In 2020, there are countless beauty and skincare products vying for your attention and your dollar. Ad campaigns, celebrity endorsements, and flashy packaging make it hard to know what to get. But for many of these products, the true stars of the show aren’t the fabulous celebs wearing them, but the clinically proven active ingredients they contain that make the magic happen.
But which active ingredients should you pay attention to, and what do they do? That’s what the latest Vive® Rejuvenation blog is all about! Learn about the best active ingredients for your healthiest skin ever!
#1 – Antioxidants
Even if you aren’t into skincare, you’ve likely heard of antioxidants and their amazing effects on the body. But why are antioxidants hailed by professionals across the medical field?
Well, that’s because antioxidants directly fight one of the body’s worst enemies, free radicals. While free radicals do have some uses, they tend to over-accumulate and can wreak havoc in the skin by speeding up the aging process. Free radicals are created from environmental triggers such as ozone, pollution, smog, cigarette smoke, and sun exposure. Internal factors such as stress, poor nutrition, and not getting enough sleep may also increase the production of free radicals.
Everything in the world, including human beings, are made of molecules, which are made of atoms, and atoms are made of pairs of electrons. In the skin, free radicals develop when an atom is missing an electron; they damage the skin by trying to take
an extra electron from the molecules that make up the skin. This causes damage to our skin’s collagen fibres and DNA which can speed up skin aging in the form of brown spots, redness, spider veins, fine lines, wrinkles, and loose skin.
Your answer to neutralizing free radicals are antioxidants! Antioxidants donate an electron to a free radical so the free radical does not rob it from the skin’s atoms. Antioxidants are really protecting your collagen and DNA repair, which is the best form of anti-aging!
Topical antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin E in serum and lotion formulations that can penetrate deep into the skin layers to neutralize free radicals and prevent skin damage. Apply to the face and neck (any left over rub on the backs of your hands) once or twice a day after you clean your skin and before you apply moisturizer and SPF.
Some foods are high in antioxidants, which help in metabolism, such as tomatoes, grapes, and green tea. Throw in a healthy balanced diet, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, apply SPF 30 to your face and neck every day, and you have all the bases covered for maintaining healthy skin!
Product recommendations:
- Vivier™ CE Peptides Serum, Radiance Serum, and GrenzCine Serum
- ZO Skin Health(R) 10% Vitamin C Self Activating and Daily Power Defense
- SkinMedica(R) TNS Essential Serum
#2 – Growth Factors
First things first: growth factors are NOT growth hormones! You don’t have to worry about looking like a bodybuilder from applying growth factors on your skin!
Growth factors represent a huge class of protein building blocks called peptides
These growth factors help to regulate cell survival, migration, proliferation, and more. Think of them as a conductor in a symphony, directing the different sections to produce beautiful balance.
In the skin, growth factors help to maintain healthy skin by supporting the repair of damaged skin, making components that provide firmness and elasticity to the skin while helping to maintain skin’s protective functions. Aging and sun-damaged skin require growth factors to maintain itself, however cells in aging skin make fewer growth factors than cells in youthful skin. One approach to support the levels of skin rejuvenation is to regularly use skincare products with a high concentration of stable growth factors.
That’s why skincare products that use Growth Factors see amazing results after consistent application—they bring the symphony of skin cells back in order, showing improvements in the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, texture, discoloration. reduction in crow’s feet lines, under-eye skin texture, and overall radiance. Combining growth factors with strong antioxidants tend to show results sooner, so be sure to use both for the best results!
Product recommendations:
- SkinMedica(R) TNS Essential Serum and TNS Covery Complex
- ZO Skin Health(R) Growth Factor Serum
#3 – Retinol
Retinol is one of the most important anti-aging ingredients on the market, and for good reason. People are seeing fantastic results with it, but what exactly is it?
Retinol is a form of synthetic Vitamin A, the organic version being a great antioxidant as mentioned earlier. Retinol is just one form of synthetic Vitamin A within the family of retinoids. Prescription formulas normally contain retinoic acid (the strongest of these retinoids), while retinol is more gentle, often in time-release formulations and can be found in medical-grade skincare lines.
Retinol works by increasing cell turnover, which reduces old, dead cells and reveals new, healthy cells for a smooth, reflective complexion. Retinol is clinically proven to boost collagen production which helps improve firmness, tone, and texture of the skin. Retinol is also recommended in acne management, to improve cellular turnover and reduce blocked and congested pores to help minimize breakouts.
A slow but steady increase in use and concentrations over a number of weeks allows your skin to naturally get used to the increased cellular turnover, and as a result, you may need more hydration along with the daily application of SPF 30 or higher.
