A month or so ago, I was complaining to my sister about a couple wrinkles I have on my forehead. They have been bothering me for a while, and I decided that I now wanted to figure out a way to get rid of them or at least soften them, so that they are not as noticeable. I was also beginning to think that maybe I should just generally start an anti-aging regimen and embed it into my skincare routine, so that I can avoid getting any other wrinkles for as long as possible. I am pushing 30 and I figured now is as good of a time as any to work on it.
There are a couple options at my fingertips to help with anti-aging: (i) botox or (ii) topical anti-aging serums, oils or moisturizers. I was at first thinking of taking the easy route and just doing botox.
I decided I should probably bring this idea up to my sister before I went for it. She is literally my go-to person. Before I buy anything new in the skincare realm, I talk to her. She knows more about the toxic and carcinogenic ingredients in different products than anyone I know.
When I told her I was thinking about getting botox, she almost screamed. This is because botox is basically a neurotoxin. It targets the nervous system and disrupts the nerve signaling processes that stimulate muscle contraction. Botox stands for botulinum toxin type a, and most dermatologists and medical professionals state that this toxin is safe in small doses. In large doses, this toxin creates botulism. One issue now is that research has shown that botox, when injected, does not just stay put in the injection site but travels between various nerve cells. During its travel, the botox can cause damage to your nerves that are not intended. In some cases, it can cause a droopy eyelid or paralysis of the face or elsewhere. As we all know by now, I have MS and my neurons and nerves are already somewhat of a mess, so I figured taking the easy way out and getting botox was not the right choice for me.
So, option (ii) it was, but the issue with option (ii) is that there are so many options out there. When you search anti-aging serums, oils and moisturizers, retinol and bakuchiol come up. I wasn’t sure what to choose. My goal is always to use the safest and least toxic product, so I had to figure out which is safer and less toxic in my opinion.
Let’s back up for a second. What is retinol? Retinol is derived from vitamin a. I learned that two derivatives of vitamin a are absolutely toxic and should always be avoided. They are retinoic acid and retinyl palmitate. Those derivatives are toxic—plan and simple.
Pure retinol causes an increase in blood flow to your skin, so your skin cells reproduce faster. The more retinol you use, the more skin is reproduced, so you can look younger. This helps get rid of wrinkles and smooth out your skin. But your top layer of skin is supposed to protect you and if it is being overturned extremely quickly, your protective outer layer of skin is too weak. It can cause your skin to be overly sensitive and to peel, flake or become irritated-especially if you have somewhat dry skin. It can also cause your skin to become extremely red. Retinol makes your skin extremely sensitive to the sunlight, as well, so you definitely can only use a retinol at nighttime. Also, our normal cells can only divide a finite number of times. So, if you use retinol too much, you may be dividing and replacing your cells too many times and too often causing you to run out of good healthy skin cells. And no one wants that.
Another problem is that it is hard to find pure retinol. What is provided in most products is a derivative with a mixture of other ingredients, preservatives and chemicals. But, if you can find pure retinol without all the additives and you use it properly and not too often, it can smooth fine lines and wrinkles, treat acne, fade dark spots and brighten your skin. However, I have been cautioned that even retinol in its purest form can just be too harsh for those people with sensitive skin or dry skin.
I have probably the most sensitive skin of anyone ever. I used to wax my eyebrows and upper lip when I was little, and even the slightest bit of oil or aloe on my face after the waxing would make me break out. Sometimes even just the hot wax alone made me break out. So, I was pretty apprehensive to try a retinol, especially when most of the producers of retinol products have carcinogens and synthetic materials mixed into their products.
So, I figured maybe bakuchiol might be a better option for me. Bakuchiol is like retinol’s healthy natural baby sister. It is a plant-based ingredient that comes from the babchi tree. It has anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Bakuchiol basically acts the same way as a retinol in that it smooths fine lines and wrinkles, treats acne, fades dark spots and brightens your skin, but it does not cause redness, dryness, flaking, peeling or sensitivity to sunlight. This seemed like a win-win for me, because I can get all the benefits of a retinol without the negatives. However, there is one problem with bakuchiol products just like with retinol products, so many of the producers of these products add crap ingredients.
There are really only a couple bakuchiol products out there that are really okay to use. Herbivore has a great bakuchiol product, but it has been unavailable for some time. Another good one is Avalea phyto radiance concentrate. It only has Squalane (plant- derived), Argan Kernel Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Pomegranate Seed Oil, Cranberry Seed Oil, Bakuchiol, Sunflower Seed Oil, Prickly Pear Fruit Extract, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Rosehip Seed Oil, Elderberry Fruit Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Vitamin E, and Rosa Damascena Flower Extract.
Now, I have been using this one for about 6 or so weeks now, and I cannot say enough good things. My skin has completely cleared up, my forehead wrinkles have softened somewhat, my dark marks are going away and my skin has brightened up. I also haven’t had any redness, dryness or peeling. I am sold on this product and am so happy that I chose it to add to my skincare routine. And now I have anti-aging regimen.
Always,
Taylor
