With so many signs of ageing, and so many products promising a million results, it’s easy to find yourself furrowing your brow in confusion (which doesn’t exactly help the cause!).
We go back to basics with Rebecca Nicholls, Head of Education for RoC®, to discover the main causes of wrinkles and find out just how certain ingredients can help fight the ageing process.
What are the main causes of wrinkle formation? There are three major causes of wrinkle formation:
1.) Cellular metabolism slows down, which causes skin to become thinner and lines to start appearing.
2.) The production of collagen decreases, and so the skin loses its support system which, in turn, causes wrinkles to get deeper.
3.) A degradation of elastin occurs, causing the skin to become less supple, and wrinkles to get wider.
Retinol, hyaluronic acid and biopeptides are a few of the big buzzwords on the anti-ageing scene. Can you please explain (in layman’s terms of course!) how they work to minimise wrinkles and fight ageing?
Retinol (the purest and most effective form of which is vitamin A) penetrates the skin to encourage cell renewal. In the epidermis (the top layer of skin) it stimulates and increases cell growth, while in the dermis (the second layer of skin) it increases collagen and elastin production, resulting in a firmer, smoother complexion.
Retinol also helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, improves skin texture, tone and radiance, and minimises hyper pigmentation. Both the RoC® RETIN-OX and Wrinkle Correxion ranges contain specially formulated retinol in the purest form of vitamin A.
Hyaluronic acid is naturally found in your skin and works to enhance the ability of collagen and elastin to retain the moisture in your complexion. It binds with water, allowing skin to hold up to 1,000 times its weight in moisture, ensuring wrinkles are plumped and smooth, and your complexion instantly improved.
Peptides are chains of amino acids, which act as communication agents within the skin, transmitting messages from cell to cell. There are different types of peptides and, depending on their structure, they send different messages to the cells to prevent cell damage.
RoC® have developed an improved peptide known as ‘intelligent biopeptide’, which adapts its efficacy according to the level of tissue damage. The RoC®biopeptide not only increases the production of hyaluronic acid and instructs cells to produce more collagen, but it also helps to restructure and direct the collagen to where it’s needed in the skin (usually the place where fine line and wrinkles have formed).
So what advice can you give to those who want to slow down the ageing process?
From the age of 25 the functions of the skin naturally start to slow down, causing fine lines and wrinkles to appear. However, many of us may notice accelerated skin ageing which is generally a result of environmental and lifestyle factors.
To minimise premature ageing, protection is key – RoC® recommends using a product which contains both an anti-oxidant and an SPF to protect from all the elements. When lines or wrinkles start to appear, opt for an anti-ageing routine that is specifically formulated to fight wrinkles where they form in the skin.
Note from beautyheaven: we know many of you are concerned with fine lines and wrinkles and we’re here to tell you that you that help is at hand so you don’t have to suffer the affects of ageing (well, not as much as you would unaided by product!).
Both RoC® RETIN-OX Wrinkle Filler Day/Night and Eye Cream contain the three main wrinkle-fighting ingredients mentioned in this article and are specifically formulated to combat wrinkles at their source, leaving you with a plumper, smoother, more line-free complexion.