Recommended Products:
- SkinMedica(R) Retinol Complex .25, .5 and 1%
- Vivier™ Retinol Night Complex 0.3 and 1%
- ZO Skin Health(R) Wrinkle and Texture Repair .25 .5 and 1%
#4 – Alpha hydroxy acids
The next active ingredient on our list is a master at exfoliation, alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs). Like antioxidants, they are naturally-occurring but can also be synthetic. You’ve likely heard of many AHAs like citric acid, salicylic acid, lactic acid and glycolic acid which are all used in medical-grade skincare creams to help shed dead skin cells and promote new skin cell growth.
By spurring growth, AHAs in your regular skincare regime will help decongest pores in acne management and reduce fine lines and texture for anti-aging benefits.
Recommended products:
- Vivier AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cream
- ZO Skin Health Exfoliation Accelerator
#5 – Hyaluronic acid
Looking for supple, hydrated skin? Then hyaluronic acid (HA) may be the product you need!
Hyaluronic acid is a naturally-occurring sugar chain produced within the body, mainly the skin, tissue, and eyes. It helps retain moisture in the skin, so your skin looks healthy and plump. The amount of natural hyaluronic acid in our bodies decreases as we get older, so adding a medical-grade product into your skincare regime will help boost hydration. It’s like giving your skin a drink of water!
HA can be found in topical skincare formulations or in injectable formulations such as Juvederm(R) to correct volume loss in the mid and lower face.
Product recommendations:
- SkinMedica HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator and HA5 Smooth and Plump Lip System
- Vivier Ultimage
#6 – Peptides
Peptides are powerful building blocks of proteins. They are made of chains of amino acids, and peptides chained together with potent anti-aging properties.
Peptides work because one of the most abundant and important peptides in the body is collagen. By supplementing peptides, you can provide the skin with more of those building blocks, and even spur more natural peptide and collagen production.
Regular application of products that contain peptides helps reverse signs of aging by visibly reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, texture, and loose skin.
They need consistent application to work and are best used in tandem with other anti-aging ingredients. Peptides are a key ingredient in many different medical-grade anti-aging skincare products and highly recommended in an anti-aging skincare regime.
Product recommendations:
- ZO Skin Health Firming Serum
- Vivier Ultimage
- SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum
#7 – Hydroquinone 2%
Hydroquinone is another important active ingredient, known as a skin lightening and correcting agent that gradually lightens dark spots and evens skin tone and texture. For decades, it’s been used to reduce sun spots, freckles, melasma, acne scars, and sun damage.
Hydroquinone inhibits the production of melanin (brown discoloration in the skin). If you have an uneven skin tone, using a skincare system that incorporates hydroquinone over a prescribed number of months will help reduce the formation of brown discoloration for a clear, consistent and healthy complexion. Because this is a medical-grade ingredient, it is best to be under the care of a professional medical skin clinic to ensure it’s safe and effective use.
Product recommendations:
- Vivier Hyperpigmentation Program (2% Hydroquinone)
- ZO Skin Health Pigment Control Program + 2% Hydroquinone
#8 – Spf 30 or higher daily sun protection
Whether or not you are big into skincare, you should definitely be using sunscreen in your daily routine every single day of the year. Repeated sun exposure can cause premature signs of aging, skin damage, hurt the immune system, and even lead to skin cancer. Even if you avoid the worst effects, your skin will look worse over time, negating the benefits of any skincare routine. The sooner you start using daily SPF, the more your skin will be protected, it will be healthier, and you will have fewer signs of premature aging such as skin discoloration, texture, fine lines, and wrinkles.
It’s generally recommended to apply Spf 30 – 50 over the face, neck, and chest every day for protection from harmful UV rays. If you are spending time outside, protect all exposed areas of your body, and reapply SPF every 1-2 hours. Wear protective clothing as well; a brimmed hat with at least a 2” brim all the way around instead of a baseball hat. Sunglasses with UV protection lenses help protect your eyes and the thin skin around the eyes. Sun shirts protect the chest, back and arms if during swimming and water sports.
There are a variety of sun protection products that are great for specific skin types and it is best to find one that you like so you will wear every day. Even if you plan on being outside for a few minutes, don’t forget to put on good sunscreen. Your skin will love you for it!
Product recommendations:
- SkinMedica Total Defense and Repair Clear SPF 34, Tinted SPF 34 and Water Resistant SPF 50
- Vivier Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30, Sheer Broad Spectrum SPF 45 and Triple Protection Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30
- ZO Skin Health Sunscreen + Primer SPF 30, Smart Tone Broad Spectrum SPF 50 and Daily Sheer Broad Spectrum SPF 50
Get World-Class Skincare At Vive® Rejuvenation!
Looking to take your skincare game to the next level? Book a virtual appointment with one of our skincare professionals and start your journey to healthy, smooth, beautiful and glowing skin!
Sources:
https://www.skinmedica.com/
https://en.vivierskin.com/
