capillaries that are normally hidden by spongy dermal tissue become exposed, typically on the face and neck area.  
• Sagging skin and shape changes:
  • As you enter your 30s, your skin slows down its production of collagen and elastin that gives your skin its shape. It subsequently begins to lose its  plumpness and ability to just ‘bounce back’ . In addition, the slow down in reproduction of bone cells results in “bony shrinkage”  causing slippage of the tissues.

Treatment:

It is impossible to avoid these changes completely and prevention is always better than cure and here at The Retreat we do not intend to preach but would always say our first line of treatment would always be a daily SPF.

The usual advice would apply with regards to diet, exercise, and stress avoidance and many of the above conditions can easily be managed by the vast array of treatments we provide.