As a skincare professional, you likely hear a lot of concerns from patients on various issues, from redness and acne to dry skin and sun damage. Anti-aging tips and techniques are also a growing worry for many patients. In fact, about 54% of women 35-44 years old are concerned about the appearance of wrinkles in their skin, followed by 42% of women in the 25-34 age group. One of the most influential factors in how quickly their skin ages? The environment they live in.
Intrinsic skin aging occurs naturally over time. As people age, they naturally get wrinkles and age spots. Extrinsic skin aging occurs from genetic and environmental factors that cause premature aging. We’re going to discuss four extrinsic environmental factors contributing to the appearance of aged skin.
4 Environmental Factors That Could be Aging the Skin
Specific environments are primarily responsible for lower oxygen levels in the skin, which often produces aged-looking skin. Increasing the oxygen level improves the skin’s ability to reduce hyperpigmentation and skin damage, both common extrinsic concerns of skin aging.
1. Areas of Elevation & Hot Temps Can Affect Skin Aging
People who live in elevated areas have a higher potential of showing signs of premature skin aging. That’s because, with every 1,000-foot altitude increase, UV ray exposure increases up to 12%. UV rays cause changes in the skin, decreasing its natural oxygen and collagen levels and causing premature aging.
Additionally, a typically warm climate receives more sun/UV ray exposure than colder climates. Not only can sun exposure lead to premature skin aging, but it also reduces the oxygen level in the skin. Lower oxygen levels in the skin have been tied to dry skin and wrinkling.
People in elevated or hot areas must use protective sunscreen, sunglasses, or hats. Oxygen infusing treatments may help replenish oxygen levels in the skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles and skin damage.
2. Low Humidity & Skin Aging
A recent study from the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology found that the air’s humidity level can significantly affect the skin’s hydration and oxygen levels. The research concluded that low humidity reduced elasticity and increased dryness, wrinkles, uneven texture, and skin roughness. While levels of average or higher humidity increased elasticity and softness, reducing the potential of having aged-looking skin.
3. Exposure to Cigarette Smoke Can Age the Skin
In 1969, scientists noticed that many people who smoke cigarettes also wrinkled prematurely. They created an experimental study that scored skin wrinkles of smokers and found that smoking has a profound impact on skin aging. They also found that cigarette smoke reduces the elasticity of the skin.
In recent studies, scientists have discovered that cigarette smoke inhibits a person’s collagen production and increases metalloproteinases that damage the skin. Skin damage and loss of collagen are extrinsic concerns that cause the skin to age prematurely.
4. Air Pollution In Highly Populated Cities
Those who live in cities come into contact with harmful air pollutants that can damage the skin. Air pollution caused by traffic often produces soot and nitrogen dioxide that have been found to penetrate the skin and cause premature aging over time. UV radiation, solar radiation, and tropospheric ozone can also lead to skin wrinkling, reduced oxygen levels, and age spots in patients within highly populated cities.
Slow Aging by Replenishing the Skin’s Oxygen Levels with ECHO2 Oxygen Infusing Treatments
As people age, the natural creases and wrinkles in the skin become more defined. The skin often takes on a dull tone and uneven texture over time. Improving the skin’s health by keeping it oxygenated and hydrated helps nourish, replenish, and reverse the processes that cause the deepening of fine lines and wrinkles.
Our ECHO2 Oxygen Infusing Treatment system helps prevent premature aging by improving cellular turnover. The treatment system amplifies hydration, boosts skin metabolism, repairs damage increases collagen and elastin, and delays fine lines and wrinkles.
The treatment system provides your patients with 87 different vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, and most importantly, PURE OXYGEN. With each treatment step, your clients will receive exfoliation, cleansing, hydration, and oxygenation to the skin via a specialized handpiece.
When used with peels or microdermabrasion, the infusing oxygen treatment can speed healing, reduce premature skin aging, and restore confidence in your patients.
