Pro-aging, or time favors us

Pro-aging is a process that involves utilizing the potential of the body and mind to become a better version of oneself over time – agile, full of energy, knowing one’s worth, having good relationships with people, and satisfied with one’s appearance. While anti-aging means fighting against the passage of time, pro-aging teaches how to make time an ally.

Fighting the passage of time (anti-aging) is doomed to lose from the start. It doesn’t matter how much money you have or how hard you try to turn back the clock. If you enter the race for a younger appearance, whether with skin smoothed by Botox or not, you will always lose to younger colleagues. Just as in the past, those older than you would lose the race. Unless… they exuded a kind of attractiveness and confidence that the crow’s feet appearing when smiling broadly only added to their charm.

Of course, aesthetic medicine can slow down certain processes and mitigate the effects of some mistakes (e.g., over-tanning). However, over time, the skin’s demands become greater, and the effects of treatments are increasingly less able to meet them. It quickly becomes apparent that more does not necessarily mean better. Dr. Danuta Nowicka, a dermatologist and specialist in aesthetic medicine who has been studying the impact of active substances on the condition and youthful appearance of the skin for 20 years, knows this very well.

Less is More

We live in times of ubiquitous marketing, where at every turn someone tries to sell us something. This translates into our thinking – to achieve a certain effect, we should buy something extra. How effective this persuasion is, Dr. Danuta Nowicka often realizes during patients’ first visits. “They come with skin problems or the first signs of aging and always ask the same question: ‘What else should I use to solve my problem?’ And sometimes, to improve skin condition, you need to subtract, not add,” explains Dr. Danuta Nowicka.

Sensitive Skin Syndrome

In recent years, a new medical condition has emerged in dermatology, commonly referred to by the abbreviation SSS from its English name Sensitive Skin Syndrome. Sensitive skin syndrome has very specific causes related to the times we live in. These include: polluted air, processed or chemical-laden food, inability to cope with stress, substances, lack of sleep. The body functioning in such an environment initially copes, but over time its immunity starts to falter. As a result, the skin, as the first protective barrier, reacts with redness, itching, burning, dryness, various dermatoses, and wrinkles appearing faster than the timeline would suggest.

The number of SSS cases, or sensitive skin syndrome, has increased so much in recent years that we can talk about a new trend in dermatology. Increasingly, instead of adding, we should limit the number of products used and focus on strengthening the body and working on the mind so that the body can better cope with stress – explains the expert and immediately adds – Most of us, especially when we start caring for our skin at a young age, only need a few basic cosmetics for proper care: a good cleansing product, an effective moisturizing cream, and sun protection.

How to Care for Skin According to Pro-Aging

Therefore, there is no need to apply five products in a specific order for the skin to gain radiance. Just one cream, but a good one, is enough. Additionally, you need to drink plenty of water, limit sugar and alcohol, eat lots of vegetables, stay active, and get enough sleep. And be sure to use sun filters because rays accelerate the breakdown of collagen fibers, which act like scaffolding for the skin. The earlier we implement these practices, the less we will have to repair in the future. The skin has natural regenerative processes encoded, and it’s enough to support them to enjoy good skin condition throughout life.

The pro-aging approach has become the foundation for creating Dr. Novicka’s line of cosmetics. These products are designed to support the skin and ensure its proper hydration. To achieve this, they use an innovative formula of hyaluronic acid and structured water. Discover Dr. Novicka’s groundbreaking products.

Pro-aging, or Strength in Maturity

And it is precisely by supporting the skin’s natural properties that pro-aging is based. Today, we can already speak of a global trend – social movements recognized by names like slow-aging, smart-aging, or pro-aging did not emerge out of nowhere. Thanks to the growing popularity of mature women achieving success in public life, issues related to the passage of time have ceased to be taboo topics. Menopause, for instance, has finally started to be discussed as a stage of maturity, not as the end of youth. Models with gray hair appear on magazine covers, and the runways have ended the division into trends for the young and the old, who no longer should wear certain things.

