It’s with great pleasure that we’ve noticed an increasing number of older patients visiting our clinics.
While some of these have been coming to Melior Clinics for many years, others are new patients who have decided that it’s never too late to look great!
We have patients in their 80s who are just as pleased with our rejuvenating treatments as those in their 40s and 50s. We’re hoping to welcome our first nonagenarian soon!
Why skin ages
Skin ageingboth internal and external factors
Natural, internal skin ageing is the result of the skin generating “reactive oxygen species” (ROS) molecules, which damage skin cells and degrade the collagen in your skin. As you age the volume of ROS molecules in your skin increases and your body’s antioxidant defences become less capable of getting rid of them.
In addition to the natural ageing process, your skin can be prematurely aged by external factors including sun exposure, smoking and poor diet. Research suggests that 80% of facial skin ageing is due to UV (sun) exposure.
Skin concerns for the over 70s
Wrinkles and sagging skin
Collagen, which gives your skin strength and support, decreases by about 1% every year. So, by the time you’ve reached your 70s, your collagen reserves will be greatly depleted. In addition to the reduction in collagen, the collagen fibres in your skin also become tangled as your skin ages, causing a loss of elasticity.
As the collagen diminishes, the water-holding capacity of your skin also reduces.
This dehydrating effect and inability to ‘spring back’ into shape results in your skin sagging and wrinkles appearing.
Combined with years of repeating facial expressions, this can lead to particularly noticeable wrinkles across your forehead, between your eyes (known as “11s”), at the outside of your eyes (“Crow’s feet”) and between your nose and the corners of your mouth (nasolabial folds).
The redistribution of fat in the lower layers of your skin adds to the sagging effect. Your “fat pads” gradually diminish and move downwards over time. The loss of fat in the upper parts of the face can amplify the appearance of wrinkles. The increased fat around the jawline can cause further deepening of the nasolabial folds, marionette lines to appear at the corners of your mouth (which can cause an unhappy, downturned appearance) and hollowed cheeks.
How we can help
We offer a range of treatments which will help to deal with wrinkles and sagging skin:
- Botox – To smooth out the wrinkles in your upper face which are caused by repeated expressions. Botox may also be used to treat marionette lines.
- Dermal fillers – To fill particularly deep wrinkles (such as between the eyes or marionette lines) and plump out your cheeks.
- CACI – To generally lift your skin, particularly to reduce sagging along your jowls and cheeks.
- Profhilo – For all-round rejuvenation to boost moisture levels and induce collagen production.
- Venus Viva – Another great all-rounder for general rejuvenation.
Thinning lips
Your lips can also be affected by the decrease in collagen. This can cause the lips to become thinner and lose their natural shape. It can also cause the lips to look drier and less red, due to a loss of moisture.
How we can help
- Lip fillers – These can plump your lips, add moisture and enhance your natural shape.
Thinning skin
Over time your skin thins, due to reduced blood flow delivering less oxygen and fewer nutrients to boost the skin cells. This thinning makes the skin more vulnerable to injury. It also causes the skin to start to fell ‘papery’ and appear transparent.
How we can help
- Fractional mesotherapy – This treatment delivers tailored nutrients transdermally to feed and hydrate the skin.
Facial hair
Women often find an increase in facial hair after the menopause. This is due to reduced oestrogen levels, which can make testosterone a more dominant hormone as we age. This can then trigger a more masculine pattern of facial hair growth.
How we can help
- Laser hair removal – This treatment can target individual hairs to permanently stop regrowth.
Age spots, liver spots and sun pigmentation
As we age the cells which produce the melanin skin pigment reduce in number but increase in size. This can result in areas of skin pigmentation expanding, which are often known as liver spots or age spots. Sun exposure can enlarge these areas of pigmentation and cause new ones.
How we can help
- Laser treatments – Our laser treatment can target specific pigmentation issues on any part of the body.
Thread veins
Also known as spider veins, an increase in thread veins is common with age and, when affecting women, is often associated with menopausal changes.
How we can help
- Laser thread vein removal – Laser treatment is used to collapse the thread vein and allow the body to reabsorb it.
Rosacea
Rosaceatime
Although the exact causes are unknown, it’s clear that rosacea becomes more common with age. It appears that the menopause can trigger this condition for some women.
How we can help
- Botox – By disrupting the signals to your blood vessels which cause them to enlarge (resulting in redness) botox may be an effective treatment for some symptoms of rosacea.
- Fractional mesotherapy – When combined with our healing LED mask, this treatment can reduce the symptoms of rosacea.
- Laser treatment – For some types of rosacea, laser treatment can be effective to break down the blood vessels causing the redness.
A full consultation is required prior to treatment for rosacea.
Your home skincare regime
As you age you should regularly review your skincare regime to ensure it’s appropriate to your time in life.
Emollient preparations become particularly important in retaining water within the skin as we age. This will help to keep the skin supple and fend off “winter itch”. If over-the-counter products aren’t working for you then you should speak to your GP about prescription treatments.
You should avoid using harsh soaps and having hot baths, as both of these can exacerbate dry skin.
When exfoliating, proceed with a little caution; it’s very easy to tear older skin and it takes longer to heal. For a similar reason it’s important to keep your nails well manicured so you don’t have any jagged edges to catch yourself with.
UV protection is essential at any age. You should continue to wear a sunscreen of minimum SPF30 and five star UVA protection to minimise sun damage, particularly as your thinning skin will become more susceptible to it.
It’s never too late to adjust your diet to be more beneficial for your skin. You may find that increasing the variety of food you eat, including plenty of vitamin- and antioxidant-rich foods, and drinking more water all help to boost your skin.
Find out more
Whatever your time of life, our experts understand the needs of your skin and can help you to look and feel great.
If you’d like to find out more about our treatments which are popular for those in their 70s and older, then please call us on 0330 024 1300 or contact us online to speak to one of our team.
