First Do No Harm
For the key to preserving and nurturing aging skin, look no further than the skin care products you use. If you’re already an obsessive label reader, you’ve no doubt noticed that many products list ingredients only a chemist could love.

The refrain of skin-care experts bears repeating: What you apply to your skin penetrates into the body. So, look for natural ingredients and ones that nourish, protect, and heal the terrain of maturing skin. “Cells need nutrients to be their best,” says Myra Michelle Eby, founder of Mychelle Dermaceuticals. “With age, cells renew at a slower rate, and are not as strong, plump, and juicy as they are in our youth.”

Whatever you do, avoid the strong-arm approach. “As many as 50 percent of your T-cells are in your skin, and they are the immune system’s front line of defense,” says Linda Southern, a Dr. Hauschka-trained esthetician in Boulder, Colorado. “If you accelerate the shedding of cells, with a glycolic peel for example, you’ll leave your skin vulnerable.” Instead of rejuvenating the skin, the treatment leaves it dry, irritated, and more prone to environmental damage.

And the first cause is the sun. “As much of 80 percent of the damage done to skin results from photo-aging—the accumulated damage done by UV exposure,” says Jen Murphy, esthetician for Pangea Organics. The sun’s rays don’t just mess up the dermis, the outermost layer of skin, they penetrate deeper, affecting key cell biochemicals like collagen and elastin. Of course, that damage can be prevented with the judicious use of sunscreen, but much of what we see on our face at 40 is the result of what transpired at 18. “Fortunately, there are things that can be done to slow down and even reverse damage,” Murphy says.

“Free radicals are exacerbated by stress and pollution, as well as the sun,” says Linda Miles, founder of derma e Bodycare products, and with time they attack the skin cells and cause inflammation. Skin needs multifaceted care, she says, a combination of antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and products to help the skin attract and retain moisture, with a wrinkle-plumping effect.

Antioxidants are essential to feed the skin, strengthen collagen, and protect the skin from free-radical damage. A quick look at skin-care product ingredients will make obvious the overwhelming number of these power-packed substances. Pangea, for example, offers a glossary of the functional properties of the more than 50 ingredients used in its line, and Mychelle details more than 150.

“All antioxidants have special attributes and unique benefits,” Miles says, which is why many formulations offer a cornucopia of them, such as vitamin E, green tea, CoQ10, alpha lipoic acid, beta carotene, lycopene, and Vitamin C. Derma e products, for instance, include “super-antioxidants” pycnogenol (pine bark extract) and astaxanthin (a reddish substance derived from algae).

One caveat for consumers: For these substances to benefit skin, the product must contain sufficient amounts, and that can be difficult to discern. Mychelle’s Eby warns, “Many products with vitamin C have it in too low a concentration to be effective. For vitamin C to penetrate skin and stimulate collagen production, the product needs L-ascorbic acid (a particular form of C) in 17 percent concentration,” she says.

Likewise with astaxanthin: If a product actually contains the critical amount, it has a pink-to-orange hue; those with pycnogenol should be rust-colored.

Next on the agenda: thirsty skin. Not only does the skin lose moisture with age, it loses the ability to retain what moisture it has. To counter that problem, quite a few serums and lotions contain hyaluronic acid, which helps skin retain moisture. Peptides—another class of ingredients—are chains of proteins that function to plump up skin, smoothing wrinkles. Derma e uses two patented peptides, Matrixyl and Argireline, in products that help skin retain moisture and promote collagen.

But even products with the best ingredients need proper application. After cleaning your face, dab on some serum before applying a moisturizer, which provides a protective barrier that would otherwise block the serum’s effectiveness. Last, for daytime, put on a mineral-based sunscreen, either zinc or titanium dioxide—both of which offer protection against UVA and UVB rays.
The dazzling array of natural fragrance- and chemical-free products may tempt a mix-‘n-match approach, but manufacturers recommend that consumers use one line of products at each skin-care session (morning and night). That way the products can work synergistically, and not at cross purposes.

Ask for Ayurveda
Skin care, according to ayurvedic philosophy, depends on balance. Ayurveda characterizes the skin as it does the body, using the three doshas—vata, pitta, and kapha. You are born with a basic skin type (translating to some mix of oily, dry, and sensitive), but at different ages one dosha predominates in the body and in the skin. “In our teen years skin is kapha, which means it tends to be oily,” says Nancy Lonsdorf, MD, dean of faculty for Vedic Medicine at Maharishi College of Medicine in Iowa. “In the middle years we are more pitta, prone to inflammation and irritation.” From our 50s on, vata reigns. “There is more dryness, general weakness, lack of strength, loss of collagen and muscle mass.”

During the vata phase of life, go gentle on your skin. “Many women use strong, chemical-based makeup and harsh cleansers, and that is the worst thing you can do to your skin,” Lonsdorf says. “Chemical peels (alpha hydroxy acid) are just torture to the skin, killing the surface level of cells.” According to ayurveda, these “skin renewing” treatments actually accelerate aging.

Instead the skin thrives with emollients, rich creams, cleansers that don’t strip the skin of natural oils, and mixtures of free radical-fighting herbs called “rasayanas” that are taken internally to support the skin and the body. “The more natural the product, the better. Read the labels,” Lonsdorf advises.

No topical skin care regimen can counter bad habits, however. Ayurveda prescribes sufficient rest and a regular sleep schedule—optimally in bed by 10 p.m. and up by 6 a.m.—as essential. As for food, “The worst thing to do is ingest bad fats, like trans fats,” says Lonsdorf, because they cause irritation and inflammation. Likewise, strive to eat good fats, which are essential for supple skin throughout the years. “I had one patient who was severely wrinkled, and she had aggressively avoided fats her whole life, and it showed on her face.”

