by Nelson Lee Novick, M.D., FACP, FAAD
 Recent breakthroughs in skin science
have made it possible for every consumer
to attain healthier and
younger looking skin at any age. Since most
boomers do not have the time in their active
business and family schedules for more extensive
cosmetic surgical procedures and techniques
that engender considerable bruising,
swelling and down time, there has been a
growing trend away from anesthesia, needles
and cutting. Instead, people are looking for
more natural methods and at-home skin care
regimens for keeping their skin healthy and
reversing the wrinkles, lines and furrows of
skin aging.
I am amazed and delighted by the rapidity
of the advances made in only the past few
years in the quest for non-surgical methods
for achieving younger looking skin.
Nowadays people can do so much for their
skin easily, quickly, inexpensively and conveniently,
in the privacy of their own homes.
Retaining the skin’s natural moisture is at
the heart of any proper at-home skin care regimen.
As we get older, the body produces less
of the important substances that maintain
skin tone, suppleness and elasticity. While
younger skin has the ability to easily and rapidly
renew its cells and maintain the necessary
moisture levels, more mature skin needs assistance
in these areas.
For decades women, searching for hope in
a bottle, have tried every potion, lotion, cream and magic elixir to diminish
the appearance of facial
wrinkles. Unfortunately,
the sizes of the molecules of
the main ingredients within
nearly all moisturizers are
far too large to allow them
to penetrate through the
skin barrier to where they
are most needed.
Moisturizers are not
absorbed into the skin nor can they do a lot of other things that have
been claimed for them, such as shrinking
pores, preventing wrinkles or rejuvenating
skin. In general they serve to promote
smoothness and softness by locking in whatever
moisture is naturally present in the skin
and retarding further loss. For this purpose,
plain petroleum jelly is excellent at preventing
the loss of moisture from the skin
and protecting it against environmental irritations.
If petroleum jelly is found too greasy,
the regular use of any supermarket or pharmacy
house brand moisturizer will suffice.
Expensive so-called finest department store
brands provide little more than fancier packaging.
To further minimize the development
of dryness, I recommend the use of only mild
moisturizing or sensitive skin cleansers or bars
and to cleanse no more than twice daily.
Of course, I also emphasize the extreme
importance of adequate sun protection to
prevent incoming ultraviolet damage, a
leading cause of skin aging, mottling and
wrinkling. Any sun protection brand with a
SPF of 30 is recommended for outdoor sports
and swimming. Otherwise a SPF of 15 will
suffice for casual outdoor exposure.
A number of other topical agents are
worth trying as part of any rejuvenating skin
care regimen. These include products containing
alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), nontoxic
acids derived from fruits, foods and plants
that are produced naturally as part of our natural
metabolism. AHAs are believed to affect
the surface of the skin as well as the tissue
below. Research has demonstrated that they
decrease the glue that holds the cells of the
dead outer layer together on the skin surface,
plump the inner layers and restore the skin’s
barrier function and ability to retain moisture.
There is some indication that AHAs may
even stimulate new collagen synthesis. I recommend
AHA products containing 12–15
percent concentrations for use on the face as
well as on the chest, neck and under the eyes.
Creams, lotions and gels containing AHA have
increased exponentially in the cosmetic
industry. With this AHA regimen you may
note within about eight weeks that your skin
appears smoother and healthier-looking.
After six months to a year of continuous
application you may see diminished sagging
and less wrinkling.
Antioxidants have also gained popularity
for battling Father Time’s effects on the skin.
By-products of our own metabolic processes,
sunlight, medications and environmental
pollutants are all known to contribute to the
formation of free radicals, out of control
chemicals that can damage our cells and lead
to aging, skin malignancies and other conditions.
Antioxidants, therefore, by scavenging
up free radicals before they can do harm,
make a logical addition to our topical skin
care routine. The antioxidant, vitamin E, or
tocopherol acetate, found in many moisturizers,
has been found to speed wound healing
as well as rejuvenate skin.
Vitamin C is another well-known antioxidant
and it is essential for collagen synthesis.
Initial investigations have indicated that it
may improve skin firmness, texture and wrinkles.
It should be emphasized that while topical
products containing these vitamins have
demonstrated their cancer-fighting properties,
more research remains to be done in
order to substantiate their anti-aging capabilities.
A minimum of six months of daily use is usually necessary before results are seen with
either of these topical antioxidants.
The latest supplement for achieving
younger-looking skin
Finally, no skin care regimen would be truly
complete without efforts to rejuvenate the skin
from the inside out. Collagen is a protein that
plays an essential role in maintaining skin
tone, suppleness and elasticity. Hyaluronic
acid (HA), an equally vital skin constituent,
supports collagen by retaining moisture and
functioning as a lubricant between connective
tissues and the skin. Unfortunately, with the
passage of time and continued sun exposure,
these vital constituents become altered and
diminished, contributing to the development of wrinkling and sagging.
In turn, resupplying the micronutrient raw
materials necessary for the skin to more optimally
produce its own collagen HA becomes
essential for maintaining structure and function
and slowing down the chemical pathways
of aging.
