LED Light therapy for skin rejuvenation.

LED Light Therapy is based on important research by NASA showing that certain frequencies of light significantly increase new tissue growth, stimulate collagen production and reduce fine lines and wrinkles.

This breakthrough technology does not use heat or any kind of “invasive” process, but triggers the body to convert light energy into cell energy without thermal heat. LED light therapy is non-invasive, causes no inflammation, and requires no special post-treatment procedures.

It is proving to be an effective treatment for aging skin as well as particular conditions such as Rosacea and other skin conditions. Benefits of Red LED Light Therapy include: Reduction in fine lines and wrinkles, reduction of age spots and sun damage, increase in collagen, reduction of overall redness, flushing and dilated capillaries. Results are often immediate.To read more on Antyage LED Light therapy see link below;

www.nualawoulfe.ie/index.php/treatments/specialised-skin-care

To book on line www.nualawoulfe.ie/index.php/bookings

Retin-A or Tretinoin is one of the most powerful products in the war against skin ageing.

Retin A is the brand name for Tretinoin - it  has proven itself to reduce, reverse, and prevent wrinkles. (The younger a person starts using it, meaning in their teens and twenties, the more benefits they receive, but it’s never too late to start using it!)
1. Retin A helps lighten and prevent age spots.
2. Retin A builds collagen to thicken and increase the structural strength of treated skin.
3. Retin A helps to decrease a person’s risk of developing skin cancer.
4. Skin just looks better and younger when people use Retin A.

Important advice!

• Always apply it to your skin at bedtime. 
• Never use it during the day.
• Never layer Retin A with benzoyl peroxide and ideally don’t apply it when you also have acid products on your skin like vitamin C, glycolic acid or salicylic acid.
• Always wait at least 15-30 minutes after cleansing and applying any other skin care products to your skin before you apply Retin A.
•  Use on its own, do not apply another cream on top. 

Whilst Retin A can have a magic effect on the skin, it can result in some issues if it’s not used correctly. The effect of increased skin cell turnover can be irritation and flaking. For this reason, many people stop using Retin-A after a couple of days to weeks, then think that it didn't work. It is important to realise that Retin-A is very effective for whiteheads and blackheads, but it may take 6-9 weeks to see a noticeable difference. It takes at least 6 months to see a noticeable difference in wrinkles. The best benefit is seen if Retin-A is used for at least a year. When you start to use Retin A, you need to begin with “pearl-sized” not “pea sized” portion for the face, neck and chest.  Use it like it is very precious ‘gold’. It is important to begin using it gradually to allow your skin to adjust. I recommend that clients use it twice a week (every third night) for the first couple of months. During this time, understand that a little peeling (or in my case a lot of peeling) and irritation is normal at first, but if the treated skin becomes really sensitive, back off the Retin A for a bit. Let your skin return to normal before you begin the treatment again. As your skin adjusts, slowly try to increase to using it every night.
Always use a sun protection next day, avoid exposure to direct sunlight.
Stop using Retin A, a month or so prior to going on a sun or ski holiday.

#SkinCeuticals Retinol is formulated with high concentrations of pure retinol and enhanced with stabilization and delivery technologies to ensure effective penetration.

Unlike products that use traditional encapsulation technology, the skinceutical  innovative system captures and stabilises retinol without enclosing it to protect potency.

The Ageing Process
Up to your mid 20's your skin will keep itself hydrated and youthful looking through this constant process of repair and replenishment. But as you start to get older your skin’s processes don’t work as effectively, which is when your skin begins to show visible signs of ageing.
Your skin begins to show signs of ageing because:

