Your Skin – Is It Just The Luck Of The Draw?
What’s stronger, your DNA or your regimen? Are you down on your luck and thinking, “it’s not fair I wasn’t born with better skin?” But, on the other hand, if you were blessed with lucky skin – what should you do to keep it? We have the answers!
Genetics and skin
The old nature versus nurture debate is certainly a tricky one. There are so many variables when it comes to skin but your genetics do determine your elasticity, pore size, melanin levels, and oil production.
So what about aging? Can you look at grandma and know what you are up against? And if grandma looks great, should you even be doing anything to your skin? Everyone’s skin will eventually age and your genetic predisposition, along with choices you make along the way, determines how and how fast your skin will age.
The skin’s aging manifests in many ways. Deep wrinkles, sagging, and uneven skin tone and spots are some of the typical aging concerns. The sun and other environmental stressors are what cause the bulk of skin’s aging by creating free radicals that destroy healthy cells.
If you have “good” genes but spend loads of time in the sun, then your skin will age prematurely. But, just because you see damage in your older relatives that doesn't necessarily mean you are going to get that damage if it was lifestyle induced. To make it simple, let’s just say your skin’s appearance comes from a combination of your genes, your lifestyle, and your skincare choices.
The job of skincare is to slow down and even stop and reverse the aging process, in some cases. Deeper skin tones and oil-rich skin tends to age more slowly while drier and lighter skin tones may prematurely age. While everyone's journey is different, we all have the same destination. That is why it’s important for everyone to take care of their skin just like they would their overall health.
Okay, so who are the lucky ones?
If you have never experienced acne, dark spots, or chronic flaking/dryness odds are you have “lucky” skin. This means your dead skin does a good job of shedding itself without intervention. It also means that your pores create some oil (not too much and not too little), leaving you neither dry nor congested. It might mean you also have a good amount of collagen and elasticity, which is key in slowing skin’s aging as well.
If you have “hit the jackpot” with all these, the truth is you won’t need much more than a basic skincare routine and sun protection (meaning regular SPF use and general sun avoidance) to maintain your lucky skin. However, time will eventually catch up with you and our advice would be to still get monthly or quarterly facial treatments and step up your skincare ingredients to stave off your skin’s signs of aging as late as possible. When it’s time to start fighting the beginning signs of aging and dullness, you’ll be ready for it!
And, for the rest of us, you will battle some sort of skin imbalance your whole life. Regimens are great for that, and really do work! The key is diagnosing your shortcomings and finding the right products and professionals to work with. No two regimens are the same because no two people's DNA is the same (other than identical twins, of course). You may actually be the lucky one after all – because when you start treating your skin concerns early, you may end up with smoother, brighter, and clearer skin than even those who are genetically blessed in the skin department.