How to resist aging and reduce age in autumn and winter?

Opening quote

Everyone loves beauty, and more and more people are paying attention to the condition of the skin and fighting aging, especially in autumn and winter
.

As the saying goes: "three years old in autumn and winter", many people find that their skin will be dull, dry and tight in autumn and winter, and may also appear peeling, scaling, and even accompanied by redness
, swelling and itching.

So, how to resist aging and reduce age in autumn and winter? Today I will share with you some of the content
of skin care and anti-aging.

Image source: 123RF

The skin is the largest organ in the human body and one of the
complex and important organs.
It is our first protective barrier and helps us defend against pathogens, UV rays, chemicals, and all kinds of harsh environmental damage
.

In addition, the skin helps regulate body temperature and gathers sensory information from the surrounding environment, conveying to us the sensation of
heat and cold.

As we age, our skin undergoes some changes, which also reflect our general health and aging process
.

Therefore, before understanding how to anti-aging skin care, it is necessary to understand the physiological structure and function
of our skin.

The structure of the skin

As we can see in the image below, our skin can be divided into three layers:

Epidermis: The outermost layer of the skin, which can be seen and touched;

Dermis: the middle layer of the skin, which accounts for 90% of the thickness of the skin;

Subcutaneous tissue: The bottom layer of the skin, made up of
fat and connective tissue.

▲Cross-section of the physiological structure of the skin
.
(Image source: Reference [4]).

1

The role of the epidermis

The epidermis is formed by skin cells working together with other proteins, which contain an important protein (keratin) that does:

Acts as a protective barrier: The epidermis prevents bacteria and viruses from entering the body and bloodstream, as well as from rain, sunlight and other environmental factors
.

Metabolize new skin: The epidermis constantly produces new skin cells
.
These new cells replace about 40,000 old skin cells shed by the body every day, and a new layer of skin
is metabolized in 30 days.

Protect the body: Langerhans cells (antigen-presenting cells) in the epidermis are part of humoral immunity and help fight bacterial and viral infections
.

Formation of skin color: The epidermis contains melanin, which is the pigment
that gives the skin its color.
The amount of melanin determines the color of the skin, hair, and eyes; People who produce more melanin have darker skin and tan faster
.

As we age, even if the number of cell layers remains the same, the epidermis will slowly thin and the skin's inherent repair ability will gradually weaken
.

2

The role of the dermis

The dermis contains tough connective tissue, hair follicles and sweat glands that act on:

Contains collagen and elastin: makes skin cells strong and elastic, and also helps restore the shape
of the skin.

Hair growth: The roots of hair follicles are attached to the
dermis.

Maintain sensory system health: Neuroreceptors in the dermis give us a sense
of touch, pain, and warmth.

Secretion of oil: The sebaceous glands in the dermis help keep the skin soft and smooth, and also prevent the skin from absorbing too much moisture
.

Sweat production: The sweat glands in the dermis release sweat through the pores of the skin, which helps regulate body temperature
.

Blood supply: The blood vessels in the dermis provide nutrients to the epidermis and keep the skin layer healthy
.

3

The role of subcutaneous tissue

The bottom layer of the skin, also known as the fat layer, has the following effects:

Cushioning muscles and bones: Fat protects muscles and bones from injury
in the event of a fall or accident.

Connecting muscles and bones: Connective tissue in the underlying layer can connect the skin layer with muscles and bones
.

Helps nerves and blood vessels: Nerves and blood vessels in the dermis layer become larger
in the subcutaneous tissue.
These nerves and blood vessels branch out and connect the subcutaneous tissue with other tissues in the body
.

Regulate body temperature: Fat in the subcutaneous tissue regulates body temperature and prevents overheating or overheating
.

Image source: 123RF

Causes of skin aging

As we age, certain changes occur in the skin, and skin aging is one of the most visible signs of change, including the appearance of wrinkles, sagging skin, age spots, dryness, and loss of luster
.

It is a complex biological process that is influenced by a combination of internal and external factors.

Specifically, intrinsic aging leads to changes in the epithelial cell layer, while extrinsic aging leads to abnormal accumulation
of elastic tissue in the dermis.

1

Intrinsic factors

Intrinsic factors are caused by a variety of mechanisms:

Excessive production of free radicals: In order to maintain balance in the body, free radicals are constantly produced and removed
in the human body.
As we age, our ability to scavenge free radicals decreases, producing an excess of free radicals, which can be harmful to the body and lead to aging
.

Hormonal changes: The aging of the skin is related
to the activity of various hormones.
The decreased activity of hormones in our body, such as estrogen, testosterone, DHEA, melatonin, insulin, and cortisol, can impair skin function, dry and wrinkle, etc.
, especially in postmenopausal women
.

Damage to mitochondrial DNA: Mitochondria produce energy and therefore constantly produce reactive oxygen species
.
These reactive oxygen species may cause oxidative stress responses, which can lead to mitochondrial DNA mutations
.
Damaged mitochondria can lead to cell dysfunction, which can lead to aging
.