• Your skin produces less elastin and collagen, which keeps your skin smooth and firm.
• The natural process of skin cell renewal begins to slow down, meaning that fewer new cells are produced and the older, dead cells are not shed as frequently.
• Your skin’s natural defences become less effective, allowing reactive oxygen species (also known as free radicals) to damage healthy cells and protein in your skin, such as collagen and elastin.
• The blood supply to your skin can become less efficient, resulting in your skin appearing less vibrant.
• As you age your skin’s natural protection begins to decline, leaving it vulnerable to lasting damage. It produces less and less collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid, which causes the skin’s elasticity, firmness and smoothness to be reduced. This eventually results in fine lines and wrinkles forming.
• Skin cells aren’t renewed as regularly and your blood supply can also become less efficient, meaning your skin can begin to look less vibrant and fresh. Your skin’s epidermis also doesn’t retain as much moisture, making it less firm, plump and elastic, which negatively impacts your skin’s tone and texture. This can result in fine lines and wrinkles developing as well as your skin tone becoming sallow and dull.
• Your skin’s natural anti-oxidants can also become less prevalent and less effective leaving your skin vulnerable to damage. Which means that exposure to harmful UV rays in sunlight, also known as photo-damage, as well as unhealthy activities such as smoking, only accelerate your skin’s natural decline.

Photo Damage

Photo-damage to your skin is caused by UV radiation in sunlight. On warm sunny days your skin is most susceptible to UVB radiation, while UVA has a more significant effect on your skin all year round – even when it’s cloudy. The danger with UVA is that it’s not obviously damaging your skin as it doesn’t burn or tan your skin. Instead it causes damage deeper within your skin which prematurely ages it as well as causing additional health problems. Cumulative daily exposure to high levels of visible light and infrared-A can add to this damage.

If you don’t take the right steps to protecting your skin these harmful rays can:

• Break down your skin’s natural defences which work to provide low-level protection from all of these effects.
• Trigger the production of free radicals which damage your skin’s healthy cells and protein.
• Damage the top level of skin (the epidermis), giving it a leathery appearance.
• Affect your skins pigmentation creating irregular dark, brown patches and age spots.
• Damage the DNA in your skin cells, preventing them from functioning properly meaning they can die. In certain cases this can even lead to skin cancer.

All of these factors, both natural and external, contribute to visibly ageing your skin. Because of this it’s essential to use a medical grade, clinically-proven, evidence-based skincare regime that addresses all of the daily challenges that your skin must deal with. Protecting your skin will prevent further damage, while combining it with a carefully selected regime can help rejuvenate and repair a lot of the damage that your skin may have already experienced.

Pigmentation Issues.
Pigmentation complaints cause the uneven darkening of an area of skin. This can appear as brown/age spots which can go on to form keratoses (a scaly growth), and pre-cancerous or cancerous lesions. These conditions are difficult to treat because they affect each of us differently depending on our skin type, and how deep in the skin the pigmentation sits. This often depends on the cause of the issue, which is frequently a combination of factors.

1. Melanocytes in our skin produce melanin as a defence mechanism against radiation caused by the sun. The melanin travels to the surface of the skin to absorb the harmful UV rays. This is the process that, over time, gives us a tan, but within the skin the melanin protects other skin cells, and their DNA, from damage – although this protection is not enough with ongoing exposure to the sun.
2. Not only does radiation directly damage cells in our skin, it causes excessive Reactive Oxygen Species to be produced. This in turn causes additional harm to healthy cells and protein, and stimulate melanocytes. Our natural defences against these ROS decline as we age, so their effects are more prevalent in mature skin.
3. There are several other factors that can also stimulate excessive production of melanin:
4. Hormones can have a significant impact on melanocytes, for example while taking the contraceptive pill or during pregnancy. This disruption can cause a condition called melasma, in which excessive pigmentation appears on the forehead, cheeks and around the mouth.
5. Inflammation or trauma of the skin can also disrupt the melanocytes and cause increases in ROS. This can be associated with acne, folliculitis or laser therapy.
6. Although pigmentation issues commonly effect darker skin types (due to their increased levels of melanin), aged skin can become susceptible to some of the factors described above.

Spots.
Our skin is covered in hair follicles. In a healthy hair follicle the sebaceous gland produces a small amount of sebum, which moves up to the surface of the skin where it acts as a waterproofing agent. The opening of the follicle is wide making it easy for the sebum to exit the follicle .
Spots are caused when the opening to the hair follicle is blocked, closing off oxygen and allowing the sebum to stagnate. This is the early stage of a spot known as a comedone.
This environment allows rapid growth of P. acnes, the bacteria that leads to acne. At this point the hair follicle becomes inflamed and red (a spot) and forms a pustule.

