7 Anti-Aging Secrets I Learned From My Aesthetician

When I turned 28, I decided was time to ramp up my skincare routine. At the time, I was preparing for my wedding and was…well, approaching 30. I’m all about aging gracefully (and as naturally as possible), so it seemed like a good time to re-evaluate my skincare routine.

When my skin started glowing, a lot of people started asking what I’ve been doing differently, so I’m about to spill the tea. All the tea. And no, none of these secrets include Botox or filler…

Just over two years ago, I started seeing master aesthetician Stefanie Wolf at SkinDC every 2-3 months. In the last two years, Stef has taught me a few simple anti-aging tricks that have absolutely changed my skin.

Here they are:

1. Hydrafacials

   If you don’t know what a hydrafacial is, that’s okay! I didn’t either. It’s a deep clean of the skin that combines extraction, hydration and antioxidant protection.

   As we age, our skin loses its moisture (and therefore, its elasticity) and cell turnover becomes slower. After the dead skin cells and impurities are removed and moisture is restored, the result is glowing skin.

   With 4-6 of these facials a year, you’ll begin aging in reverse!

2. Serums over Moisturizers

   If you’re going to spend money on skincare products, invest in serums first. Because serums are lighter and thinner than moisturizers, Stef says they penetrate the deeper layers of the skin and therefore are more beneficial for anti-aging efforts.

   You should still use a moisturizer for optimal results, but according to Stef and my cosmetic dermatologist, drug store moisturizers like Cerave are just as beneficial for your skin as high end moisturizers like La Mer.

3. Vitamin C

   Vitamin C has a whole host of benefits when it comes to your skin, but most notably, it helps even out skin tone, lighten dark spots, and may even prevent sagging skin and dark circles. It also protects your skin from the UV light, free radicals and chemicals that we are exposed to as a result of our environments on a daily basis.

   My personal favorite is Dr. Dennis Gross’s Vitamin C and Collagen serum. This has worked wonders for my sun spots, and has helped reduce redness and fine lines.

4. Hyaluronic Acid

   After my first hydrafacial, Stef recommended La Roche Posay’s Hyalu B5 Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum to help keep my skin hydrated. A lot of people use hylauronic acid, but it’s most effective when the formula is pure and it is immediately followed by a moisturizer. Hyaluronic Acid helps plump up the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines.

   For my body, I love using Neutrogena’s Hydraboost Gel or Rodan and Fields Body Replenish, which both contain hyaluronic acid. On the body, hyaluronic acid helps prevent stretchmarks and wrinkles.

5. Sunscreen

   Stef’s biggest piece of advice is to use SPF 30+ every day, regardless of the season (and my cosmetic dermatologist would agree). She specifically suggested using a mineral-based sunscreen that is separate from my makeup, as the sunscreens in makeup are less effective. To be completely honest, this is NOT something I did consistently before. Even when we are inside, we are exposed to UVA and UVB light, which can both contribute to aging. Who knew!

6. Exfoliation

   While most of us start using retinol in our late 20’s and early 30’s, a lot of us are missing a key step in the exfoliation process: lactic acid. Retinol is a great way to reduce fine lines by increasing collagen, but it’s important to remember that cell turnover gets slower as we age. Lactic acid helps remove dead skin cells by increasing cell turnover, which ultimately exposes the glowing skin we have underneath. Lactic Acid also helps the skin become thicker and firmer, which means less wrinkles!

7. Gentle Lasers

   In our 20’s and 30’s, we start to see fine lines, broken blood vessels, sun spots and uneven skin tone. While these changes are small, they we notice them (even if no one else does)!

   Before my wedding, I opted to do a Vascular laser to remove some of the broken capillaries around my nose, and Broadband Light (BBL) therapy to remove some of my sunspots and reduce background redness. While both lasers required me to avoid the sun for 4-6 weeks after treatment, there was no downtime and I was not embarrassed to be in public while I was “healing”.

   Vascular laser creates some redness post-treatment, but it resolves in a day or two, and BBL brings your dark spots to the surface. Once the spots surface, they flake off in 3-5 days, leaving you with glowing skin in less than a week.

There you have it - 7 steps to glowing skin!

xoxo

Alexa