Anti-ageing

Ageing is a process that occurs in all organs of our body – including the skin, but in this setting ageing is visible.

Ageing of the skin may be divided into two main groups:

• Intrinsic (genetic): this occurs with advancing age, and is characterised by fine wrinkles and thinning of the superficial layer of the skin-epidermis
• Extrinsic (environmental): this is mainly caused by chronic sun exposure, and is characterised by deep wrinkles, skin laxity and pigmentation changes of the skin. As different skin colours offer different sensitivities to sun exposure, skin ageing may not be equally evident in people with different skin colours of differing ancestral origins, with individuals with dark skin tones showing less extrinsic ageing when compared to an individual with a lighter skin tone

Although chronic sun exposure is an important cause of skin ageing, other important considerations include pollution, hormonal and metabolic factors, as well as lifestyle factors such as smoking.

From a molecular basis, the pathogenesis of ageing includes damage to skin collagen and elastin, with an important role for ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-generated reactive oxygen species.

As part of our anti-ageing strategy, we provide products targeting the various molecular aspects of ageing. However, our main emphasis is on a comprehensive strategy to minimise the appearance of ageing skin, such as sun protection (with a focus on UVA) or smoking cessation.