There are several factors than can contribute to cause of spots:

1.Hair follicles can become blocked by excessive sebum on the skin and an accumulation of dead skin cells
2.Some cosmetic products can block hair follicles
3.Hormones can cause an increased production of sebum and an accumulation of dead skin cells at the follicle opening
4.In order to effectively fight spots each stage of the spot development process needs to be tackled.

Skinceutical Blemish & Age Skincare for acne prone skin.

www.nualawoulfe.ie

Studies show that Vitamin C can take years off your skin.

Vitamin C is a chemical called ascorbic acid that is naturally occurring in skin. It is known to play a role in collagen production. In addition, when topically applied it is thought to help heal acne, increase the barrier function of skin to decrease moisture loss, protect from UV radiation, and prevent age spots. L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C): Neutralises damaging free radicals and protects against oxidative stress.Yet despite all these wonderful benefits, many clients will say that they don’t notice much of a difference when they use a Vitamin C serum themselves.Why aren’t these women getting good results?  Because many of the products on the market aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

 Many Vitamin C serums contain just one active ingredient: vitamin C. Vitamin C is great for your skin, but it works even better when it’s combined with other skin—loving nutrients.

How to prove an anti-aging ingredient works – the Kligman questions

1. Based on the chemistry of the ingredient, is there any scientific mechanism that could explain why it would work?

2. Does it penetrate to the part of the skin where it needs to be in order to work?

3. Are there peer reviewed, double blind, placebo controlled studies demonstrating the ingredient really works when applied to real people?

This assessment is based primarily on a paper which reviews the technical literature on Vitamin C through 2012: “Stability, transdermal penetration and cutaneous effects of ascorbic acid and its derivatives” from the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2012.

Is there a mechanism that explains how Vitamin C works?

Remember that unlike many other anti aging ingredients, Vitamin C is naturally found in skin (mostly in the epidermis, some in the dermis) and its role in skin biology is well documented. For example… Protecting from UV damage.

Although VC is NOT a sunscreen  it protects skin from the free radicals that are caused by UV exposure. It’s been shown to reduce lipid peroxidation, limit the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, protect against apoptosis (or cell death) and to reduce redox-sensitive cell signalling. All this means that VC reduces many of the nasty effects of sun exposure.

Increasing collagen to reduce wrinkles

As you know collagen reduction  is a major cause of wrinkles. Vitamin C regulates the synthesis of collagen and it does this by hydroxylating collagen which makes it more stable and improves the way it supports the epidermis.

Reducing skin pigmentation

Vitamin C not only reduces melanin production but it also reduces oxidation of the melanin that is produced. It’s also thought to reverse the conversion of DOPA to o-DOPA quinone (which is a skin pigment).

So, as you can see, the effects of VC in the skin are well understood. Now let’s look at the other properties of each ingredient and what kind of data is available to prove that they work.

L' Ascorbic Acid .

Is it Stable? Stable at pH less than 3.5 in aqueous solution .

• Does it penetrate? Ex vivo testing proves it penetrates as a solution or micro particles
• 
  
• Does it convert to Ascorbic Acid? No conversion required.
• 
  
• Protects from UV damage: Yes, human in vivo testing.
• 
  
• Increases collagen synthesis: Yes, human in vivo testing.
• 
  
• Reduces skin pigmentation: Yes, human in vivo testing.

So this ingredient is the gold standard for Vitamin C.

 Look for products that include Vitamin C  & Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Resveratrol, or other antioxidants.

Resveratrol night time antioxidant.

Vitamin E is an outstanding anti-ageing nutrient. It inhibits the effects of ultraviolet light, helping to keep free radicals from damaging your skin. It also prevents scarring, smoothes the appearance of existing wrinkles, and fights skin inflammation.

A serum is the best way to give your skin extra protection.

Vitamin C serums are just as vulnerable to sun exposure, pollution and environmental toxins as your skin. Always wait for a minute if possible to allow serum to absorb before adding the next layer to avoid nutralising the active ingredients.

