How Lactic Acid reduces the signs of ageing

Look around your kitchen and you'll find a handful of natural health remedies, from cough-soothing honey to puffy eye-reducing cucumbers. In fact, your refrigerator may hold a real-life fountain of youth: milk. It contains lactic acid, which is the key to healthy, smooth skin.

Lactic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). AHAs are acids derived from foods, and, as it turns out a type of acid that's safe to apply to our skin. Lactic acid is found in sour milk, but you may have also heard of or tried other AHAs, such as glycolic acid, from sugar cane, which is also a popular ingredient in anti-aging topical skin care products.

Applied topically and regularly to your skin, AHAs help reduce the appearance of aging, and they can be an especially good remedy against fine lines, wrinkles, sagging skin and other signs of premature aging from sun damage by promoting collagen growth in the deeper layers of your skin.

Products such as cleansers, lotions and peels that contain lactic acid are applied topically to the skin, and they get right to work. These products improve skin's texture through exfoliation -- AHAs encourage the skin to slough off its old, dead skin cells revealing the glow of healthy skin cells hidden underneath. 

There are a range of ways to apply lactic acid topically, so put down the milk carton and consult with a skin expert to get advice on how to best incorporate Lactic Acid into your skincare regime, and if it is suitable for you.

How to stop pigmentation - the new anti-ageing enemy

In many cases, pigmentation can be significantly more ageing than wrinkles. According to evolutionary biologists Drs Bernhard Fink and Karl Grammer, who researched what constitutes skin perfection, skin discolouration can visually add up to 12 years to our perceived age. This is due to the way light reflects off the skin – with uneven skin tone resulting in dull skin and it only takes a small amount of pigmentation to cause a lack of luminosity.

Pigmentation and uneven skin tone can take on many forms - pale patchiness, dark spots, freckles and melasma (often occurring during pregnancy). For luminous, youthful skin, it is important to take steps to both avoid the occurrence of pigmentation and reverse the signs of pigmentation – many of which are simple to implement:

• Always wear a high quality sunscreen/sunblock and reapply. 
• Sun exposure damages DNA which can cause blotchy skin and a high protection block will help prevent spots occurring in the first place.

• Use a cosmedical grade brightening serum. 
• This will help reduce pigmentation and minimise further damage. Ingredients are critical – look for Daisy Flower, Glycolic acid, Vitamin C, Wakamine and Lotus Extracts. Expect to see results with daily application in 2-3 months.

• Exfoliate regularly with a high quality product. 
• Exfoliation is key to cell renewal and is a must in any skin regime.

• Have a series of peels and / or hydrodermabrasion treatments at a clinic. 
• This encourages damaged skin to turnover quickly, thereby reducing pigmentation. Some higher strength peels can be extremely effective in combating pigmentation and results can be seen within a few weeks. Speak to an experienced skin expert about your concerns and they can develop a plan tailored to your skin and budget.

Can’t shift fatty areas or cellulite despite diet and exercise?

Eat well and exercise regularly but can’t get rid of certain pockets of fat or cellulite? Genetics, age and pregnancy can all contribute to this and it can be frustrating when the benefits of all your hard work plateau. 

Ultrasound cavitation is a relatively new aesthetic treatment that is used to contour body areas and reduce cellulite. A handpiece is gently rolled over the area of concern, which transmits low level ultrasonic waves that consist of compression-expansion impulses that essentially convert fat into liquid. This liquefied fat is then easily drained by the body’s own natural filtration system. 

It is a safe, painless treatment with no downtime and is a genuine alternative to liposuction without the associated risks, complications and cost. Common areas to treat include:

• Stomach 
• Love handles 
• Arms 
• Buttocks 
• Thighs 
• Areas where there is cellulite

The number of sessions required generally range from 6-10 treatments, spaced at least 3 days apart (weekly is fine) and treatments last about an hour.

Most people are safe to have the treatments and best results are achieved if it is combined with regular exercise and a low calorie diet.

And the results? Well, we are seeing great results with many clients losing centimetres in just one treatment. So get your body ready for summer!