Aging skin as seen by Agnès EHLINGER

Our expert doctor, dermatologist Agnès EHLINGER, has answered a few questions about skin ageing: discover its causes, how it manifests itself and her advice as a skin specialist....

Good morning Dr. Ehlinger, it’s an honor to interview you. Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Dr. Agnès EHLINGER. I'm a dermatologist. Based in the East of France, and I developed a passion for aesthetics at a very early age. From the very first aesthetic treatment, toxin. And so I continue to practice both classical dermatology and aesthetics.

Agnèes EHLINGER, Dermatologue Expert ENEOMEY

Has the profession of dermatologist always been a vocation for you? For what reason(s)?

Yes, it was a vocation like medicine. But in any case, the skin is a mirror of our organism. In a way, treating and beautifying the skin means improving the patient's quality of life and image.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

So, as a dermatologist, it's our knowledge of the skin that enables us to take really effective care of the patient. What's interesting is listening, analyzing the patient's needs and, above all, being able to offer a wide range of treatments.

We have cosmetics, chemicals peels and injections of all kinds. They can be mixed and matched to optimize results and bring major satisfaction to patients.

To begin with, can you explain what skin aging is and at what age it becomes apparent?

It shows up very early, because of studies, we now know that telomeres, the small ends of skin cell DNA, shorten from the age of 20 onwards, leading to poor skin repair.

What is aging? Quite simply, it's a thinning of the epidermis, the dermis and, above all, the famous dermo-epidermal junction between the two, which becomes straight and somewhat rigid, and the skin loses its suppleness. Then, fibers, collagen and elastic fibers decrease in number and, above all, become disorganized, giving rise to veritable elastosic lumps that drive the aging process.

Gamme ENEOMEY

In your opinion, what are the causes?

There are many of them. We know them pretty well. Now, there's a first cause that you can't do anything about, and neither can I, which is quite simply chronological aging. It's your biological clock, aging, which is genetically determined.

Then there's extrinsic aging, which is linked to external causes. The first, of course, is UV radiation (UV-A, UV-B) and other factors that play a major role in photoaging. Smoking also plays a role, aggravating photoaging through an inflammatory action. Pollution and perhaps other factors may also play a role.

What treatments do you use to fight against sagging skin?

Chemical peels are a first-line treatment! Why is that? Because it really does have a very important stimulating effect. And above all, I believe that the benefit is the radiance effect. In other words, the patient will immediately have an index of satisfaction that allows her to be happy with the result.

Then, of course, other treatments come into play, such as multiple and varied injections, radiofrequency, tightening threads and various lasers.

Application peeling Eneomey

So you can use them as a complement?

So these are treatments that can be mixed and matched, with of course a safety aspect that has to be taken into account. But it's very interesting because you can do it either simultaneously, or deferred, to get an even more optimum result.

What is your flagship active ingredient to combat sagging skin?

Glycolic Acid, which remains an effective active ingredient, has been studied many times over in numerous studies, and the advantage at ENEOMEY is that we have a wide range of concentrations, with 8%, du 15% and 30%, to suit every skin type.

Glycolic acid has the stimulating effect of fighting skin slackening and aging. I believe we need to work on these two axes: preventing ageing and brightening the complexion.

What is your essential prescription for an « Anti-Aging » skincare routine?

It's quite simple :

- Vitamin C in the morning for its antioxidant role, of course, but also for its action on melanogenesis. Because, once again, I think it's important to have a pretty complexion without pigmentation problems.

- And in the evening, Glycolic Acid, adapting the dosage according to the patient's age and skin quality.

- And then, sun protection, as I mentioned earlier, preventing heliodermy is the last major element to be taken into account in aging prevention.

Do you have a daily tip to share with our consumer on how to combat skin aging?

I've already given some advices on a scientific and dermocosmetic level. I'd like to give you a bit of life advice, which is to remember to look after your skin every day.

Citation

«We're so busy with our activities and the stress of everyday life that we sometimes tend to neglect this daily cosmetic routine. And it's an investment in the future which has shown me that it's really important to take this into account.»

Our warmest thanks to Dr Agnès EHLINGER for her answers. If you have any questions, please feel free to share them with us by commenting on this article.