Do I Have Blemish Prone Aging Skin?

I got this email message recently, “How can my skin be aging, sagging and wrinkling if it’s oily and acne prone? It doesn’t make sense; shouldn’t the oil (lots of it ) keep my skin supple and wrinkle free?” I thought it was a really great question and wanted to share my reply with you.

I too believed that my oily skin could keep my skin looking youthful longer. However I learned that the level of skin oil production doesn’t prevent the signs of aging. What really causes those troublesome signs of aging like age spots, fine lines , deep wrinkles and sagging skin are over-exposure to the sun and loss of elasticity. In our mid to late 20s our skin starts to lose fat and collagen which give skin it’s supple,youthful and toned appearance. Coupled with the thousands of facial muscle movement overtime you will get wrinkles and deep creases-no matter how oily your skin is- the wrinkles will come.

So you can have aging, sun-damaged skin, fine lines and wrinkles right along with large pores, blackheads, acne and oily skin. It’s a terrible situation to be in as you have to fight two skin enemies; aging and acne. If you treat the acne alone with “teenage” acne products your skin will be dried out, and every wrinkle and crease will be dramatically highlighted by the parched dried skin caused by products such as Benzoyl Peroxide. If you only focus on treating the aging skin you may be tempted to use creams and treatments that will only aggravate your acne. Catch -22.

Personally I have found that I can treat both aging skin and acne by using a combination skin therapy consisting of antioxidants and alpha/beta hydroxy acids. The anti-oxidants and BHAs/AHAs(specifically Glycolic Acid) have been shown to slow and even reverse signs of aging and to help reduce acne breakouts. Five key elements of my skin care regimen are described below – these are the bare minimum that I need to use to keep my skin pimple free and keep the wrinkles and sagging, aging skin at bay.

MD Formulations Continuous Renewal Complex (a 14% glycolic cream that exfoliates gently and helps build collagen) in my opinion, is the best acne and wrinkle buster in the world. I use it regularly and my skin is clear, bright and smooth. If I get lazy or complacent and skip a week or two…ugly disgusting pimples and acne. I am never without this product, ever.

NOTE: I want to mention Retin-A here. Retin-A is a fantastic wrinkle and zit buster if your skin can tolerate it. If not I highly recommend giving AHAs (glycolics included) and BHAs a try. I think the best therapy, again if your skin can tolerate it, is Retin-A in the evening and Glycolic in the morning. If you decide to use a Retinoid make sure it is prescription as the over-the-counter products are not as effective, in my opinion.

Zeno MD - Instead of having to treat acne lesions and pimples with drying creams. I do the best I can to prevent them from emerging. That’s where the Zeno MD comes into play. By being vigilant about bumps forming under the skin you can catch and treat pimples before they see the light of day. Typically the pimple will be gone within 24 hours. If you allow the blemish to flourish before treatment is applied, it will be much harder to get the blemish to resolve fast – it usually will take 2 to 3 days (at least in my experience).

MD Formulations My Personal Peel -A Glycolic peel system with special treatments for skin brightening, clearing and smoothing. (How often you do this depends on your skin’s sensitivity. I recommend starting off with a once a week treatment and build up as your skin adapts to the treatments.

NEOVA anti-oxidant serum and NEOVA eye gel . NEOVA is simply the leader in collagen rebuilding skin treatments ( in my humble opinion, based on other copper peptides I have used in the past-NEOVA is the best.) I have been using the NEOVA Serum and Eye Gel for over three years and it’s nothing short of incredible. Wrinkles that had started prior to the NEOVA treatment are now barely visible. Acne scars are smoothing out and the skin on my neck looks much younger than it did three years ago. These copper based products are a must have in any anti-aging skin care arsenal.

Oil-free, sunscreen- DERMAdoctor Body Guard Exquisitely Light SPF 30 – I don’t go out without it. Using a good sunscreen will go a long way in keeping your skin appearing youthful.

Read my entire skin care regimen for fighting acne and aging skin.

Best,

Ms. distressedDERMA

Got a question? Send your skin care and beauty questions to msdistressedderma@distressedderma.com.