Wrinkles & Anti-Aging

Why facial wrinkles form

After the age of 25, your skin loses about one percent of its collagen every year, and sun exposure speeds this up. That's why wrinkles show up first where the skin is thinnest: under and around the eyes, on the forehead and around the mouth, and later on the neck too.

Many anti-wrinkle creams only hydrate your skin. Fine facial lines look softer for a few hours and then come back. A longer-lasting difference comes from ingredients that encourage your skin to renew itself, and from SPF, which prevents new damage.

Anti-wrinkle ingredients with proven results

In anti-aging care, what counts is the formula, not the promise on the packaging. In Korean anti-wrinkle skincare you'll find:

• retinal and retinol, forms of vitamin A that speed up skin renewal and collagen production; these are the ingredients with the best-researched effect on wrinkles;
• peptides, which signal your skin to make more collagen and are a gentle daytime alternative to retinoids;
• PDRN, an ingredient derived from salmon DNA that supports skin renewal and restores firmness;
• collagen for your face in hydrogel masks, which firms and hydrates your skin overnight;
• hyaluronic acid, which fills in fine lines caused by dehydration and smooths your skin within a few hours;
• ginseng, snail mucin and vitamin C, which slow down the breakdown of collagen.

Start with one ingredient and use it consistently. Add the next one only after a month.

Which face cream to use in your 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s

Age isn't the only factor, because skin varies a lot from person to person. But your skin's needs do change over the years, so face care in your 40s or 50s is different from your 30s. As a rough guide:

• face cream in your 30s: a light moisturizer with antioxidants such as vitamin C or ginseng;
• face cream in your 40s: a cream with peptides or PDRN, plus a retinoid face serum in the evening that you introduce gradually;
• face cream in your 50s: a richer cream with ceramides and peptides that restores moisture and firmness;
• face cream in your 60s and 70s: a nourishing cream for thinner, drier skin and a gentle retinoid at a lower concentration.

The best wrinkle cream in your 40s or 50s isn't the most expensive one, but the one that suits your skin and that you use every day. Add SPF in the morning. That's what slows down new wrinkles the most.

How to start retinoids without redness

Retinoids are forms of vitamin A. They do the most for wrinkles, but they're also the most likely to irritate your skin at first. Start with a gentler form and move to a stronger one once your skin gets used to it.

Start with two evenings a week. Once your skin adjusts, gradually use it more often. In the first few weeks your skin may be slightly dry or flaky, which is normal. If it stings, cut back. Don't forget SPF in the morning, because retinoids make your skin more sensitive to the sun.

An anti-wrinkle routine

Morning:

• gentle cleansing and a toner or essence;
• a serum with peptides, PDRN or vitamin C;
• a face moisturizer;
• SPF 50, every day, even in winter.

Evening:

• double cleansing if you wore SPF or makeup;
• toner, then a retinoid twice a week, and a hyaluronic acid serum on the other nights;
• a richer anti-wrinkle face cream that calms and hydrates your skin after the retinoid.

Once or twice a week, add an anti-wrinkle face mask, such as an overnight collagen hydrogel mask.

What to avoid in anti-aging care

• using a retinoid every night right from the start, because your skin needs a few weeks to adjust;
• switching products after a few weeks, because collagen takes months to rebuild;
• expecting a cream to remove deep wrinkles; it can soften them, but not erase them.

Anti-aging care around the eyes

The skin around your eyes is much thinner than elsewhere on your face, which is why wrinkles show up there first. A full-strength facial retinoid doesn't belong there. Use an eye serum with ginseng or hydrogel patches with PDRN, which are made specifically for this area.

Apply them with your ring finger, gently tapping from the outer corner toward the nose. Don't rub. At the first signs of aging around the eyes, this step is often more important than any cream for your whole face.

Anti-aging care at dglow

For anti-aging care at dglow, you can choose from Korean retinoid serums, anti-wrinkle creams, collagen and PDRN masks, essences with ginseng and snail mucin, and eye care. Among the most popular are the CELIMAX retinol shot, the MEDICUBE PDRN peptide serum, the BIODANCE overnight collagen hydrogel mask and the BEAUTY OF JOSEON ginseng eye serum.

If you're just starting out, choose one retinoid twice a week, a cream that calms your skin, and SPF. This kind of simple anti-aging routine does more in a few months than a long routine without vitamin A.