Do Old-School Home Beauty Remedies Stand the Test of Time?

Gone are the days of hydrating mayonnaise masks, using tea bags for puffy eyes and exfoliating with ground apricot pits, among other iconic home beauty remedies. Some of these were too messy and cumbersome, and they didn’t really do much. Other homegrown beauty remedies are fun and inspiring, such as multi-masking and deeply exfoliating foot peels. Advances in treatments, techniques and technologies have dramatically changed the way we address the visible signs of aging. So, home remedies won’t often stand up to what your dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon can offer in their practices, especially in light of the new and improved anti-aging technologies that have the ability to change the way we manage facial wrinkles.

Go for a skin analysis

The first step is to see your skin specialist, aesthetician or dermatologist for a complete evaluation of your skin quality and overall condition. There are many tools they can use to examine your skin to look at the level of sebum, keratin, size of pores, redness, wrinkles, acne lesion and hydration.

Many skin professionals, as well as skincare brands, are utilizing advanced diagnostic devices to conduct comprehensive skin evaluations. If you’re serious about looking after your skin health, having an evaluation every month to two can enlighten you on your skin’s progress. Many external factors can affect your skin’s condition in between these evaluations, such as stress, illness, alcohol intake, sun exposure, lack of sleep, and alcohol consumption.

Your skin specialist can suggest a skin care regimen that may include the right cleansers, serums, moisturizers and sunscreens to help you take better care of your skin for a healthy glow and dewy complexion.

During the evaluation, they may suggest other ways to augment your home skin care regimen with in-office treatments to get a head start on fighting wrinkles. Options include wrinkle-relaxing neuromodulators, soft tissue fillers and/or fat injections to fill in deeper folds.

The latest in ultrasound anti-aging treatment

Ultrasound-based medical devices are increasingly popular due to their unique ability to stimulate collagen and elastin under the skin’s surface and fill wrinkles and folds from the inside out. These are the two main proteins that give our skin its youthful, supple properties.

There’s a lot of buzz about Sofwave, a next-generation ultrasound device that scored clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2019 (hyperlink?) for improving facial lines and wrinkles in as little as two short treatments. The Sofwave device emits a high-intensity, high-frequency ultrasound beam that zeros in on layers within the skin to cause controlled injury. This triggers the body’s natural wound-healing response process which revs up the production of collagen and elastin in your dermis.

The result? Younger looking skin with reduced lines and wrinkles

Home Beauty Remedies

Still, there are things you can do at home to reduce or prevent the signs of aging on your skin. These may include:

Cutting back on sugar

A growing body of evidence suggests that what we eat can also help put the brakes on some signs of aging. For example, sugar causes glycation, a process in which sugar molecules bind to and deform the collagen and elastin in our skin, explain researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Slathering on sunscreen

Many of us recall our moms or grandmothers baking in the sun slathered in oil and using those foil reflectors to get a deep tan. Fast forward to today, and we have learned that the sun is not our friend. We slather on sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher, even on non-beach days, as the sun is the No. 1 cause of aging skin (not to mention deadly skin cancer), according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).

Kicking the smoking habit

Smoking also promotes wrinkles and contributes to aging skin, the AAD notes. If you smoke, do your best to quit which will have both benefits to your health and longevity, but also to your skin condition. Talk to your doctor about the best way for you to kick the habit for good. Many tools and aids are available that can help.

Drinking less alcohol

If you drink, do so in moderation for many reasons including the fact that alcohol can dehydrate the skin and make us look older. Moderate drinking is defined as up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men, reminds the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Exercising regularly

The AAD explains that regular physical activity cam can also improve circulation to the skin, restoring your rosy glow. If you can’t get to the gym or out for a run around the park often enough, invest in a good quality treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike.

Staying hydrated

Making sure you consume at least eight glasses of water a day may also improve your complexion, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It may improve the quality of your skin and your skin’s radiance and can also help reduce all of the other subtle symptoms of dehydration such as headache and fatigue. If you have difficulty drinking that much water, you may substitute an herbal non-caffeinated tea for a change.

Learn more about how Sofwave works to reduce facial wrinkles and scroll through our patient photos to see actual results.