There’s no magic cream that completely stops the skin from ageing, or inhibiting its loss of volume, wrinkles and sagging. But the good news is there are loads of innovation happening in skincare – and technology – that can help keep skin in its optimum condition.
Editor Michelle Ruzzene rounds up her top products to keep skin looking tight, plump and firm.
Sisley Paris Sisleÿa L’intégral Anti-Âge Concentrated Firming Serum, 30ml, $600 – This is the Rolls-Royce of serums. The French luxury beauty brand, created by Hubert d’Ornano, is well known for its powerful, concentrated serums. This serum targets genetic, environmental and behavioural ageing and factors in the skin’s history to kick-start its youth mechanisms. After two months, skin looks and feels firmer and plumper.
Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream, 60ml, $332 – This rich, luxury treatment cream has a butter-like texture and contains a reparative complex of Korean red ginseng and retinol which help a firmer complexion. This intensive, antioxidant rich cream addresses multiple signs of ageing and uneven texture by enhancing moisture and gives skin an incredibly dewy glow.
La Prairie Extrait of Skin Caviar Firming Complex, 30ml, $295 – This highly concentrated moisturiser is formulated with caviar extract to help restore firmness. Along with increasing firmness, it helps skin’s elasticity to leave it feeling smooth and supple. It also primes the complexion instantly, providing perfect surface for flawless makeup application.
SkinCeuticals Skin Firming Cream, 50ml, $178.50 – This powerful treatment repairs photo damage while firming the skin. It contains ingredients that target environmental aggressors. A great skin firming lotion that supports collagen synthesis and accelerates the skin’s ability to repair damage resulting from UV light, pollutants, and harmful chemicals.
Clarins Extra-Firming Phyto-Serum, 50ml, $135 – This is a power lift serum that visibly firms, lifts, and tightens slackened skin. The potent formula is concentrated with the latest advancements in plant science: potent kangaroo flower and mitracarpus extracts visibly firm, lift and smooth to fight the look of wrinkles and skin slackening. White lupine extract, a new plant discovery and key ingredient, visibly tightens skin for a more youthful look.
Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Lift and Firm Sculpting Gel, 150ml, $135 – is an anti-ageing gel that helps combat signs of ageing. It is powered by collagen supporting peptides, skin tightening peptides and moisture boosting ceramides that both lift and firm.
SPLURGE
Ultraformer III at North Shore Aesthetics – If you are over 40 and all the firming creams and serums in the world don’t seem to be doing much, it could be time to try a non-surgical facelift. I was fortunate enough to try out the Ultraformer III at North Shore Aesthetics. At $2,000 per treatment, it is a splurge, but completely worth it. The treatment tackles sagging skin at three levels below the surface of the skin, or below the epidermis. It targets the superficial dermis, the deeper dermis and the superficial muscular aponeurotic system (SMAS) layer. It goes DEEP. To explain further, the SMAS layer is a tissue sheet of collagen and elastin fibres that basically connects your skin to the muscular structures below. With age, this collagen, these elastic fibres and a gel-like substance called the extra brillar matrix lose their strength and elasticity. This results in loose, sagging and wrinkled skin. The Ultraformer treatment tackles the area of this sagging using a micro-focused ultrasound, that heats the skin to the specific temperature required to induce thermal injury, which causes the collagen to contract, and then, over time, to produce new and stronger collagen. Collagen builds over a few months, so optimum results are seen the, as opposed to immediately after the treatment. There is no downtime and minimal discomfort – it is a treatment that can be done in your lunchbreak. I highly recommend this treatment is done annually, in conjunction with good skincare, to really turn back the clock!
