Aging

How to anti-age your skincare routine

Want to age gracefully? Tracy Davis talks us through the vitamins and enzymes that help our skin become more resilient.

By Tracy Davis
The secret to making your complexion more resilient to ageing is to turbo-charge it with these super-powered ingredients.

VITAMIN A – The anti-ager

In beauty circles, vitamin A (retinol) is known as the gold standard in anti-aging.
It works to stimulate cell renewal, refine fine lines and wrinkles as well as improve the elasticity and overall health of our skin.
Retinol can make your skin sun sensitive so use at night only, and protect your skin during the day with sunscreen.
It's not uncommon to cause irritation so if you're concerned, introduce it slowly (every other night) to build up your skin's tolerance.
Splash: Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Serum, $39.99
Splurge: Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Serum, $189

VITAMIN B – The beautifier

Vitamin B and its derivatives such as Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide) and Pro Vitamin B5 (Panthenol), help to boost collagen, improve pigmentation, hydrate skin, boost immunity to UV and generally promote healthy skin.
It's also known to reduce redness in those who suffer from rosacea and acne.
Generally, vitamin B is well tolerated by all skin types and can be used alongside your other vitamin serums morning and/or night.
Splash: Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream, $48.99
Splurge: Ultraceuticals Ultra B2 Hydrating Serum, $102

VITAMIN C – The Brightener

As well as being a powerful antioxidant to neutralise free radicals, we need Vitamin C to help produce collagen in our skin. And there's nothing like this glow-getter to restore radiance, luminosity and a more even skin-tone.
Because of its antioxidant properties that will help protect your skin during the day, Vitamin C serums are ideal to massage over clean skin in the morning, before your moisturiser and sunscreen.
Splash: The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost, $52.75
Splurge: Clinique Fresh Pressed Daily Booster with Pure Vitamin C 10, $130

DNA Enzymes – The regenerators

There's a lot of research around DNA repair enzymes. Some scientists claim they are superior to antioxidants at recognising and correcting damage to our skin DNA caused by UV exposure, free radicals and other cancer causing pollutants like cigarette smoke.
The word is that this type of technology is the way of the future so expect to see a lot more of it coming through in new skincare formulations.Splash: Nivea Cellular Anti-Age Skin Rejuvenation Eye Cream, $27.99