How to Reverse Skin Aging (2022 to 2024)

[Chloe]

I thought I’d include me (29) & my husband’s (39) experience using polynucleotides for anyone else considering it.

Intro:

Polynucleotides work by stimulating specific receptors in the fibroblasts to make collagen and elastin. Interestingly, they might rejuvenate fat too if injected deeper.

The brand we used was Nucleofill. There is no risk of vascular occlusion with this product as it doesn’t contain any HA.

Disclaimer, my mum is a nurse and my husband is a bioengineer - between them I was able to learn enough about injecting, trigonometry and aseptic techniques to do this relatively safely but I myself am not medically trained. We found it surprisingly easy.

Method:

We did 2 sessions each 1 month apart. We each used x1 Nucleofill medium (now known as Nucleofill 20) x1 Nucleofill eyes each session. Last session was 1 month ago now. He’s considering doing a couple more sessions. I’m on maintenance mode now. We purchased the product from reliablemedicare.

Injection technique:

Nucleofill’s workshops available on YouTube state injections need to be deep dermis. I used 4mm 30g needle to achieve this, injecting most commonly at a 45 degree angle.

I used the BAP technique which is 5 injection points each side of the face. These 5 locations are chosen for optimum safety.

Under the eyes and on the forehead we swapped to using a Mesotherapy injection technique (extremely superficial injecting a small amount over lots of points).

Healing:

Bumps where product was injected remained on our faces for a few days afterwards.

Results:

Very natural but a definite improvement. We are happy with the effort to results ratio.

My husband has permitted me to include his forehead before & after photos. Photographs can be misleading even with the of best intentions, but these are true to what I see in real life. Photos taken in same place, natural lighting, same (very basic) skincare routine.

Both of us have noticed a really nice overall improvement in our faces (plus my neck). Wrinkle & fine line improvement. Our under eyes are more “skin” coloured now than dark/purple which we’re both really happy with. His family have commented that he looks healthy (they don’t know about our amateur aesthetics clinic lol).

[Ericross2]

@Chloe

between them I was able to learn enough about injecting, trigonometry and aseptic techniques to do this relatively safely

Thank you for your meaty post (unless you are a vegan). But out of sheer curiosity: how does trigonometry help with this process?

[Chloe]

No problem! Well, I needed to inject into the deep dermis. So I had to consider the needle length and angle of injection to know how deep I would be going. Skin thickness varies somewhat across the face which is why I used meso technique in danger areas.

[blsm]

I’ve been experimenting with using my estriol cream (prescribed for menopausal VA) off label on my face and neck after reading about other women having success using it that way. Apparently there are over the counter versions of creams/lotions with estriol available but I’ve just been using a small pea sized amount of my ovestin blended with One Skin or sunscreen depending on if I’m applying it during the day or at night. It looks like there’s a little data showing it’s helpful at least for menopausal women.

Estrogen-deficient skin: The role of topical therapy

Sorry if this has been mentioned already. It’s possible I’ve missed a few posts in the thread.
I’m personally happy enough with the results in just a few days that I plan to continue. It’s supposed to help boost collagen and HA production. My husband said I looked fresher than normal so I’ll take it. So far I do feel like I look subtly better (25%?) and it seems more effective than anything I’ve tried. I admittedly haven’t tried many things though and my blood estrogen levels are pretty low at just above the menopausal range on the patch. It might be worth further research for the more mature ladies.

[A_User]

Cetaphil or Cerave moisturizer in the morning when taking tretinoin at night? Or something else, if so why?

It is recommended that you apply a moisturizer or a moisturizer with sunscreen that will not aggravate your
acne (noncomedogenic) every morning after you wash.
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2002/16921s21s22s25lbl.pdf

What sunscreen for face and other areas? SPF50, or what else matters?

[eli]

@medaura

velcroed to my back while I do it? Seems like a hassle.