Active women of all ages fulfill themselves professionally, decide on new relationships, late conscious motherhood, the development of passions that they previously did not have time or courage for. Stars and influencers often start their careers after the age of 50 or 60 and become faces of international campaigns, participate in fashion shows, set trends. A healthy, agile, and well-groomed fifty-year-old woman is a woman in full creative strength, often at the peak of her professional career. She has no intention of stepping into the shadows or yielding her field to anyone. She also has no intention of pretending to be younger than she actually is because she is not a product with an expiration date. She wants her appearance to reflect her state of mind – a wiser, more experienced, more feminine, and continuously attractive woman.

Genes or Lifestyle?

The old saying “Like mother, like daughter” has ceased to be relevant. Firstly, because today mothers more often model themselves after their daughters rather than the other way around. Secondly, we are aging differently than previous generations. All thanks to the development of medicine, cosmetology, and education. Researchers today have no doubts that the genome only accounts for 20% of the aging processes in the body. The remaining 80% is attributed to the so-called exposome, which is a combination of environmental, hormonal, and behavioral factors, i.e., lifestyle. The environment in which we live increasingly negatively affects our health. Factors such as smog, harmful sun radiation, blue light emitted by monitors, processed food, pesticides, antibiotics – weaken immunity. The stress we have to cope with daily affects hormonal balance and blocks the body’s regenerative mechanisms. Therefore, for slowing down the aging process, lifestyle is so crucial – avoiding substances, maintaining a proper diet, and engaging in physical activity.

Pro-aging and Physical Activity

The impact of smoking or diet on the skin is easy to understand, but what does movement have to do with wrinkles? It turns out, a lot. The circulatory system and the blood flowing through it perform two basic functions. First, it delivers nutrients and oxygen to the cells. Second, it removes metabolic waste products. Oxygenated blood is pumped into the arteries by heart contractions and returns through veins thanks to muscle contractions. If we spend most of the day sitting still, the cleansing system begins to work less efficiently. This means that blood flows more slowly, collects metabolic waste products less effectively, and stagnates occur in the veins, leading to micro-inflammatory states. All of this directly affects the health and appearance of the skin.

Therefore, doctors repeatedly emphasize that you should stand up from your desk at least once an hour and take a short walk to get moving. This simple action improves blood flow. A daily 30-minute exercise session strengthens the heart and blood vessels, and the skin becomes better perfused, oxygenated, and cleansed. By maintaining healthy eating and staying active, we act in the spirit of pro-aging, meaning we prevent aging processes and strengthen the body’s natural regenerative mechanisms.

Evolution in Aesthetic Medicine

It is no secret that the driving force behind the development of aesthetic medicine was the desire to reverse the aging processes of the skin. The immense popularity of botulinum toxin and shaping fillers is a testament to this. However, these quite invasive interventions, although sometimes truly spectacular in their effects, only work for a limited time. Moreover, the more frequently they are used, the less natural the skin and facial features appear. Therefore, in recent years, treatments that strengthen natural repair processes and stimulate fibroblasts to reorganize and produce new collagen and elastin fibers have become increasingly popular. These treatments include, among others, mesotherapy with tissue stimulators and procedures using highly specialized lasers. They not only mobilize the skin to work but also genuinely delay the aging processes and deliver the results that self-caring, aware patients expect. Instead of perfectly smooth foreheads or filled cheeks, they desire a natural yet fresh and rested appearance, so-called holiday skin.

In fashion, we are moving away from fast fashion and buying clothes from chain stores that last only one season. We are more frequently choosing so-called quiet luxury, which is quality fashion based on the best fabrics and excellent craftsmanship. Similar trends are observed in aesthetic medicine. Instead of Botox every 3-4 months, deep manual massages are increasingly preferred. Such treatments improve blood circulation, eliminate swelling, smooth out facial wrinkles, and strengthen the skin. Proper phototherapy can help the skin regenerate after tanning and restore firmness. Therefore, pro-aging does not mean completely abandoning the achievements of aesthetic medicine but suggests conscious prevention and supporting nature, rather than invasive fighting against the passage of time.

Pro-aging – Frequently Asked Questions and Answers