From injectables to skincare: Exactly when to start anti-ageing treatments, according to an expert.

If there's one thing you need to know about us, it's that we're all for the idea that you should just do you, at any age. 

However, we also know that everyone's skincare concerns and goals are different. 

With this in mind, when it comes to knowing what you should be doing for your skin at a certain age, things can be a little (very) confusing. Because there are now more options than ever if you're looking at how to navigate ageing skin.

Just take a quick glance along beauty shelves and you're guaranteed to find a string of skincare products with the words 'anti-ageing' slapped on the front of the packaging. 

Like we said, confusing as hell.

What does a 'Carbon Facial' look and feel like? Amy Clark finds out. Post continues below.

So, how do you know when you should start tackling changes in your skin? And how can you best care for it??

Walk with us.

In a recent episode of You Beauty, host Shazzy Hunt spoke with Melbourne-based dermatologist Dr Katherine Armour, who is also the founder of her own skincare range, Bespoke Skin Technology. 

Listen: Prefer to get all of this in your ears? That's cool. Listen to this episode below.

She shared her expert knowledge of exactly when you should start a preventative skincare routine (if ageing is something that concerns you) and what you need to look out for in terms of ingredients and treatments.

And goodness, it was pervy.

Wanna find out more? Let's go!

Can you actually prevent your skin from ageing?

There's a rumour running around out there that it doesn't really matter what you put on your face, because the ageing process is going to take hold regardless.

So, is there any truth in this?

According to Dr Armour: "No, definitely not. Not unless you don't mind your skin ageing. But preventing it and treating it is very achievable."

When we think about skin ageing, Dr Armour said there are two main types.

"There's the intrinsic ageing, which probably accounts for about 20 per cent of the changes we see in our skin. This is related to genes and your own body's metabolism, inflammation – that kind of thing.

"However, the majority of the ageing we see in the skin, and particularly for us here in Australia, is because of sun exposure. Eighty per cent of ageing is due to sun exposure, which we can all do something about.

"But other environmental factors are also really important here, like visible light exposure and inflammation due to things like pollution and cigarette smoke. Obviously, because they're external to us, we can do something about a lot of these things."

What are the visible signs of skin ageing?

While fine lines and wrinkles are definitely the signs that first come to mind when you think about ageing skin, Dr Armour said there are even more important things that may develop. For example, patchy colouration, pigmentation and dark spots, particularly on prominent areas exposed to the sun.

"Brown spots are definitely to do with ageing and sun exposure. Fixed redness such as dilated capillaries – they're all due to extrinsic ageing," she explained.

"People often think it's rosacea," said Dr Armour, "But it's usually from UV exposure that's damaged our collagen and made our blood vessels look more obvious.

"Other signs are things like texture or change – that kind of roughness, which it's uncommon to see before your late 40s and onwards. There are also concerns such as a sallow, dull complexion, where the dermis cannot reflect light due to damage of the collagen and elastin."

When should you start to focus on preventing ageing skin?

So, at what point do you really need to be shifting gears, worrying less about things like hormonal skin changes (hey, acne) and more about preventing signs of ageing?

According to Dr Armour, the one thing that will make the biggest difference is pretty obvious.

"You want to protect your collagen, so certainly in your late teens and early 20s you want to use sun protection daily to prevent ageing. Because from 30 onwards, sadly, it's just a slow grind down in terms of losing our collagen."

COOL.

"And when we lose our collagen, then we get wrinkles, fine lines, saggy skin, and we look tired."

Again, fantastic stuff.

"The good thing is if you're in your 20s and you are experiencing acne and occasional hormonal breakouts, the ingredients that are good to start using to prevent ageing are actually also pretty useful to help diminish the inflammation from acne."

Dr Armour told us that antioxidants like niacinamide, vitamin C, salicylic acid and licorice root extract are not only helpful because they have anti-inflammatory benefits, but also because they offer barrier protection benefits, which are useful on acne.

"They're all really great ingredients that will actually help protect our skin, while offering other benefits such as treating or preventing unwanted pigmentation and stimulating the production of more collagen.

"So, you should definitely start from your 20s onwards."

What happens if you're past this point and haven't started?

Good news (promise). "It's never too late," said Dr Armour.  

"We've got good scientific evidence about how different cosmeceutical ingredients work. On that basis, I would stick with where the science is – so ingredients like retinoids, AHAs and the antioxidants. They're always going to be good and offer some protection, so you will derive benefit.

"Starting in your 30s is a good idea because your fibroblasts in the skin are more active and it's always better to prevent rather than have to treat.

"We know skincare is a bit of a slow burn — but even in your 40s, 50s and 60s it's not too late."

Told you it was good news!

What kinds of treatments should you be doing?

In terms of professional skin treatments, you might be wondering what you should be looking at as an entry point, and if they're really even necessary in your 20s? 

According to Dr Armour, contrary to what you might have heard, preventative treatments aren't actually... necessary.

Mind. BLOWN.

"I don't think you need to be doing preventative treatments – there's no good evidence for doing them," she said.

"Obviously injectables are discussed a lot preventively, but most of us dermatologists (who use injectables) feel quite strongly that you don't want to start decreasing muscle activity until there's some sign of lines.

"What you're going to actually do is probably make yourself look older earlier because if you decrease muscle activity, the muscles atrophy becomes thinner the more times you use injectables."

If injectables are something you want to explore, Dr Armour recommends waiting until you've actually got some signs of ageing. Which seems... fair.

"The other thing that's becoming a bit of a trend to prevent ageing is to use micro-focused ultrasound treatments – things like Ultraformer and Ultherapy – to tighten the skin and make more collagen," said Dr Armour.

"Now, these are really expensive treatments. They're amazing when you need them but there's no point in using those treatments if you're in your 20s and you've got gorgeous, plump, taut skin. You've got enough collagen, and you're not suddenly going to be in a better position when you're 40 because you started doing that. 

"Wait until you're actually developing some changes, and then you'll actually derive more benefit."

What does your skincare routine look like? Do you use any of the above? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: Instagram; @drkatherinearmour.