One of the common concerns our patients have at Harbour Direct Primary Care is aging. While aging is a natural process that everyone goes through, it looks different for every person. Some people age slowly, but the signs of aging may appear sooner for others.
At Harbour Direct, we are dedicated to helping you age more gracefully. On top of our care as a primary care clinic, we also provide anti-aging treatments in Jamestown, RI, to help you look as good as you feel. Find out what anti-aging treatments work best for you, and become the best version of yourself.
Reasons for Aging
To slow down the signs of aging, we first need to understand what causes the signs of aging. The most visible signs typically appear on the skin in the form of wrinkles, fine lines, and sun spots.
As we age, our skin slows down the production of two very important proteins: collagen and elastin. These proteins are responsible for keeping our skin, tissues, and muscles flexible. You produce the most amount of these proteins from when you are a baby up until you are about 20 years old. Then, production slowly decreases, causing your skin to lose its flexibility and begin to sag and develop wrinkles.
The decrease in collagen and elastin production is natural, but there are factors that can speed up the rate at which you lose these proteins.
Sun Exposure
The sun is the biggest reason for the breakdown of collagen and elastin. Our skin does need sunlight to produce vitamin D, but too much exposure to UVA and UVB rays can cause skin damage. Research tells us you only need 10 to 30 minutes of direct sunlight per day. Additional exposure can actually damage your DNA, causing mutations that increase the risk of developing cancer.
Little to No Skincare
Not using skincare products daily can also increase the rate at which your skin ages. At-home skincare helps to remove toxins and dirt, provide nourishment, and protect your skin from air pollution and direct sunlight. Using the wrong products for your skin type could cause damage to your skin. Taking the time to understand your skin type and what products match your needs will help you improve your skin concerns.
Poor Lifestyle Choices
Smoking, drinking alcohol, getting little sleep, and having a poor diet can also cause damage to your skin. We strongly recommend avoiding these habits when you receive any of our anti-aging treatments in Jamestown. These habits will work against your treatment and negatively impact the results you are looking for.
Chronic Dehydration
Your body is made up of 60% water, and a lot of the water is used to nourish and protect your skin. When you are consistently not drinking enough water, this dehydrates your skin and increases the rate at which your skin begins to sag and develop wrinkles. It also lowers your skin’s ability to remove toxins and debris, clogging your pores and causing even more issues later over time.
Stress
Stress also impacts your skin’s health and appearance. When you experience more stress, your body produces more cortisol. Cortisol can be helpful when it comes to highly stressful situations, but too much of the hormone has a negative effect. It can increase oil production, causing increased acne, and break down collagen and elastin fibers, causing your skin to age faster.
Pollution
Environmental pollution can also impact how quickly your skin begins to show the signs of aging. As our largest organ, our skin’s #1 priority is to serve as a barrier between the outside world and the inside of our bodies. It keeps out foreign bacteria, regulates our internal temperature, and absorbs nutrients we need to stay alive. However, pollutants and toxins in the air can get into our skin. This impacts our skin’s overall health and appearance, which prevents it from being able to protect and nourish us.
What We Offer
Our medical aesthetics treatments focus on reversing the damage to your skin and increasing collagen and elastin production. We want to give you a healthier, more youthful complexion. Here’s how: We offer a variety of services at our med spa and primary care clinic that use different methods to accomplish similar goals. That way, you not only achieve your results, but you achieve them your way. Explore your options for anti-aging treatments in Jamestown, and come see us at Harbour Direct.
Botox
Botox focuses on dynamic wrinkles, which are wrinkles that form because of repeated movement in your facial muscles. Botox injections can reverse wrinkles that have already formed and prevent new ones from forming. During your appointment, your provider injects a small, refined amount of a neurotoxin called Botulinum A into the treatment area. By injecting very small and specific muscles with Botox, it limits movement, preventing wrinkles while still allowing you to make your natural expressions.
Microneedling
Another option we have for our anti-aging treatments in Jamestown is microneedling. Microneedling is popular because it is minimally invasive, yet delivers transformative results. For microneedling, your provider uses a handheld device that creates microchannels in your epidermis, or the upper layer of your skin. This stimulates your body’s natural healing response, causing an increase in collagen and elastin production. This not only helps to address wrinkles, but can help with sun spots, pigmentation, scarring, and more.
Clear RF
Clear RF is one of the latest developments in skin rejuvenation technology. This treatment uses electromagnetic waves to heat the skin while, simultaneously, small pins gently ablate the uppermost layer of your epidermis. This removes dead and damaged skin cells that have broken collagen and elastin fibers. It boosts production of these proteins to create healthier skin cells as well. With regular microneedling treatments, you can improve your skin’s overall appearance, not just the aspects of aging.
Emface
One of our popular anti-aging treatments in Jamestown, RI, is Emface. This treatment involves combining radiofrequency and high-intensity facial electric energy (HIFES) to help increase facial volume and reverse wrinkles. Emface applies small electrical currents to create about 11,000 involuntary contractions within your facial muscles, improving muscle definition. This non-surgical treatment essentially lifts your facial features, toning up your face, giving you smoother, younger-looking skin.
The Importance of Skincare
On top of our anti-aging treatments in Jamestown, RI, we also emphasize the importance of using proper skincare to reverse and prevent the signs of aging.
Imagine you go to the dentist for a checkup—you get your teeth cleaned, they take care of any issues, and make sure your teeth and gums are healthy. You wouldn’t avoid brushing and flossing every day afterward, would you? You would want to maintain your dental health, right?
The same logic applies to your skin. You should maintain your skin’s health using at-home skincare after undergoing our anti-aging treatments in Jamestown, RI.
During your consultation, your physician can explain what products would work best for you. There are 5 different types of skin you could have: oily, dry, combination, sensitive, or normal skin. Finding the right products is key to ensuring your skin is healthy, happy, and glowing.
Making SPF Your BFF
The most important part of any skincare routine is sunscreen. Sunscreen helps protect your skin from damaging UVA and UVB rays. No matter your skin type or tone, sunscreen is vital, especially if you are at a higher risk of developing skin cancer.
For protection, we typically recommend using a mineral-based sunscreen that has a minimum 30 SPF. Anything between 30 SPF and 50 SPF can work, but studies have shown that anything above 50 SPF doesn’t provide much additional protection.
We also recommend mineral-based sunscreens because they work differently from chemical-based skin protectants and have natural ingredients. Chemical-based sunscreens use ingredients that absorb the sun’s rays before they can reach your skin. They are typically clear, with a thinner consistency, and . they do not begin working immediately. Mineral-based sunscreens, on the other hand, begin working immediately upon application and sit atop the skin to reflect the sun’s rays away from the skin.
No matter which sunscreen you decide to use, we always recommend reapplying every 2 to 3 hours. All sunscreen wears off at around this time and can do so even faster if you are sweating or swimming.
Say Hello to a Younger Appearance
Your signs of aging don’t have to keep you from feeling confident. With our anti-aging treatments and customized skincare, you can see a more youthful complexion when you look in the mirror each day. Request an appointment with one of our expert physicians or use our complimentary treatment planning tool to find out which of our anti-aging treatments is right for you.
