Night
This is the
time for repairing, rejuvenating and healing. First undo the damage done
throughout the day by removing make-up with an oil-based product. Never go to
bed wearing make-up, which will clog pores, causing them to enlarge.
“Double
cleansing with a make-up remover and then a cleanser is ideal to get skin
squeaky clean and prepare it for serums and night creams,” advises Dr Allem.
“Skin is
most active at night, correcting the day’s harm while “recharging” the skin for
the next day,” says White. “However, this process slows down with age. Use a
night cream, like Givenchy Radically No Surgetics Age-Defying & Unifying
Nightcare, which infuses the skin with ingredients for a deep-down recovery and
reversal of damage while strengthening the skin.”
Products
with active ingredients, like retinol – for example, Neutrogena Ageless
Intensives Deep Wrinkle Anti-Wrinkle Serum – should only be used at night as
sunlight can deactivate its effects.
Night
creams are formulated to restore cellular function, advises Dr Nicolic.
Strengthen and rejuvenate the skin’s underlying structures with the use of
plant-based stem-cell extracts and growth factors, like Dermalogica AGE Smart
Overnight Repair Serum.
Formulation,
like Innoxa SkinEven Enlighten Night Moisturiser, target uneven skin tone and
brighten complexions. Those with kojic acid, liquorice extract or vitamin C,
like Skin Nutrition Complexion Revitalizing Serum with Vitamins C & E, will
inhibit the enzymes responsible for melanin production, exfoliate and help
smooth dark spots and uneven discoloration to brighten the skin.
Try these
creams to restore, repair and reverse signs of ageing:
(10) Eucerin Dermo Densifyer Density Regenerating
Night Care
(11) Almay Kinetin Age Regenerative Complex
Restoring Night Cream
(12) Ahava Extreme Night Treatment
(13) Skin Doctors Skinactive Regenerating Night
Cream
We also
like: Perricone MD Concentrated Restorative Treatment with vitamin A Ester,
which addresses loss of radiance, fine lines, wrinkles and skin discoloration
as well as BEMA Bio Toning Up Bio Cream Night.
Serums to
strengthen:
(14) La Prairie Cellular Power Charge Night
(15) REN Omega 3 Night Repair Serum; Dior Capture XP
Nuit Ultimate Deep Wrinkle Correction Night Concentrate; and OptipPhi
Protecting Revitalizer.
Every month
Facials and
professional exfoliation treatments
Skin-tightening
and resurfacing treatments, like microdermabrasion and mesotherapy, are monthly
procedures that’ll help keep your skin in top condition and slow down the
ageing process. Microdermabrasion lifts dead skin from the surface, helping to
increase the circulation and smoothing the skin’s texture. Mesotherapy
stimulates collagen production to reduce the appearance of fine lines,
wrinkles, skin laxity and scarring.
Have a
monthly facial at a salon. The skin-regeneration process is 28 to 30 days,
which means monthly facials will repair and stimulate renewal.
Deeper
exfoliations with new-generation alpha hydroxyl acids (AHAs) used in chemical
peeling systems (a technique that uses an acidic solution from a natural
substance to remove the outer layers of the skin) have become a popular
treatment to improve the skin’s appearance, says Dr Alek Nicolic, a Cape Town
aesthetic practitioner and Health24.com anti-ageing expert.
“This helps
to minimize wrinkles, lighten irregular pigmentation and improve the appearance
of melasma, which is pigmentation caused by hormonal changes, like pregnancy.
Peeling is suitable for the face, neck, chest, arms and hands. One peel every
four to six weeks is sufficient”
Year-On-Year
website: sandtonaesthetics.co.za
Have one
skin-tightening treatment a year, and start in your 30s, says cosmetic expert
Dr Maureen Allem. “Have a tightening treatment, like Alterna, to keep skin full
of collagen. It’s important to start these treatments on your neck sooner rather
than later, as a sagging and ageing neck is very hard to treat once the damage
is done”
Re-evaluate
your skincare regimen as the skin changes all the times. Your existing range
may not be adequate or may even be wrong for your skin type, current condition
or particular concern, advises David White, the national training manger for
Givenchy.
It’s also
critically important to check for skin cancer, so have your skin examined by a
dermatologist at least once a year.
