Anti-aging Therapies

Anti-aging therapy - it sounds modern, however, the branch itself is quite old. In the recent years, clients’ awareness has grown, followed by an increase in demand for anti-aging therapies of the skin, as well as the whole body. Most owners or managers of beauty salons base on the assumption that if something is fashionable and the client asks for it, then it should be included in the treatment menu. And rightly so, provided that it is done correctly. Anti-aging therapy should not be limited only to cosmetic procedures. It should include additional advice as well as treatments related to cosmetology, aesthetic medicine, endocrinology, dermatology, dietetics and physical activity of the client.

There is a new medical specialty in medical faculties: anti-aging medicine, which focuses not so much on treatment of diseases as on the maintenance of a person’s good health condition. The goal is to improve the quality of life, regardless of the patient's age; this can be achieved through health and beauty care as well as early prevention. A Chinese saying of as far as a few centuries ago reads that the doctor should be paid until the patient is healthy, and if he is ill, it means that the doctor should be changed.

Aging of the body is a long-lasting process and it is difficult to determine exactly when it begins and what its course will be. To a large extent, it will depend on the lifestyle and individual genetic predispositions. The question here is whether aging processes can be controlled and how this process should be slowed down. This can be achieved, among other,s by inhibiting cell aging, remodeling body composition through fat loss and improving physical activity.

The task of modern cosmetology is not only to focus on reduction of the already existing changes associated with skin aging, but also on prevention. The sooner we realize that beauty salons are not just places that care for and beautify the body, but also an area for building health awareness and shaping pro-health behaviors among customers, the faster the group of regular customers will begin to grow.

We know from practice that customers who from an early age start to regularly and comprehensively take care of their skin, using a program previously arranged by a cosmetologist, look younger, even by a dozen or so years.

An excellent candidate for the promoter of anti-aging programs is a cosmetologist, as he is educated in the field of anatomy, physiology, dermatology, as well as civilization diseases. Well-educated and aware of health threats, the cosmetologist is often the first to detect abnormalities in the appearance or functioning of the body. With his knowledge, he can effectively encourage the client to use pro-health activities aimed at slowing down the aging process. Regular customer visits in the beauty salon, use of services and the perception of a salon as a friendly place are conducive to establishing a relationship of trust and ties that encourage to share one’s health problems.

Beauty salons should cooperate with doctors and specialists of other fields - as there are many factors that affect the health and appearance of the complexion, and consequently aging. The pattern in the arrangement of anti-aging therapy could be presented as a pyramid, which should be based on proper assessment of the skin's condition and client's health. Starting from the basics, it is important to gather a detailed interview, through home care, past treatments in the field of cosmetology and aesthetic medicine, allergies, as well as childhood diseases, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, depression and the quantity and quality of sleep.

The next level is modification of lifestyle and diet by consulting with other specialists such as a dietitian, personal trainer or a doctor specializing in anti-aging medicine.

From the point of view of anti-aging therapies, physical activity and the ability to cope with stress are very important. In clients whose level of stress is higher, the intensity of inflammatory processes, higher concentration of free radicals and hormone disorders are observed. Such a chronic condition causes premature aging, therefore the client's awareness is quite significant here.

We must remember that anti-aging therapies should not be offered solely to clients who are aged or have visible signs of aging and, above all, only as prophylaxis.

The cosmetologist who prepares the program or anti-aging therapy should take into account that the human body achieves its maximum potential at the age of 25, after which its efficiency gradually decreases. The rate of body’s aging is very individual, which is why the calendar age of a person cannot be a measure of their fitness or appearance. For a full picture of the client’s health and biological age, it would be necessary to encourage him to perform a series of tests to determine the level of hormones, micronutrients, vitamins, free radicals concentration, as well as tumor and inflammatory markers.

With such thorough knowledge, we can move to the next stage which is arrangement of a treatment program for the face and body, designed to slow down the processes of skin aging and to minimize those that are already present. We have an entire range of manual procedures as well as such that require specialized equipment, which are not possible to be mentioned in whole.

When designing programs, we should have treatments available from the so-called basic group as well as those that have an intensive impact on skin biorevitalization. One of the groups is exfoliating treatments, here, the mechanical and chemical method should be taken into account, i.e., application on the skin of chemical substances, most commonly fruit acids, retinoids and others, aimed at intensifying the normal process of its exfoliation and reduction of skin lesions subject to treatment. The next treatment group are punctures stimulating the natural renewal and remodeling of the skin; here, we can mention treatments with the use of dermapen, rollcit, micro-needle mesotherapy. Noteworthy is the popular carboxytherapy - injection of the skin with carbon dioxide.

For those who do not like or are afraid to puncture their skin, one of the solutions may be needleless mesotherapy - a method of introducing active substances into the skin, which uses the phenomenon of transepidermal transport. A non-ablative fractional laser is based on microcolumn skin damage for maximum stimulation and regeneration, and it does not cause evaporation of tissues. Systems that emit infrared radiation activating the thermal response in the dermis cause tightening of the skin, so-called skin thermolifting. There is also photorejuvenation of the skin with VPL/IPL technology that uses selectively the chosen wavelength and light dose, or treatments with a LED diode. We cannot omit the vacuum massage method based on mechanical operation of rolls, and devices using hyperbaric oxygen, causing the phenomenon of infusion, used to introduce active substances into the skin with simultaneous influence of oxygen on the skin. An important group are manual treatments based on active ingredients contained in the preparations used, where, depending on the product used, it will strengthen, supplement, moisturize and nourish.

Modern cosmetology offers many methods to delay the skin’s aging process or to offset the signs that are already visible. These methods work on the basis of different mechanisms, and combined show synergy in improving the quality of the skin. It is important to remember that anti-aging therapy will be effective when we perform it comprehensively, inviting other specialists to cooperation.