Beautiful skin at any age...

Beautiful skin is healthy skin. It is firm and smooth, with an even skin tone and glowing colour. We are born with healthy skin, but time, the sun, and environmental assaults take their toll leading to the appearance of Ageing.
The skin is a remarkable, living organ with the incredible ability to renew itself from the inside out. All it needs is the right kind of treatment to help it start this renewal process.

Most products concentrate on treating symptoms, providing surface moisture and covering up blemishes. However, the only way to reclaim the health and vitality of your skin is to reach below the surface and treat it at a cellular level.

In youth, an abundance of two important substances, collagen and hyaluronic acid, keep your skin looking smooth and supple. Collagen is a protein that provides your skin with structural support. Hyaluronic acid is a natural sugar found in all living cells that attracts and binds water, hydrating the skin and giving it volume.

The largest organ in your body

The skin is the largest organ in the body, comprising about 15% of body weight. The total skin surface of an adult ranges from 1.5 to 2 square metres.

What happens as we age?

As we age, the amount of collagen and hyaluronic acid decreases and the elastin fibres become looser and gather in formations, creating wrinkles and folds. However, age is not the only cause of wrinkles. Smoking, sun bathing and pollution can all damage the structure of your skin, irrespective of age. Young skin is smooth and elastic and contains a large amount of hyaluronic acid that gives the skin a healthy appearance. As we grow older, the ability of the skin to produce hyaluronic acid decreases and the amount of hyaluronic acid begins to fall. As hyaluronic acid helps to bind water, the ability of the skin to retain water also declines with age. As a result, the skin becomes drier, thinner and less able to restore itself. This loss of skin fullness also means that the skin becomes looser which leads to wrinkling and the aged appearance of the skin.

The Ageing Face

FacialLines are associated with the ageing process and may develop as a result of weakened dermal collagen from the effects of sun exposure and gravity, or due to facial muscle action on the skin.

The muscles involved in facial expression pull directly on the skin resulting in expression lines which accentuate the wrinkling process of the upper face. This pattern of facial expression is pre-determined during childhood and is carried on subconsciously throughout adulthood.

The layers of your skin

Your skin consists of three main layers: the epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous tissue. The epidermis is the outer layer that protects you from heat and cold. The condition of the epidermis determines how your skin looks and also how well your skin absorbs and holds moisture. Wrinkles, however, are formed in lower layers. The dermis is the middle layer of the skin and acts as its support structure. It is the thickest layer and comprises a network of collagen and elastin fibres. The subcutaneous tissue consists mainly of fat that keeps us warm, stores energy and protects the inner organs.

What causes lines and wrinkles?

The dermis is the skin layer responsible for the skin's elasticity and resilience. Acting as the skin's support structure the dermis contains collagen, elastin and biological substances the main function of which is to hold moisture in the skin. One of these substances is hyaluronic acid.

Tips to combat wrinkles –
Exercise and Rest

When you exercise your body in a work-out, you also exercise your skin. The increase in blood circulation increases the renewal of cells and makes the capillaries stronger. In this way you prevent your facial skin becoming bloated and wrinkled. It is also important not to compromise on your sleep. If you do not allow your body to rest for six to eight hours each night, your skin will show signs of this lack of sleep and the ageing process will speed up.