Pre-Juvenation: What Is It?

By: Paige Yelich, MPAS, PA-C

What is pre-juvenation?

It’s never too early to start caring for your skin! Pre-juvenation is the idea of taking preventative measures in your 20s-30s to protect the skin and minimize the appearance of aging rather than waiting to correct and repair this process later on.

By investing in preventative measures now, patients can feel confident in their skin, knowing that they are taking an active role to slow the aging process. We believe these efforts will increase long-term confidence among our patients, and save the patient both time and money towards correction in the years to come.

What does pre-juvenation consist of?

Pre-juvenation consists of efforts to PROTECT, MINIMIZE and CORRECT the skin. The sun is the biggest accelerator of aging aside from time itself. There is not enough correcting serum to take back what you could have PREVENTED with sunscreen and sun protective measures!  The sun’s harmful rays damage our skin by causing free radicals (unstable electrons) to disrupt the natural processes of our proteins and collagen in the skin. As a result, we get discoloration, fine lines and wrinkles, sun spots and skin laxity. For those that struggle with rosacea and/or oily skin, the sun can also increase facial redness, flushing and sebaceous activity. Protection includes taking steps to minimize sun exposure and the breakdown of collagen.

• • Sunscreen is the FIRST and most basic step!
    • Do I have to wear sunscreen everyday?  You would be surprised how much sun you are exposed to just driving in the car and through your kitchen or office window on a daily basis. We encourage you to put sunscreen on every day, just like how you brush your teeth and place deodorant on before you leave the house.
    • Sunscreens come in a variety of forms now- spray, lotion, moisturizers, powders, etc.
    • We prefer for you to look for physical sunscreens sunscreen that contain Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide and note ‘broad spectrum’ protection. These physical sunscreens do a better job of blocking both UVA and UVB.
    • At the end of the day, the most important thing is that you choose a sunscreen that you will actually use!
    • Don’t forget to apply sunscreen to your neck and decolletage- these are areas that we often forget, but age women very quickly!
  • Antioxidants or Vitamin C serum work as a sponge on the skin, helping to soak up and neutralize the free radicals that are causing damage to the proteins in our skin
    • It is important to have a vitamin c serum that is stable and can be adequately absorbed by the skin. BDA carries several Vitamin C options from Skin Ceuticals!
    • Vitamin C serums should go on after washing your face in the morning, but before your sunscreen
    • Some Vitamin C serums can be combined with other anti-oxidants for a synergistic effect. These ingredients vary, and can be tailored to skin that is prone to discoloration, acne, fine lines and wrinkles.
  • Retinol– retinols are made of retinoic acid, which helps to exfoliate and regulate cell turnover in the skin. Originally made to help with comedonal acne (blackheads and whiteheads), retinols also have a significant role in cosmetics, stimulating collagen growth and improving skin quality.
    • Adapalene, tretinoin (retinoic acid), tazarotene are all different types of retinols
    • Because retinols are exfoliating, they can be irritating to the skin. It is important to use retinol sparingly- applying a minimal amount to the entire face. If you get red and scaly, you’re likely using too much, and can back off to applying 3 nights a week. I encourage patients to always apply a moisturizer afterwards to reduce irritation.
    • Although many new formulations of retinols are now stabilized in the sun, I recommend that patients put their retinol at night! It feels good to wake up in the morning, knowing your face has been refreshed.

MINIMIZE movement!

• • Botox is a neuromodulator that prevents movement by stopping acetylcholine from crossing the synapse at the neuromuscular junction. Botox is safe and has been studied for over 30+ years. By getting Botox at an earlier age, we minimize muscle movement, therefore reduce the formation of thickened wrinkle lines
    • Start Botox now to prevent the wrinkles from forming in the first place! The earlier you start, the less likely you will need over-time.
    • Paper folding analogy: As your fold a paper in half, open it up, and re-fold, you increase the intensity and presence of the folding line. In contrast, if you place that same piece of paper in between pages of a book so that it can’t move for 3-4 months, the line will gradually disappear. Botox works similarly. If you stop the folding from happening, you decrease the formation and presence of a line.
    • Botox also has a benefit of reducing the visual appearance of ‘stress’ and anger, which can be beneficial to young professionals who are in rising or social positions at their jobs.
    • Many people believe that once you start Botox, you can’t stop. Although we recommend you keep up with your Botox to prevent visible lines, stopping Botox at any point does not make your wrinkles, or the appearance of your wrinkles any worse than they would have been without Botox in the first place.

CORRECT the sun damage that has happened with pre-juvenating procedures

• • • Laser treatments are additional procedures that patients can perform to reduce the effects of sun damage and improve texture. Lasers work by targeting pigment, water and vasculature. As a result, they can help with discoloration (pigment), fine lines and wrinkles/ skin laxity (water) and redness (Vasculature).
      • Clear and brilliant– non-ablative fractional CO2 laser which helps to build collagen. This is a great procedure for young patients in their 20s and 30s who don’t have significant skin laxity, but want a fresh, healthy look for their skin.
      • Intense Pulse Light (IPL) Photofacial– reduces red and brown (sun spots) pigmentation, which is caused by the sun. This is a great procedure for those who have brown freckling and suns spots, and for those who struggle with rosacea. We typically recommend 4-5 treatments
    • Chemical peels are meant to exfoliate the skin and stimulate new skin growth. Peels can help improve uneven pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles and sometimes acne scarring. We recommend that you meet with our aesthetician to find out what peel may be right for you!

If you are interested in learning more about Pre-Juvenation or would like to schedule an appointment contact our team to get started today!