Updated: January 2024
Age is an inevitable part of life. At Shikō Beauty, we embrace aging as a natural part of your skin's journey, and our products are designed to help your skin age gracefully. Japanese skin care products offer a holistic way to nurture your skin’s youthful radiance, while also providing protection from environmental toxins, or products that can cause premature signs of aging to develop.
While all of us expect our skin to change over time, harsh chemicals or abrasive cleaning methods can damage the skin’s protective outer layer, leaving it stressed and vulnerable to wear. While all of our J-beauty skin care products are designed to nurture your skin’s health from the inside out, in this blog post we take a look at our top 5 Japanese anti-aging creams for 2023, to help you get your new year off to a fresh and radiant new start.
What Causes Aging Skin?
Our skin goes through a number of changes throughout our 20s and 30s, from the structural layer all the way up to the surface.
Underneath the surface, collagen and elastin are the elastic tissues that support our skin. As we age, the levels of these collagen and elastin begin to decrease, along with a decrease in the fat beneath our skin. This can cause skin to sag and sink, especially as fat deposits shift to the lower part of the face.
Aging Skin and Skin Cell Turnover
On the surface, aging skin begins to thin, becoming more prone to bruising and blemishes. Most importantly, our skin cell turnover cycle lengthens. In young children, the skin turnover cycle, where our body sheds and creates a new layer of skin, lasts only 3-5 days. By the time we are in our 20s, this process takes around 28 days. After that, skin cell turnover can lengthen to up to 90 days or more!
When skin cell turnover slows down, old or dead skin cells are left on the surface for longer periods of time. This can lead to dull, dry looking skin. Our pores can also become clogged from the dead skin cells that have accumulated, leading to blemishes or acne.
Causes of Fine Lines and Aging
Fine lines tend to appear around our eyes first, as skin is thinner there. They also may begin to form around the mouth, where skin is prone to dryness. Thinning skin and dry skin both lead to the appearance of fine lines, along with sun exposure.
Wrinkles will begin to form when collagen and elastin levels begin to dip during the aging process. Wrinkles will also form along the lines where we have repeated facial muscle movement, such as smile lines around the mouth, or vertical frown lines between the eyes.
J Beauty and Respect for the Aging Process
All skincare and cosmetic products that are sold in Japan must meet strict ingredient and marketing guidelines. As such, J Beauty products put the focus on taking care of your skin and helping to treat skin problems that are associated with aging, rather than simply trying to mask fine lines and wrinkles. And while the slowing of skin cell turnover as we age cannot be prevented, there are numerous ways that we can treat and nurture our skin as it ages, revealing healthy, youthful skin.
What Is the Best Anti-Aging Secret?
A J-Beauty routine always starts with double cleansing, and this step is even more critical as we care for aging skin. Double cleansing is the most effective way to remove dead skin cells, as well as dirt or pollution that may accumulate on the surface of the skin during the day. Using the proper cleanser can help aging skin look brighter, and promote faster skin cell turnover.
The other great enemy of aging skin is dryness, so using a rich and potent moisturizer is another crucial step in caring for aging skin. Dryness leads to the formation of fine lines and wrinkles, so nourishing your skin with a healthy dose of moisture and hydration can help prevent the formation of those lines before they begin.
What Do the Japanese Use for Anti-Aging?
There are several key ingredients to look for when selecting an anti aging skin care product. Most of these will stimulate the production of collagen in the skin, leaving skin plumper and more youthful. These include:
● Vitamin A: Retinoids promote skin cell turnover and stimulate collagen production.
● Peptides: These amino acids stimulate elastin and collagen production.
● Vitamin C: Antioxidants stop free radicals that can break down collagen in the skin.
● Hyaluronic Acid/Ceramides: Hydrate your skin and lock in moisture.