I recommend daily oral supplementation
with BioCell Collagen II™, a unique combination
of collagen II, hyaluronic acid and chondroitin
sulfate (HA’s companion that rebuilds
cartilage) to nourish the skin from the inside
out where topical applications cannot reach.
This dietary supplement provides the only
natural and bioavailable source of these three
elements needed to maintain skin moisture
and elasticity. This complex concentrated
matrix of elements, formerly only available to
plastic surgeons as injectable drugs, not only
halts the appearance of skin aging, but also
potentially reverses the aging process altogether.
By restoring facial contours, enhancing
moisture levels and reducing wrinkles, this
ingredient heals and rejuvenates skin tissue to
levels that will erase the distinguishing features
between young and old. This supplement is
not a short-term solution, such as the use of
injectable collagen; rather it is a necessary part
of any regimen intended for life-long skin
tissue health.
One final point deserves special mention.
Physical attractiveness and the quest to look
younger is no longer solely an issue of vanity.
In a study of aging women, conducted at the
University of Pennsylvania, results showed that those who were considered physically
attractive registered greater satisfaction with
their lives, were more outgoing, more realistic,
perceived themselves as having less sickness
and indeed were in better health. In addition
to attaining younger-looking skin, an effective
anti-aging skin care regimen can serve to boost
self-confidence and enhance overall quality of
life. Today, looking younger at any age can be
achieved affordably, conveniently, and naturally
at home.
Rejuvenating winter-damaged skin
in time for spring and summer
While every season has its effect on skin,
winter can be particularly brutal. For example,
most people associate the summer with the need for sun protection. Winter can pose its
own serious sun threats, too. At least 60 percent
of the sun’s rays are reflected off ice and
snow, spelling the potential for serious sun
damage. The thinner atmosphere of higher
altitudes, such as when skiing, permits intense
sun exposure capable of causing bad sunburns
and permanent damage.
But that’s not all. Winter winds and outdoor
chapping weather, and the need for
indoor heating and the lowered humidity that
follows, all serve to unduly dry and irritate the
skin and increase the possibility of irritation
and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
I suggest that simple attention to a few basic
steps for everyday skin care can go a long way
to putting the brakes on the damage from Old
Man Winter and getting that winter skin ready
for its spring debut.
Adequate sun protection
Whenever out on the slopes, or working/
playing outdoors in the snow and ice, use an
SPF 30, water-resistant sunscreen. Apply to all
exposed areas about 30 minutes before going
outdoors and reapply at least every two hours
thereafter.
Appropriate moisturization:
Outdoors as well as indoors, liberally apply
moisturizers containing both occlusive ingredients,
such as petrolatum and mineral oil,
that lock moisture in the skin and humectant
(water grabbing) ingredients, such as urea and
lactic acid, that draws up moisture from the lower levels of the skin to the uppermost levels
where it is most needed. The best time to apply
any moisturizer is on moist skin following a
bath or shower.
Proper cleansing:
Pure toilet soaps and deodorant soaps tend to
be too alkaline and drying for most skin, particularly
during the winter. Abrasive soaps are
also too harsh for most people at any time of
year but particularly so during the winter
months. Wash your face not more than twice
daily and look for those cleansers labeled sensitive
skin or moisturizing, as these contain
cleansing ingredients that are non-alkaline
(non-degreasing) and moisturizers to counteract
the drying effects of the soap, respectively.
Be especially gentle, avoid wash cloths
or polyester scrub sponge, and cleanse only
with your fingertips.
Proactive lifestyle changes:
Attention to such factors as the avoidance of
smoking and the limitation of drinking always
make good sense as part of any health maintenance
regimen. Toxins produced by smoking
damage the skin directly by impairing wound
healing and other vital processes and indirectly
by working along with sun exposure to prematurely
age the skin. Excessive drinking, too, can
enhance the facial flushing from cold weather
and lead to the development of permanent,
unsightly broken blood vessels on the face.
Maintaining a balanced diet is important,
too. Vitamin supplementation is necessary to
supply the antioxidants vitamins C and E to
combat free radical damage. In addition, daily
consumption of BioCell Collagen II for supplying
the raw materials necessary to maintain
the skin’s collagen and hyaluronic acid content,
which is absolutely necessary for moisture
maintenance, can be especially helpful in
dealing with winter’s stresses on the skin.
BioCell Collagen II can be found in high quality
nutritional supplements in health food and
vitamin and dietary supplement stores everywhere (www.FindaHealthStore.com)
or by visiting www.biocelltechnology.com
Nelson Lee Novick, M.D., FACP, FAAD is an associate
clinical professor of dermatology at The Mount Sinai
School of Medicine in New York City and a dermatology
clinic chief at The Mount Sinai Medical Center. He is the
author of numerous books and hundreds of byline articles
on skin care, cosmetics and cosmetic skin surgery.
Other current books by Dr. Novick include Super Skin—
A Leading Dermatologist’s Guide to The Latest
Breakthroughs In Skin Care and You Can Look Younger At
Any Age (both published by iUniverse, 2000). Dr. Novick
maintains a private practice devoted to cosmetic dermatology
on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
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