Other dietary essentials include lots of water, and juicy foods—zucchini, cucumber, celery, pears, apples—which bring moisture to cells and help flush out toxins. And avoid such potential irritants as vinegar and alcohol, which can exacerbate skin redness, even rosacea.

Then luxuriate. Lonsdorf suggests incorporating a five-minute ayurvedic oil massage into your morning routine to nourish the skin, stimulate circulation, and calm the body. All skin types tolerate organic olive oil well, she says, and it feels best if heated to body temperature. Lonsdorf recommends starting at the top of the head, the scalp, and then moving to the ears, face neck, arms, lower back, and feet. The most important principle: Use the flat of your hand in a circular motion on the joints and abdomen, and long strokes up and down the long bones. She also suggests putting a few drops in your nose and sniffing up, which, according to ayurveda, keeps your brain vital. Then ideally, put on your sweats and do 20 minutes of yoga. But despair not if you can’t spare the time—you still reap the benefits even if you have to shower immediately after your self-massage.

Purifying also keeps skin youthful. Another ayurvedic practice, panchakarma, involves gentle purification of the body through spa-like treatments with oil, herbs, and steaming. “Toxins build up in the body from the environment, food we eat, water we drink,” according to Paul Morehead, associate chairman of the department of physiology and health at Maharishi University of Management.

“Panchakarma is the ancient technique to rejuvenate the body physiologically,” he says, and ideally should be done twice a year for seven days (though once is better than never). Toxins get stored in the fatty tissues of the body, making them difficult to eradicate. But a recent study on panchakarma found that after several twice-a-year treatments, participants experienced decreases of 60 to 80 percent in internal pesticide residue.

Incision-Free Face-Lifts
Sagging, wrinkled skin can get an uplift without drastic measures. Unlike surgery, which can pull skin taut to such a degree that you don’t look like yourself (hello Joan Rivers) acupuncture, massage, and exercise result in a more natural, rejuvenated look.

Facial acupuncture takes a constitutional approach to aging skin and incorporates herbal supplements and dietary suggestions along with hands-on care. Though it improves fine lines, discoloration, wrinkles, and sagging, acupuncture also treats underlying imbalances and health issues. “We start with doing a thorough health history, looking at digestion, sleep, adrenal function, emotional state, and check the pulses and the tongue,” says Sylvia Rojas, an acupuncturist in Boulder, who practices the Mei Zen technique of facial acupuncture. She recommends a series of 10 treatments, in which she places 40 to 50 needles at particular points in the face and energy meridians in the body. By the fifth treatment, the benefits, which include smoother and tighter skin, as well as increased energy, really kick in.

Facial Rejuvenation, an acupuncture technique taught to practitioners nationwide by Connecticut-based Virginia Doran, employs a similar regimen—a series of 10 to 12 treatments—but it involves up to 100 very fine needles and uses “threading” in which needles are inserted into skin at an angle to promote collagen production and muscle toning.

A less invasive procedure, facial massage, tones and stimulates the face, and provides a pampering treatment for aging skin. One method is the Belavi Face-lift Massage, which retrains facial muscles to lift rather than droop. “All massage strokes are done in an upward fashion,” says Nina Howard, who teaches this technique through the Bellanina Institute in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “We increase blood flow and oxygen to the tissues, bringing firmness to flaccid muscles,” she says.

The treatment, best done two to three times a week for four weeks, includes a half-hour active massage, followed by a “tapping” massage with an organic honey mix that helps rid the skin of impurities, unplugs blocked pores, and heightens skin tone. The last phase is relaxation—a massage of hands, feet, and scalp. The results? “A new glow, tighter jaw line, more contour around cheekbones, fewer fine lines, and decreased puffiness due to better lymph drainage,” says Howard.

Eradicate the Toxins
Another holistic approach to aging skin, homeopathy looks at the big picture and how that shows up on the face. “I look at hormone levels, the liver, and the immune, circulatory, and nervous systems,” says Dr. Stephen Center, a family physician practicing integrated medicine in San Diego, California, who does seminars for Heel, a manufacturer of homeopathic remedies. Another factor in our appearance: toxins. As we age, we accumulate a boatload of them—from the environment, diet, life—and they can contribute to premature aging.

Center says toxins interfere with the functioning of aging skin. “The cells of the skin degenerate, skin gets thinner, and is slower to heal.” Depending on the patient, Center employs an array of homeopathic and herbal remedies to detoxify the body, which improves the elasticity of skin, improves age spots—which are indicators, he says, of toxin deposits—and makes skin appear more youthful.

In a procedure not approved by the FDA, European doctors inject homeopathic remedies as a natural way to fill wrinkles. The treatment works in the same manner as cosmetic surgeons injecting the face with collagen and such products as Restylane and Hylaform (synthetic derivatives of hyaluronic acid).

The topical application of homeopathic remedies, another option in the anti-aging arsenal, has, on the other hand, received the FDA’s blessing. For instance, Rhythmic Night Conditioner, a Dr. Hauschka Skin Care product, provides an extra boost to mature skin. These ampules—used nightly for 30 days—contain dilutions of white lily, anthyllis, and rose-petal extract combined with rose essential oil. This homeopathic treatment supports the skin’s ability to regenerate itself, a capacity often impaired by aging and stress.

“Dr. Hauschka’s philosophy is that there is no miracle cure for aging,” says Jill Price Marshall, the company’s public relations manager. “We come from a perspective of health, what you put in your body, how you deal with stress, exercise, sleep.” The ampules, in conjunction with healthy skin care and lifestyle, help rebalance skin, overcome dryness, and lessen wrinkles, she says.

Someone once said living well is the best revenge, and while not uttered with skin care in mind, it remains true. The benefits of a well-considered, holistic approach to tending to ourselves will make the specifics of age incidental.