Shortening of telomeres: Telomeres protect chromosomes from degradation and also prevent damage to cellular DNA
.
But if telomeres are shortened, they can trigger DNA damage responses, apoptosis, and aging
.

2

Extrinsic factors

Ultraviolet radiation: About 80% of facial aging is due to sun exposure (photoaging).

Photodamaged skin can cause skin loss of elasticity, rough and dry skin, irregular pigmentation, and deep wrinkles
.

Smoking: Smoking destroys collagen and elastin in the dermis layer, making the skin more lax, hardened, and less elastic.

Nicotine, carbon monoxide and other toxic substances produced during smoking can cause vasoconstriction and hypoxia on
the skin.
These can cause premature aging
of the skin.

Lifestyle: such as lack of exercise, alcohol consumption, unhealthy diet, pollution, stress, etc
.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important
to reduce telomere shortening and slow aging.

Image source: 123RF

Anti-aging strategies

Beautiful skin is not only an important sign of health, but also one of
the ways we can promote our overall well-being.

In addition to the modifiable extrinsic factors mentioned above, some of the main skin care methods
will be shared below.

1

Moisturizer

Studies have pointed out that hyaluronic acid plays a major role
in maintaining the hydration and elasticity of the skin.
This may be due to the increased hydration of epidermal cells and hydroxyproline levels, which contribute to anti-aging
.

2

antioxidant

Preventing photoaging, using exogenous antioxidants and other compounds that cannot be synthesized in our body help fight aging
.

Studies have shown that polyphenols have significant antioxidant properties, which can prevent the formation of reactive oxygen species, thereby inhibiting oxidative skin damage
.

Vitamins B3, C and E penetrate the skin sufficiently to form the most important antioxidants
.
In addition, α lipoic acid, α hydroxy acids, along with vitamins, have also been shown to be beneficial antioxidants
.

In a normal diet, regular consumption of foods containing antioxidants (such as vitamins A, C, E, etc.
) can reduce the risk of UV-induced skin damage, prevent oxidative stress and enhance DNA repair
.

In addition, wearing sunscreen clothing, using a parasol, hiding in the shade as much as possible, and applying sunscreen can also play a role in
physical sun protection.

3

Sunscreen

Using sunscreen protects us from UV rays, prevents premature aging, tanning and sunburn, reduces spots on the face, improves skin health, and reduces the incidence
of skin cancer.

Ultraviolet rays can be segmented by wavelength, and the UVB and UVA bands are the culprits that cause our sunburn, tanning, and premature aging of the skin (UVB mainly causes sunburn, UVA mainly causes tanning and photoaging).

Don't look at the sun in autumn and winter, ultraviolet rays can be just as strong!

Different sunscreens have different ingredients and different protection against UV rays:

Products containing active minerals (such as titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, etc.
) are deposited on the surface of the skin when applied, forming a protective film that reflects ultraviolet rays out to protect the skin from UVB damage;

Some products contain chemical ingredients (such as phthalates, octyl salicylate, etc.
) that penetrate the skin, break down and absorb UVA that damages the skin before UVA reaches and damages the dermis
.

In order to integrate the usability and safety of sunscreen, you can choose a sunscreen
that combines physical and chemical substances.

In addition, when buying sunscreen, you need to pay attention to the sun protection factor (SPF).

In simple terms, the SPF value indicates how many times the skin's tolerance to UV rays has increased and how many times
the sun protection time has been extended compared to the uncoated product after using a sunscreen product.

For example, a person without sun protection measures begins to hurt after 20 minutes of skin sunbathing; If you apply SPF 15 sunscreen, under the same sun, it will produce 20X15 = 300 minutes of protection, that is, after 300 minutes, the skin will appear sunburn
.

It should be noted that the SPF value determines the length of time the skin can withstand sun exposure
.
It is not that the higher the multiple, the better the sun protection effect, because the higher the SPF value, the greater
the burden on the skin.
An SPF of about 15 can meet the needs of daily life for sun protection
.

So what do the different values mean? This indicates that different SPFs have different protection levels (protection rates), as shown in the following figure:

SPF 15 provides 93% UVB protection;

SPF 30 provides 97% UVB protection;

The SPF 50 provides 98% UVB protection
.

▲The protection rate
of sunscreen with sun protection factor (SPF) against ultraviolet rays.
(Image source: Reference [2]).

It can be concluded that SPF 30 is only 4% more protective than SPF 15, and SPF 50 is only 5%
more protective than SPF 15.

No matter how many times you choose sunscreen, it is recommended to apply it several times a day (after applying, remember to remove makeup at night).

In addition, it is recommended to wash your face morning and evening with a gentle cleanser, shower regularly and apply a moisturizing lotion to prevent dry
skin.
If you tan, sunburn, skin discomfort and other phenomena, it is recommended to go to the dermatologist in time
.

Important words, repeat