Your heritage affects how and when you'll show signs of aging. Canada's leading dermatologists advise on the best fixes.
War of the Roses
If the roots of your family tree go back to countries like France, Germany, the United Kingdom or parts of Scandinavia, you're typically fair-skinned. Because you have less pigment, your sun sensitivity increases, so you are more likely to develop age spots and freckles. You're also at higher risk for skin cancer. "It's evolutionary," says Kellett. "We develop melanin to protect ourselves from sunlight. So in areas where it's very sunny, people have more melanin in their skin. But in places like Australia, where it's warm and sunny, you have the highest skin-cancer rate in the world simply because most of the population can trace its roots to England. There hasn't been enough time for evolution to increase the melanin content in their skin. That takes thousands of years." Celtic skin types are also more likely to be genetically predisposed to rosacea, a condition that can be worsened by sun exposure, wind, cold, stress, spicy foods, alcohol and pollution.
Star products
Baumann recommends arming yourself with plenty of sunblock in the summer, although ultraviolet A rays -- the aging rays -- are present at similar levels all year long. Baumann also suggests wearing moisturizer with an SPF of 15 or more throughout the fall and winter and using products that contain antioxidants to fight the signs of sun damage. If you have rosacea, be careful with over-the-counter anti-aging formulations containing retinol or Retin-A, says Kellett. They may cause irritation. "The blood vessels are very reactive at the surface of the skin, so any inflammation to that area triggers redness."
Dermo cure
If you're bothered by sun damage or rosacea, a dermatologist can help. For signs of aging, there are five basic fixes: facial peels, laser resurfacing, Botox injections and the new crop of fillers (including collagen, fat, hyaluronic acid and calcium hydroxyapatite) and other technologies, including Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and Thermage Radiofrequency. For rosacea, remedies include IPL, laser treatments and topical prescription creams that decongest and strengthen blood vessels.
Photo courtesy of Royalty-Free/Corbis
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