Actually, when I got the treatment in my face the operator asked me to put plate on my back under my bra , which is quite handy ( better then Velcro )

[Virilius]

I use a moisturizing sunscreen with SPF50 and apply it every time I go outside or multiple times if I’m outside for longer. This way you don’t have to apply multiple products on your skin which is more tedious than swallowing a bunch of pills in the morning.

[A_User]

I am trying to treat keratosis pilaris which I have as well, I think using tretinoin to accelerate the skin cycle then rapamycin cream to block excess production of protein keratin (hyperkeratinization) will work. It is common to have this.

[blsm]

@A_User, this might be of interest to you as it relates to skin health and you have been experimenting with a no added salt diet.

Skin and inflammation

“Two recent excellent reviews have highlighted several studies demonstrating Na+ loading results in non-osmotic Na+ accumulation in skin and muscle without commensurate increases in skin water content (54, 55)••. Immune cells including macrophages function as local on-site sensors of interstitial electrolyte concentration and activate tonicity-responsive enhancer binding protein, which increases the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) gene via autocrine signaling (54, 55). VEGF-C facilitates lymphangiogenesis enabling drainage of water and electrolyte from the skin into the systemic circulation for eventual removal via the kidneys (55). In rodents, macrophage or VEGF-C antagonism or genetic deletion results in augmented interstitial hypertonic volume retention and elevated BP (56, 57). Another recent study demonstrated that high salt increased whole body Na+ without increases in body water (58). Taken together, these findings would suggest that non-osmotic Na+ deposition plays a functional role in whole body Na+ homeostasis and BP regulation. However, it has also been shown that T cells exposed to local high Na+ tissue conditions polarize into highly pro-inflammatory TH17 phenotype cells that produce inflammatory cytokines and worsen experimental autoimmune disease and may contribute to hypertension (59, 60).

“In agreement, recent human studies have demonstrated skin Na+ is a marker of aging and hypertension (61). Excess skin Na+ deposition has also been observed in patients with type 2 diabetes (62), hyperlipidemia (63), and is associated with cardiac hypertrophy in chronic kidney disease (64). Further, a recent study randomized healthy participants to consume low and high salt diets in a crossover design (65)••. Skin Na+:K+ increased on the high salt diet in male, but not female participants. Female participants experienced an increase in BP on the high salt, but this may have been confounded by their lower basal BP. Further, in male participants skin Na+:K+ correlated with BP. There is some thought that increased skin Na+ occurs after sufficient vascular damage resulting in a ‘leak’ into the surrounding tissue (54). Using this line of reasoning, the finding that only males experienced an increase in skin Na+ with high salt is supported by prior studies demonstrating that high Na+ damages the endothelial glycocalyx (34) and females are relatively protected against endothelial dysfunction following salt loading compared to males (17, 22). Nonetheless, more data are needed to elucidate the role of non-osmotic Na+ deposition in humans, and further the influence of dietary Na+ on non-osmotic Na+deposition. For example, future studies are needed to determine if there are aging and racial differences in skin Na+ with dietary salt manipulation.”

The Influence of Dietary Salt Beyond Blood Pressure

Forgive me if you have read this already.

[Justin]

@A_User

keratosis pilaris

You might want to try urea cream. It can be prescription at 40% (but it tends to be sticky) or you can buy it on Zon at 20%. The urea is a keratinolytic and urea is a common ingredient in many skin creams. If you use high urea cream be careful–it’ll dissolve your fingernails over time.

[Davin8r]

They have 40% urea on Amazon as well, even combo 40% urea w/2% salicylic acid cream.

[Justin]

Interesting, thank you. About 12 years ago 40% was only by prescription. It’s aggressive as a keratinolytic but I suspect that at 40% it’s hydrophilic (like when salt sucks water out of the air and turns the salt into a puddle) so at least when I used it, on my knees/lower legs it stayed sticky…eww.

One could buy the 40% and dilute it to obtain whatever you want as long as the vehicles are compatible.