Vitamin E works in powerful synergy with vitamin C. Together, these antioxidant vitamins form a chemical bond that shields your skin from the ravages of sun, smoke and air pollution. In fact, studies show that Vitamin E turbocharges the benefits of Vitamin C.

 The “B's” that boost youthful firmness and elasticity.

Panthenol, otherwise known as Vitamin B5. B5 is a member of the B-complex family — and one of the best vitamins for skin health.

Vitamin B5 is a natural hydrator that can moisturize, soothe and regenerate skin. As a result, it can make dry skin smoother and more elastic.

But that’s that all. Panthenol is also a potent natural anti-inflammatory that eases irritation and inflammation. In fact, studies show it can speed the healing of skin wounds by 30%.

Hydrating B5 Gel.

Another powerhouse “B” is Vitamin B3, also known as niacinamide. Vitamin B3 can help firm and reduce signs of ageing, erase skin discoloration and revive healthy tone and texture.

B3 also reduces the breakdown of collagen…while increasing the growth of skin-healthy fibroblasts. So it promotes overall firmness and elasticity, too.

By the way, if you've heard that niacin can trigger redness or a flushing sensation, don’t worry.  Niacinamide does not cause any of these effects.

Metacell RenewalB3

Vitamin A — also known as retinyl palmitate – is a gentle antioxidant that promotes cell turnover. So it sloughs away dead skin cells and makes your skin appear soft and lustrous. Use at night and follow with a good sun protection every day 

Retin A

Facial Ageing

Ageing is a natural part of life. Before jumping into a quick fix solution I recommend my client’s develop a thorough understanding of how their face will age. Generally, this helps people get onboard with a long-term focused anti-ageing plan.

General Factors of Ageing

Many internal and external factors directly impact how we age. Having a basic overview will help you further understand the products and services offered in the skin care industry.

•External factors include things such as sun exposure, excessive exposure to cold climates and even the gravitational pull of the earth believe it or not.

•Internal factors are often overlooked which is a big mistake as these are things you can control. Stress, lack of exercise, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and a poor diet can accelerate the aging process and magnifying its effect on your face.

•Genealogy plays a large role in ageing. While you can’t alter your genes, you can look at your family history for clues as to how you will age. So have a look at old photos and take a good look at old family photos of your parents and grandparents.

The effect of ageing usually starts to appear in your thirties and compounds as time goes by. However, it’s important to note that both the rate of aging and how aging influences ones appearance differs on and individual basis due to the above internal and external factors.

How Ageing Affects Each Portion of the Face

As we age our facial muscles and skin begins falling off the bone. As if that’s not enough, our general bone structure begins to shift down and forward as well. This combination impacts every section of the face:

•Eyes: The zygomatic muscle falls and exposes the orbital rim of your eye socket. This makes people look constantly tired under the eyes.

•Nose: The nose can begin to drop and sag. This is caused as soft tissue around the nose, such as the skin, fat and cartilage, relax. So in essence there is less of a foundation around the nose. 

•Cheeks: With fat loss and decreased collagen production the cheeks begin to deflate; lose their round apple-like appearance. Later, the cheeks fall into deep grooves around the mouth called the “nasal labial folds" or parentheses. These Nasal labial folds continue to deepen causing a marionette or “puppet like appearance" giving us the appearance of jowls.

•Lips: Sagging skin causes the corners of the lips droop (think of it as a permanent frown). Additionally many people experience a dramatic loss of volume (plumpness) resulting in thin and flat lips.

•Wrinkles: Wrinkles, lines and creases begin to appear as the effects of a history of small muscle contractions begin to show. Squinting from the bright sun causes deep furrows between the eyebrows adding to the aging effect. Wrinkles also form around the mouth due to various activities like smoking, drinking through a straw or water bottle.

•Skin: Over time, our skin does not retain moisture as it once did when we were younger. Also dead skin cells take longer to shed leaving a top layer of weathered skin. The result: dry and dull appearing skin.

The good news is that knowledge is power. Being aware of your problem areas can help you tailor solutions that will work for you. Depending on your specific genetics, environment and lifestyle there is much that can be done to both slow the ageing process and minimise its effect on your face.