This is the most common question we get asked… and for us at Azurlis™ there are 3 aspects of this question that are troubling, namely, “instantly”, “look 20 years younger” and “natural skincare routine”. Let’s explore this.

Instant Results either with Natural or Mainstream Skincare Products?

No, but hopefully, you’ll read on to understand why results may not be instant, although they are felt as the products are first used, visibly noticeable after a few weeks and why it is worth to pursue a natural skincare routine.

Natural and Organic Skincare

Basically, there is a significant paradox between the concept of instant changes in your skin to the point that you look 2 decades younger using a natural skin care routine. Using this routine as an ongoing practice provides nourishment, hydration, as well as functionally protective/moisturising and softening ingredients to your skin, underpinned by making time to look after your skin's wellbeing will lead to your naturally glowing skin. 

Natural skincare ingredients are by definition less processed than those in mainstream skincare, and they are often organic certified. Also, evidence of the benefits of using less processed organic certified extracts and oils in natural skincare has been accumulating over the last 2 decades. For example, research on the benefits of oils of jojoba, organic rosehip, organic calendula, borage and macadamia has shown these to be excellent sources of basic cellular nutrients such as the essential fatty acids, emollient oils, moisturising oils, hydrating oils, and antioxidants including vitamins A, D, C, E, K. These provide the required nutrients that are necessary to maintain balanced skin nourishment.

Mainstream Skincare

So, you might say, well “it may not happen with natural skin care, but it is certainly possible with sophisticated technology-based skincare products”.

Well, that is not true either because regardless of the product type or technology used it will take time for the active ingredients to reach the targeted area of the skin layers, to hydrate, moisturise, decrease wrinkles, soften fine lines, improve texture to create the appearance of younger skin.

What Happens when a Moisturiser or a Serum is Applied to the Skin?

As shown in the skin cross-section diagram below, products applied to the surface of the skin (epithelium), have a long way to go to the basement membrane of the epidermis (germinal cell layer) to nourish and stimulate new cells to grow so that regeneration of the top skin layers can happen. But products that target the improvement of the collagen matrix, decreasing of pigmentation, brightening the skin, or conditioning the cell layers for a smoother softer texture, have a long way to go to reach the dermis.

By the way, it takes 28 days for a newly formed cell in the germinal layer of the epidermis to surface to the top the epithelium. There is nothing instant about this process!

Also, as we age our metabolism slows down, we lose fat cells (adipose tissue) that provide support for the dermis and epidermis and we are more prone to dehydration because with aging our sebum glands become less productive - yes, sebum is a useful barrier to loss of moisture and to maintain the skin supple. These changes occur at rates that are not easily monitored and differ for each of us affecting how products or ingredients are absorbed. So, we need to be aware that the products are neither instantly absorbed nor used evenly across the skin layers, regardless of their natural or synthetic origin.

To see skin improvements, we must exercise some patience!

What about Injectable Products?

Even if “fillers” are injected into the areas that need “plumping up”, the benefit is certainly not instant as the skin layers will be disrupted, pushed apart to make space for the injected product.

After all your skin layers are not like a stack of paper sheets into which you can insert “something”. This injection of a filler or a cocktail of active rejuvenating peptides or botox will lead to some skin reaction ranging from inflammation and swelling, often to bruising, and sometimes more severe side effects. But, this skin reaction will take time to heal and settle depending on the concentration of the injectable used or the size of the area to which it is applied. Recovery from this damage is definitely not instant often taking a few weeks - even if the ultimate result achieved was the desired one such as reducing wrinkles, improving skin texture and achieving a youthful glow.

But, even then, can you say that you really look 20 years younger?

What about Cosmetic Surgery - Face Lifts and Threading?

The same can be said for cosmetic surgery – face lift and cosmetic thread lifts.  

A face lift is costly as well as requiring at least 8 weeks for the discomfort, pain, inflammation, swelling and bruising to disappear. Complications can arise including infection, haematoma (bruising), scarring, skin discolouration, hair loss, nerve injury, numbness, as well as side effects of anesthesia. The long recovery is partly because the procedure is not about stretching the skin over your face and throwing the excess bits away… as the word surgery says it all, there will be some significant cutting and reorganisation of muscles and ligaments, disruption to connective tissue affecting the overall anatomy appearance of the face.

Nowadays a face lift can be expected to last up to 10 years.

Threading is less costly, but still a significant procedure, using “bio absorbable sutures (threads)” that are inserted via a very fine needle to enable re-contouring. As this is an invasive procedure, swelling and bruising is expected with potential for complications including visible sutures, pain, infection, dimpling (orange peel-like skin texture), hair loss and salivary gland damage. Though the recovery period is shorter than a cosmetic surgical face lift, one can expect healing to take at least 2 – 4 weeks depending on the extent of the procedure.

In general, a threading face lift contouring is reported to last between 1.5 – 3 years.

The benefits from these cosmetic age reversing approaches are also not instant, but if successful they can take years off your face - at a price, and I don’t mean just financial. Although these are not the types of procedures that one uses when embarking on a natural skin care routine, you can still chose to implement a natural skincare routine to look after your skin subsequent to the cosmetic interventions.

Something to consider regarding results.

These will vary from person to person, depending on one’s genetic make-up, physiology, lifestyle, environmental exposure, stress and its management as well as personal choices. So, a product or procedure that has worked wonderfully for someone may not be appropriate for another.

So, How to Instantly Feel 20 Years Younger?

As one of our team said, “skincare is not magic fairy dust”, indeed. (Thank you for this Floriane!)

Skincare is about developing an approach to protecting your skin, so that it can do the job it is meant to do in being the protective barrier for our internal organs, help to regulate normal body temperature, avoid infections and be wonderful to touch.

In this process, you are caring for your skin as your most valuable asset that needs to be well looked after so you look good and feel great regardless of your age. This is a choice that you make, and you will know that when you feel good, you look better… and indeed you will look younger, both from within extending to influence how others see you.

I totally understand that looking in the mirror, facing gravity on your skin and other signs of ageing is not empowering.  Of course we would all like to stay young!

Well, we can stay young in the way we live and how we choose to think, looking after our “skin asset” as we do our house or whatever is important to us. This makes us feel good, and setting your natural skin care routine will help you to feel younger, even if not 20 years younger!

However, if you really want to instantly look 20 years younger, here is a tip:

Take a photo of yourself, photoshop it, then wear it as a mask, look in the mirror… and have a magnificent laugh. People will love you for it.