HEALTH presents an in-depth guide to looking your most fabulous.

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While most of us assume we can wait until the faint lines start to creep up on us, Dermatologist and Aesthetic doctor Dr. Shadan Naji, refutes this common assumption. She explains, “My advice to people is that you should invest in your
skin before it’s too late. Don’t wait until you see many wrinkles and your skin is really damaged.”

Taking Care

Dr. Naji advises to use an antiaging topical regime regularly after consulting with your doctor. “Also indulge in a ejuvenating treatment at least twice a year in order to keep your skin activated and vital,” she says. “No one can stop the aging process but definitely you can reduce its effect on your skin.” With regards to keeping our skin as youthful as possible, Dermatologist and Aesthetic doctor Dr. Muhsen Kalaji reveals that topical antioxidants such as vitamin C can give our skin a glow by removing free radicals out of our skin cells. “Vitamin A creams are real anti-aging ingredients that
work on rejuvenation and make the turnover of the skin faster,” he explains. Further elaborating, Skin care and Laser Specialist Olimpia Carmen, points out that non-invasive treatments are an important part of a regular maintenance routine and it’s best to start while you are in your 30s or 40s. She points out, “Remember, miracle treatments do not exist and you cannot treat everything at one time, sometimes to achieve the desired results, the specialist needs to combine
treatments and more than one session is required to achieve the best results.”

Understanding Your Needs

Further elaborating, Carmen stresses the importance in choosing the right products. “The overuse of products is the biggest mistake people make in their skincare,” says Carmen; the best creams target water retentionhydration all day long to avoid dehydration and to protect against UV rays. Also remember, you need to give time to the products to work. In the evening, Carmen advises to apply nourishing creams, to feed and replenish the skin overnight.

Try These Tips to Turn Back the Clock

• Sun Protection: Wear a broadspectrum sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays with an SPF of 30 or higher; reapply it every two to three hours when you’re outdoors.
• Manage Stress: Uncontrolled stress can make your skin more sensitive and trigger acne breakouts and other skin problems. Take steps to manage your stress and set reasonable limits.
• Get Regular Sleep: Seven hours or more of sleep optimizes the natural secretion of human growth hormone which promotes cell turnover and collagen production leading to gorgeous looking skin.
• Drink at least eight glasses of water per day.
• Vitamin C: This can help boost the body’s production of collagen, a protein that maintains skin and other connective tissues.

• Humidifier: Run a humidifier every night to moisturize the air in your bedroom. Not only will it ease itchy, dry skin, you’ll be able to breathe the moist air more easily.
(Credit: Olimpia Carmen)

Treatments Botox

We’ve all heard of it but what how does it work? Dr. Kalaji explains that Botox is Botulinum Toxin diluted and injected to relax facial expression muscles which are responsible for the wrinkles, especially in the upper third of the face—used specifically for frowning, the forehead and crow’s feet around the eyes; it lasts four to six months on average. “A good candidate is one who has hyperactive expression muscles leading them to wrinkles and is above age 18,” he says.

Fillers

Getting older can cause several changes to the face, adds Dr. Naji. “One of the most noticeable changes is loss of volume in
the mid face and sagginess downwards,” she says, also facial bones become more pronounced with a loss of tissue covering these bones. Fillers, she explains, are materials that are used in order to reverse this volume loss. “Basically we add volume to areas of the face that will give a more youthful look, such as the cheeks, lips and the lines between the nose and
the lips,” says Dr. Naji. “The most popular fillers used today are gels made of a material that already exists in our skin.”

Skin Boost

According to Dr. Naji, one of the latest available treatments is the Skin Booster. “This treatment consists of small particles of fillers made of Hyaluronic Acid which already exists in our skin and is responsible for giving our skin its moistness and fullness,” she details and when done regularly, this treatment will help reduce the appearance of fine wrinkles, giving the skin a fuller and tighter appearance.

Ultraformer

According to Carmen, you can have instant results with Ultraformer which is the latest Ultrasound (HIFU – High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) technology, a fast and non-invasive treatment. It has no-downtime and gives immediate results in as little as 30 minutes. This can be used in the jawline, for softening the appearance of wrinkles, skin laxity, pores, eyebrow lifting, cheek relaxation, augmentation and fold reduction. Carmen details that the basic idea behind HIFU is to use heat to trick the dermis, the deeper layer of the skin, into thinking it’s been injured so that it compensates by producing more collagen. Results are immediately visible after the treatment but the final results are shown after 90 to 120 days after the treatment which last for up to a year or more.

ClearLift 4D

Aesthetic Practitioner Natasha Bennett explains that ClearLift™, is a virtually painless, non-ablative approach to laser skin resurfacing. “It uses the 1064 Q-Switched laser technology and is a fast, comfortable treatment with visible results and
no downtime,” she says, and some patients have noted visible results after one treatment but results may vary depending on the skin’s condition.

It works by delivering a controlled dermal wound without harming the overlying epidermis. It heats deep beneath the skin (up to three millimeters in depth) so no numbing is required prior to treatment and all skin healing and skin repair happens under the intact epidermis, without damaging the outer layer of skin. ClearLift now comes with tips of variable sizes –superficial, medium and deep, which makes it 4-dimensional.

The Role of Diet

According to Dr. Nasim Ashraf, MD, FACP, American Board Certified Consultant, diet, sufficient water intake, proper
nutritional supplementation, stress management and exercise are the most important measures to prevent or improve inflammation. “It is vital to support the immune system to help prevent inflammation and resulting aging processes or diseases,” he says, as the major part of our immune system is in the gut.

The Top Anti-Aging Foods

• Omega- 3 has a lot to offer for heart health, brain boost, mental and emotional balance, has antiinflammatory benefits, helps in cancer and stroke prevention and is also contained in walnuts, flax seeds and Evening Primrose oil.
• Turmeric, found in Asian curries, support a healthy brain function and act as antiinflammatory food.
• Eat more green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, chard and coriander also contain fiber and a lot of nutrients that help to cleanse the bowels.
• Green vegetables also provide a high amount of antioxidants which can be your anti-aging support.
• Organic blueberries and raspberries can support the short-term memory and is a great protection for blood vessels and the brain from stroke.

(Credit: Dr. Nasim Ashraf)