[RapAdmin]

@Kandice

I’m still on the hunt for a good sunscreen for body.

Kandice, did you ever find a good sunscreen for the body?

[Kandice]

@RapAdmin I’m currently using this one. I think it’s ok. This one used to be all-mineral but then they changed it to mineral and chemical. I was hoping to find an all-mineral one but had no luck and so settled on this one for now.

Amazon.com: MAKEPREM Defense Me Daily Vegan Sun Fluid Non-greasy Calming...

[Davin8r]

Anthelios Hydrating Lotion SPF 50+ - PhaMix

I live in the USA and import this sunscreen from Canada. It comes in a very large tube that lasts forever and uses 3 chemical sunscreens, but NOT the ones used in the USA. From everything I’ve read, Tinosorb S and Mexoryl XL/SX seem to be safer because they are not absorbed into the skin and don’t get into the blood stream. And no white sheen that you’d get from zinc/titanium oxide. Just a tiny bit of stickiness that my wife notices but doesn’t bother me on my arms/legs.

Anthelios UVMune 400 Invisible Fluid SPF 50+ | PhaMix.com

This is the one I use for my face/neck. It comes in a very small bottle, but I love it for this area because it absorbs immediately without any stickiness or noticeable residue.

Both of the above worked extremely well for me on vacation a few weeks ago (a white guy in Hawaii).

[eli]

This is the one I also use - they also hace an “invisible mist “ spray which is great for touch ups during the day over make up - so far I haven’t found a better (AMAP invisible) spray for the face than this one.

[Deborah_Hall]

Have had Sculptra done many times, not for lines but to increase volume as my face is very thin. Was very nervous about it because had read about nodules (the Sculptra solution has to be prepared perfectly to avoid this). And also concerned I might be too old to generate enough new collagen. My doctor had been suggesting I do it for years. He has many years of experience and I would not trust anyone else to do it. Also, he uses a cannula which enables him to place more with fewer entry points. In the ads the models typically get 2 or 4 or even more vials but 1 vial was enough for me to treat the entire face to my satisfaction. I get a touch up once every two years or so. I feel it makes a big difference – but I recognize that only when I compare to the photos of myself before I had any Sculptra injected. I would not trust anyone but my doctor with Sculptra. Be very careful about choosing an injector if you decide to try Sculptra.

[Beth]

This is the only chemical spf I am willing to use. This stuff is sorcery!!! I can not detect that it is anything but a thin lotion.

https://www.iherb.com/pr/beauty-of-joseon-relief-sun-rice-probiotics-spf-50-pa-50-ml/114686

I’ve smuggled in Ultra Violette spf which is very highly regarded, and while it truly is good, it still feels like spf to me (their spray is nice, though)

[RapAdmin]

What Are the Best Sunscreens, and Why Aren’t They Sold in the U.S.?

Why Aren’t Better Sunscreens Sold in the U.S.?

A decade after Congress told the FDA to expedite the approval of more effective sunscreens, the federal government still has not approved sunscreen ingredients that are safely being used around the world.

The Food and Drug Administration’s ability to approve the chemical filters in sunscreens that are sold in countries such as Japan, South Korea, and France is hamstrung by a 1938 U.S. law that requires sunscreens to be tested on animals and classified as drugs, rather than as cosmetics as they are in much of the world. So Americans are not likely to get those better sunscreens — which block the ultraviolet rays that can cause skin cancer and lead to wrinkles — in time for this summer, or even the next.

Sunscreen makers say that requirement is unfair because companies including BASF Corp. and L’Oréal, which make the newer sunscreen chemicals, submitted safety data on sunscreen chemicals to the European Union authorities some 20 years ago.

Full article: What Are the Best Sunscreens, and Why Aren’t They Sold in the U.S.? (Scientific American)

[PBJ]

Sometimes, it makes you wonder what is going on with some of the “low hanging fruit” at the FDA.