“There are no ugly women, only laziness. Believe me, there’s no special age for beauty.” — Estee Lauder

THERE are things you can do to slow down the ageing process and repair some of the damage already done. Last week, I listed five non-surgical tips for doing just that. Here are five additional tips to slow the ageing process.

1. Retinol

Retinol is a must have for ageing skin. It promotes the regeneration of skin cells and decreases wrinkles by stimulating collagen. Some people cannot tolerate it, however, but it is not the end of the world.

2. Topical stem cells and growth factors

Products with epidermal growth factor (EGF) and plant and human stem cells are gaining ground as increasingly popular anti-ageing treatments. The science is simply there. So retinol non-tolerators, here is your thing. Stem cells and growth factors are amazing when injected. But it can also be absorbed through the largest organ of the body — the skin. They stimulate production of collagen, elastin and anything else that is needed.

3. Dermarollers

Dermarollers are pretty cheap on their own. Instead of Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP), dermarollers can be kinder to the wallet. With their microneedles, they provide deeper penetration of topical stem cells, vitamin C, retinoids down to the deeper levels of the skin. This way you get more bang for your buck from your skin care products.

It is best to see a physician familiar with them to teach you how to use this at home, what pressure to use, and how often to use it. Remember you do not want to use this when you have an infection on the face, or an acne breakout.

4. Dermal fillers, botox

Dermal fillers, botox use actually help minimise the appearance deep-set wrinkles. Fat grafting can plump up skin and distribute nutrients to previously depleted regions of your face.

Facials which include microdermabrasion and chemical peels can aggressively help prevent and repair the appearance of ageing by rapidly exfoliating surface layers of the skin and minimising fine wrinkles.

Laser skin treatments can also stimulate deeper layers of your skin to encourage collagen production for better skin elasticity. The downside is, with these procedures, one treatment session usually does not accomplish much as far as anti-ageing goes.

5. PRP and fat grafting

Stem cells are re-injected into the areas that require help, and these cells have the potential to become any cell. The environment you inject the stem cells in gives them the signal about what is lacking in that area. More invasive, more expensive.

Dr Simone Van-Horne is a consultant in internal medicine. Currently, she is a hospitalist, where she does inpatient-hospital medicine in Florida and sees patients in a medical spa setting at Metamorphosis Medispa Wellness Center Inc in Hollywood, Florida, and at The Face Place Ja at 3 Carvalho Rd, Kingston, and The Skin Bar, #16 Freeport Shopping Centre, Montego Bay. Contact info@spamorph.com and www.spamorph.com for questions.