I’m a big believer in the idea that everything should match.
When you look at a face, it’s natural to also inspect the neck, chest and limbs, areas of skin that are often casualties to incidental sun exposure but may not get the same TLC as you bestow further north. It’s what I call the Glow Gap.
The earlier you take action, the better of course. Because the gap can be closed quite easily with a combination of good sunscreen behaviour and the use of the right Actives!
What issues might we want to address?
Skin Texture
This is probably the biggest priority when it comes to the look and feel of our body skin. Sun exposure leads to slowing of cell turnover and a dull, lacklustre appearance. And areas of friction such as elbows, knees and feet are most susceptible. In addition, keratosis pilaris, a genetic disorder that affects as many as 40% of us, may cause rough, red bumps on the backs or arms and thighs.
Uneven Skintone
Sun spots and sallowness, due to uneven melanin distribution can lead to uneven pigmentation and a mottled appearance.
Loss of Firmness
Again a common consequence of sun exposure and terribly common on the skin of the chest and the forearms.
So how do we go about an anti-ageing regime for the body?
We want something efficient and uncomplicated. That doesn’t require complicated layering.
And that’s affordable, given the large expanse of skin we need to treat.
And we do want it to be active, without it being irritating.
First things first, Always, always, always protect exposed skin from UV light with a broad-spectrum sunscreen, year-round. This is essential to the success of any product for fading dark spots; plus, it keeps more age spots from showing up.
The existing options for tackling premature ageing on the body are often quite limited - the commonest ingredient found in body products is AHAs targeting texture is of course AHAs. And they do a good job. But what if we want to go further and achieve more meaningful benefits?
Let's look at our trusted trio of vitamins ABC:
- Low potency retinoids are often the commonest anti-ageing ingredient - but the question is how much good can they actually achieve at the % they’re present in.
- Niacinamide - this is a great option. It’s one of the few ingredients with potent anti-ageing and anti-blemish benefits without triggering irritation.
- Vitamin C - not so practical as hard to make affordable at meaningful percentages.
This all got me thinking about Bakuchiol for the body. We know it has retinoid-like benefits, improving both texture, pigmentation and firmness. It doesn’t cause photosensitivity. And it helps with blemish-prone skin too, so great for the breakout-prone, anti-ageing individuals whom I see so often in my clinic. And it’s a photo-stable and powerful antioxidant meaning it doesn’t break down under UV exposure.
Whilst there’s nothing like this on the market currently there’s no reason a bakuchiol-based serum couldn’t be added to your moisturiser. And the good news is that it’s compatible with AHAs and Niacinamide too. Consider combining it with a good hydrating emollient with occlusives and humectants; your winter skin will be transformed.
