The Secret to Glowing Skin in Your 40s: Part 2
Time to Head to the Beauty Salon: Our Top 5 Anti-Ageing Skincare Treatments
When a woman turns 40, it’s kind of a big deal. It’s a time of transition and renewal and reflection. You may feel anxious or excited about leaving your 30s behind (or both). Most people say it’s one of the best decades there is - with it comes inner wisdom and clarity and kickass confidence. That feeling of having your big girls pants on and feeling like you’ve finally arrived.
But like it or not, it’s also a time when you will probably start to notice big changes in your skin. The cute freckles starting to morph into larger sun spots, the deeper creases, the flaky dry bits, the lines that don’t go away when your eyebrows aren’t raised.
But you know what? It’s apparently not all bad. A Belgian study published in the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior that found that when crow’s feet were present, smiles were thought to be more intense, authentic, spontaneous, and the crow’s feet owners were assumed to be intelligent and more attractive and slightly more dominant (#fringebenefitsof40)
Authenticity aside, you may want to step up your skincare regime a notch in your 40s. In Part 2 of our guide to getting that 40s-plus glow, I recommend you invest in these top 5 anti-ageing skincare treatments that can help turn the tide against ageing in your 40s and beyond.
Here they are:
IPL Rejuvenation
Intense Pulse Light (IPL) technology rejuvenation is a beauty salon skin treatment that can treat redness, freckles, age spots and uneven skin texture and removed effects of photoaging such as wrinkles spots, and textures using controlled wounds on the skin which prompts the skin to heal itself by creating new cells.
Also known as photorejuvenation, IPL treatments can help reverse the signs of ageing and is a great way to counteract the effects of ultraviolet-induced DNA damage that may have occurred during the summertime.
Chemical Peels
A professional-strength peel is one of the best ways to remove dead skin cells and treat unevenness in both the texture and tone of your skin. Chemical peels are an exfoliation and smoothing method that can be used on hands, neck, décolletage and chest and help slough off flaky skin and reveal newer, fresher and more ‘flawless’ skin.
Not only do chemical peels improve the luminosity of the skin, there’s little downtime (which is a huge plus for busy women). They can be performed to address skin concerns ranging from rough, dull, lifeless skin to sun damage, ageing, hyperpigmentation, congestion and oily problem skin.
Chemical peels are a results-oriented, anti-ageing corrective treatment and in my view, they are far superior to any ordinary facial in terms of truly visible results and long term durability. When used in conjunction with a prescribed home care regime, chemical peels are extremely effective, especially as part of an ongoing course of treatments.
LED Light Therapy
LED phototherapy is used for a multitude of skin conditions and is a superb anti-ageing skin technique.
LED is an acronym for light emitting diode which is a computer chip encased in a glass-like resin, which emits therapeutic wavelengths (or colours) of light energy.
There’s a lot of terms flying about for LED light therapy - you may have heard it referred to as blue light, red light, Omnilux or Lite Luxe. These are all forms of LED light therapy. Omnilux and Lite Luxe are brand names and red or blue light refers to the type of lights used for specific skin conditions.
Just like Neo’s red pill and blue pills in The Matrix, there’s a couple of different lights to choose from. The red light (620 nm) is great for treating lines and is used for skin rejuvenation, to reduce inflammation and to improve healing, for example, post-laser treatment. The blue light is best for treating acne.
In the past few years, specialised therapeutic LEDs that have extra luminescence emitted through a very specific wavelength band have been used for the purpose of skin rejuvenation so this is the perfect time to try out light therapy as part of your anti-ageing weaponry.
Skin Needling (Collagen Induction Therapy)
The term needling isn’t a particularly appealing one but this kind of therapy (referred to as collagen induction therapy) really does work to stimulate your own body’s collagen, increase blood supply and generate new cells,naturally, by working below the surface in the dermis. It only takes up to 6 weeks before you’ll see visible signs of regeneration and the process will continue over the following months, providing you with a gradual and long lasting glow.
Dermastamp is a popular type of certified skin needling device used in the industry and what we use in our boutique beauty salon at Wagga Wagga to treat scarring, stretch marks and as an anti-ageing tool for women in their 40s.
It improves the thickness of the dermis as well as the epidermis which helps creates smoother skin texture, reduces disfiguring scars (and acne scars) and reduces wrinkles. It also has a positive effect on hyperpigmentation (darkening and discolouration of the skin) and hypopigmentation (when the skin looks sallow and lacks colour), improves blood flow and stimulates new collagen fibres for that plump and youthful look.
Anti-Aging Injectables
As reported in Oprah Magazine by Lauren Ploch, MD, an American dermatologist and Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, women in their 20s may not want the cost and commitment of ongoing wrinkle injection maintenance but women in their 40s are often ready to invest the money to out the brakes on ageing skin.
The purpose of anti-wrinkle injections is to stop the muscle and skin contracting therefore prevent the formation of lines as you age and stop the skin from folding so lines are less obvious.
An increasingly popular anti-ageing skincare treatment has not only produced the many well-preserved faces in Hollywood, it’s a relatively low risk skincare treatment that is available to anyone who wants to combat the signs of ageing in a powerful way. It’s great for women in their 40s “turkey” lines (the neck or throat ones) and “expression” lines (the forehead and ‘surprise’ lines) that are more apparent over time.
It involves an injection into the skin (conducted by a specialist doctor or trained Registered Nurse) and the effects of the injection are seen from about 3-5 days post-procedure, lasting between 3-6 months. After a single treatment, muscle movement will return to normal and your lines and wrinkles return to their original state. Having regular top ups will gradually weaken the muscle and reduce the need (in either volume or time) of ongoing treatments.
So there’s my top 5 anti-ageing skincare treatments to dive into in your 40s. Get in touch with your nearest beauty salon expert to find out how you can map out the best skincare regime for your skin as you hit your 40s and beyond. If you’re in Wagga Wagga, you can find our boutique beauty salon here to discuss your specific skin needs.
And when you don’t have time for a beauty salon treatment? Use a plumping moisturiser at night (one with hyaluronic acid is fab), stay hydrated and pop on a good sunscreen with a high SPF. And be proud of those intelligent and attractive crow’s feet - you’ve earned them.
SPECIAL BONUS DISCOUNT:
To say thank you for reading our blog and visiting our salon website, we’d like to treat you to a special discount on your next boutique beauty salon treatment.
To help you on your way glowing 40s plus skin, head on over to our website and sign up for our list and we will email you a discount code, giving you 20% of any of our treatments or products at our Wagga Wagga beauty salon. Purchase for yourself or even gift it to a friend in the Wagga area. You’re absolutely worth it!