| The anti-aging skin care field has boomed, with | | | | features of skin aging that they targeted or treated. |
| hundreds of new products being introduced to the | | | | I then created a classification scheme of the |
| market on what feels like almost on a daily basis. This | | | | categories of anti-aging targeted by the ingredients |
| has resulted in what we may call "skin care overload." | | | | that have emerged over the past decade: |
| People have become overwhelmed and confused by | | | | Anti-Wrinkle - DNA Defense - Barrier Fortification |
| the countless number of ingredients we are told are | | | | Anti-Redness - Cellular Restore - Emollient/Moisturizer |
| necessary for anti-aging. It has become impossible to | | | | Anti-Brown Discoloration - Damage Reversal - |
| access and apply even a fraction of these ingredients | | | | Pro-Skin Thickness |
| due to the cost and time involved. We feel compelled | | | | Anti-Oxidants - Aging Repair - Re-Texturize |
| to buy multiple products every month and layer them | | | | With this classification scheme, we can appreciate |
| on in order to do the most for our skin. But, as we | | | | why people have become so overwhelmed and why |
| fill our medicine cabinets with creams and serums, we | | | | they have accumulated shopping bags full of skin |
| are faced with the daily questions of which shall we | | | | creams in order to meet their needs! Nevertheless, |
| use, which are safe and which actually work? | | | | as anti-aging ingredients have emerged targeting each |
| It has been long overdue that the various categories | | | | of these categories, ideally one would want to |
| of anti-aging and the anti-aging ingredients | | | | incorporate the best ingredients of each category in |
| themselves be ordered and categorized so that a | | | | a single daily regimen to optimally treat skin aging. |
| comprehensive approach to anti-aging may be put | | | | Each individual may differ in which category of |
| into place. Firstly, there are many features to skin | | | | anti-aging they need most, yet in order to prevent |
| aging and people will show one or more features | | | | and reverse all the signs of skin aging, it is still optimal |
| over time, but may differ in the features of skin | | | | for all categories to be covered by an anti-aging |
| aging that plague them. For example, some people | | | | regimen. It is important to familiarize yourself with |
| develop sagging or laxity to the skin due to genetic | | | | which ingredients fall in each category, so that you |
| factors, but may have little or no sun damage. | | | | can incorporate several of each group into your skin |
| Others may be covered with sun spots but have no | | | | regimen, or look for a product that covers the |
| sagging or wrinkling. The following is a validated | | | | various categories of anti-aging in a logical way. |
| classification scheme which allows for each clinical | | | | Examples of key active ingredients shown to yield |
| feature of skin aging to be assessed separately on a | | | | resulst in each category of anti-aging include: peptides |
| 4-point grading scale (mild, moderate, advanced, | | | | for anti-wrinkles, plant-derived polyphenols and |
| severe): | | | | bisabolol for anti-redness, amino acids for anti-brown |
| Classification of Skin Aging: | | | | discolorations, vitamins C, E and ferulic acid for |
| Laxity (Sagging) | | | | anti-oxidant, DNA repair molecules such as acetyl |
| Wrinkles | | | | tyrosine and proline for DNA defense, resveratrol for |
| Redness | | | | cellular restore, bark extract or phoretin for damage |
| Brown discolorations | | | | reversal, Helianthus annuus and Ilex paraguensis |
| Solar elastosis (Yellowing) | | | | extracts for aging repair, dimethicone for barrier |
| Irregular texture | | | | repair, glycerin and soy lecithin for emollients, |
| Abnormal growths (keratoses).1 | | | | hyaluronic acid for boosting skin thickness, and |
| This classification scheme of skin aging includes a | | | | mushroom extracts and sodium lactate for |
| severity scale as mentioned above (0=None, 1=Mild, | | | | smoothening abnormal texture. |
| 2=Moderate, 3=Advanced, and 4=Severe) which | | | | In sum, the field of anti-aging now has validated |
| allows researchers or users to rank each individual | | | | classification systems for the various categories of |
| person's skin aging according to feature and severity. | | | | skin aging and for the plethora of anti-aging |
| This scale was shown to be very useful in testing | | | | ingredients so that we can assess and determine |
| anti-aging treatments and has been published in the | | | | which anti-aging actives we want in our medicine |
| Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.1 | | | | cabinet and to make certain that we cover the |
| Older scales tended to lump different features | | | | various categories of anti-aging in our daily regimen. |
| together into broad categories, which became less | | | | With this scientific basis, we may now intelligently |
| useful as treatments became more specific in | | | | assess anti-aging products for their ability to |
| targeting various facets of skin aging; for example as | | | | comprehensively cover all the various categories of |
| anti-pigment or anti-redness or anti-wrinkle. With this | | | | skin aging and include the various categories of |
| current anti-aging scale, our anti-aging products may | | | | anti-aging ingredients available. Finally, these |
| be quantitatively tested to determine which individual | | | | comprehensive, validated classification and grading |
| categories of skin aging they treat and how | | | | scales provide a framework for solving the anti-aging |
| effective they are in each category. This also allows | | | | conundrum with a system for categorizing skin aging |
| us to hone our anti-aging regimen to our needs and | | | | and classifying anti-aging actives to make sure you |
| to compile or group the ingredients in each category | | | | cover all your skin's anti-aging needs. |
| that are most effective so as to cover all categories | | | | (C) NY Derm LLC, 2010. |
| of anti-aging in a logical manner. | | | | 1) Alexiades-Armenakas, M, et al. Journal of the |
| The next challenge was to classify the plethora of | | | | American Academy of Dermatology 2008 |
| anti-aging ingredients on the market based on the | | | | May;58(5):719-37; quiz 738-40. |