Benjamin Franklin coined the adage “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” to remind Philadelphians to be vigilant about fire prevention. Over time, the saying has been understood to mean it’s easier to stop something from happening rather than trying to repair the damage after it’s been done.
These wise words apply to caring for your skin too. And the goal is slowing the signs of aging.
In this post, I’ll talk about prejuvenation: what it is, who is doing it, and what approaches we can take.
What is prejuvenation?
Prejuvenation is a relatively recent term, a mashup of the words ‘prevention’ and ‘rejuvenation’. It emerged after medical aesthetic professionals noticed a trend of Millenials and Gen Z seeking and starting non-invasive beauty treatments to prevent—rather than correct—signs of aging.
It would be easy to automatically equate prejuvenation with medical aesthetic treatments and while they can be part of the solution, the process starts long before.
Prejuvenation can include things like wearing sunscreen, avoiding sunburns, eating well, getting good sleep, practicing proper hygiene, exercising, limiting alcohol intake, and not smoking. At the other end of the spectrum, it can revolve around treatments like facials, microdermabrasion, Botox®, fillers, and so on. I want to be clear here: I don’t necessarily promote Botox and fillers to my younger patients if they have no aging trigger signs.
Why prejuvenate?
Having a healthy lifestyle leads to a huge payoff when it comes to avoiding signs of aging. Obviously, it can also help you feel your best.
A few years ago, I posted a comparison of a set of 61-year-old twins. One stayed out of the sun and avoided smoking, the other did not. The differences in their appearances were stark. The twin who threw caution to the wind had far more damage: lots of sunspots, leathery appearing skin, and significantly more deep wrinkles. In other words, she looked significantly older than her sister.
It’s important to acknowledge that as humans, we won’t always follow ALL healthy lifestyle strategies and that’s OK! That said, I think we could and should be motivated by the knowledge that it is much harder and more expensive to reverse the signs of aging once they become visible.
When should I start prejuvenating?
It’s never too early to start with the easy stuff like wearing sunscreen or living healthily. As I mentioned earlier, I would recommend waiting to start treatments only after the signs of aging appear like wrinkles that linger on your forehead or the hollowing of the cheeks.
In one of my past blog posts, I explained it like this:
Let’s imagine that your face is like a mattress. It has springs (your facial bones) and padding (fat that wraps around the springs). The sheets and blanket (your skin) sit on top of the springs and padding. As you age, the springs and padding start losing their spring and buoyancy, and the mattress hollows out. The sheets and blanket will wrinkle and follow the hollow contour of the mattress!
When should I be engaging?
There are many pathways for prejuvenation. You might consider following this framework but remember, your journey should be age appropriate and targeted to your skin type. Speak to your medical aesthetics professional to find the right options for you and your skin.
DAILY
- Do your skincare routine which should include cleansing away dirt and debris and applying moisturizer to give it softness and suppleness. (If you need a refresher on the basic steps to skincare, check out this piece I wrote a few months back.)
- Apply sunscreen every day. This is the best and least expensive treatment for preventing the signs of aging. It protects your precious skin from wrinkles, pigmented spots, and broken blood vessels.
WEEKLY
- Starting in your 30s, use retinol a few times a week. It can stimulate the production of collagen, reduce pigmentation, and decrease the appearance of wrinkles. (Note: If you have acne, consider starting earlier as it’s also effective in unclogging pores and decreasing breakouts.)
- Once a week, use a mask that is targeted for your skin type. These at-home exfoliating treatments (PCA’s Revitalize Therapeutic Papaya Mask, for example) can remove the top layer of dead skin and leave room for newer, healthy skin cells to emerge.
QUARTERLY
- If wrinkles start to appear and you want to prevent them from getting worse, you can opt for Botox®. Existing studies—like this one and this one—show safety with long term use and a 2006 study of identical twins demonstrated the benefits of earlier intervention with Botox.
- To delay the onset of wrinkles, reduce pigmentation from sun damage, and unclog pores, consider getting regular chemical peels. This will stimulate an increase in cell turnover and the plumper healthier cells will leave you looking more refreshed.
AS NEEDED
- Laser treatments can be used to address specific issues. It’s not necessarily for everyone but for some, it can minimize the appearance of fine lines, restore skin tone, and improve the look of scars or sun damage.
- Fillers can help with early trigger signs of volume loss, for example, the hollowing in the tear troughs. Typically, once I use fillers to address a specific issue, they return for maintenance treatments every one to two years.
- For some patients with scars, pigmentation, wrinkles, and/or rosacea, microneedling is a good solution. After an initial series of treatments, they return every 6 to 12 months for maintenance treatments.
- Radiofrequency skin tightening is an effective collagen-inducing therapy. (Interesting fact: Collagen production starts decreasing in our mid-20s!) When signs of aging start, it’s a good time to start this treatment. For prejuvenation purposes, my patients typically have three initial treatments then return every 6 to 12 months for more.
You can’t completely eliminate the steady march of aging and the signs that tag along. Starting a prejuvenation program is the best way for you to slow it all down. Whether you’re entering retirement or a Millennial just starting to think about your skin, it’s never too late or too early to care for your skin and prevent further signs of aging.
Find out how Dr. Suess can design a customized prejuvenation program just for you. Reach out to us to book a free consultation!