This week’s Tuck Talk will answer your questions: What should you do if you don’t want your skin to age prematurely due to your daily habits? Meet Dr. Ice – Dr. Chanikan Thepras, an anti-aging medicine specialist and owner of the TikTok channel Dr. Ice Beauty. She shares easy-to-follow and effective tips for stopping aging. She covers everything from skin structure, cell turnover, hormones, and nutrition to choosing the right sunscreen and skincare products. She also shares three tips that anyone can follow for healthy skin and slowing down aging.
What does our skin consist of? Is it good or bad? Why is skin cell turnover important?
Dr. Ice: Our skin consists of three layers: the outer layer is the epidermis, the middle layer is the dermis, and the inner layer is subcutaneous fat. Skin cell turnover is an important indicator of whether our skin is good or bad. This is because skin cell turnover occurs in the epidermis. The normal skin cell turnover cycle is approximately 28 days. When the outer skin cells reach their age, they die and are replaced by new skin cells from below. When the cycle is like this, it helps manage our skin problems. For example, if during our teenage years or childhood, we sometimes have acne that leaves marks or are exposed to the sun, causing our skin to become dark. This means that the skin cells will have pigment. When the 28-day cycle is up, the acne scars and dark spots will fall off because the skin cells have turned. The problem is that as we get older, the skin cell turnover cycle goes from 28 days for some people to 40 days. Problematic skin cells accumulate on our skin. Dead skin cells are not shed, causing dullness and lightness. Pigmented skin cells, such as freckles, will remain on our skin. Acne scars and acne will leave marks for a long time.
Some people rub, scrub, and exfoliate to speed up skin exfoliation. Does this help?
Dr. Ice: If we do it correctly and in the right way, it will help fade away dark spots or dullness more easily. But if we do it incorrectly, it stimulates the skin, causing irritation, disrupting the skin’s barrier, or the protective elements that make our skin sensitive and easily irritated. This can lead to more damage if done incorrectly.
What are some things that can damage your skin and make it look older?
Dr. Ice: There are many factors that cause our skin to age. It’s our daily lifestyle and the environment. For example, there are both internal and external factors. Internal factors are that as we age, our bodies are programmed to deteriorate as we age. As we age, skin cells that used to shed more efficiently and produce more collagen deteriorate. Hormones drop, making our skin barrier less strong. Skin becomes dry and rough. Changing hormone levels trigger melasma. Research shows that at the age of 25, our skin produces less collagen and this decline continues to accelerate. Women may experience melasma earlier because they enter menopause earlier. There’s also genetics. Asians with dark skin are more prone to melasma. Stress releases the stress hormone cortisol, which directly destroys collagen, causing oily skin and acne. Some people say that acne is still present even though they’re not teenagers anymore. It could be due to changing hormones. Almost every external factor…
If we sleep a full 8 hours, our skin will be better. Food and drink: We know that sugar is poison for the skin, so we control it, whether it’s white rice, white bread, sweet drinks, or desserts. When sugar, which is called High Glycemic Index, stimulates insulin to be high, it will cause inflammation. It will directly damage the collagen in our skin, making our skin oily and prone to acne. If anyone wants to have younger skin, managing sugar is a must. In addition, processed food will stimulate the body to become stressed, which will release the hormone cortisol, making the skin oily and destroying collagen. Therefore, just adjusting your diet will help improve your skin. The most important external factor is UV rays in sunlight that directly damage our skin, both the superficial and deep layers. UVA damages the deep layers of the skin, causing the cells that produce collagen to not produce well, resulting in sagging, wrinkled, and aging skin, resulting in wrinkles. UVB damages the superficial and superficial layers of the skin, causing dark spots, freckles, and melasma.
How much help will applying sunscreen help?
Dr. Ice: Sunscreen is necessary to apply a lot if you want good, beautiful skin. We should choose one with an SPF of 30+ and a PA of at least 3+. Especially if you have to play outdoor sports or are exposed to the sun often, you should choose a higher spec.
How to choose sunscreen
Dr. Ice: I recommend choosing SPF 50+ PA 4+ for the most comprehensive protection. Choose a formula with additional antioxidants to help protect skin cells from damage from the sun. Choose a cream texture that’s right for your skin type. Sometimes, high-spec sunscreens with heavy textures can clog pores or trigger acne. No matter how high-spec sunscreen is, it should be reapplied every 2–4 hours. When applying sunscreen to your face, use an amount equal to two finger joints for your face and another two finger joints for your neck.
Even though I’m old, I still don’t want to get old. Does the doctor have any advice?
Dr. Ice: There are so many options these days, both dietary supplements and skincare products, to help with both skin and health. If I were to recommend a popular product for skin, the first one would be astaxanthin. It’s a popular supplement in Thailand right now because it’s a highly concentrated antioxidant that helps prevent cell degeneration, both physically and health-wise. It’s especially effective for protecting the skin from UV rays, especially when used in conjunction with sunscreen.
Besides astaxanthin, are there any other substances that help slow down aging, especially for the skin?
Dr. Ice: I recommend Type 1 collagen. Our skin produces less collagen as we age, especially Type 1, which accounts for up to 90% of our skin. To keep your skin firm and plump, I recommend taking 10,000 milligrams of Type 1 collagen daily. This is commonly found in foods like fish skin and pork skin. Another important group right now is supplements that nourish the skin’s barrier. I recommend fish oil or Omega-3, which the body converts into EPA and DHA, helping strengthen the skin and reduce inflammation. They’re ideal for those with sensitive or acne-prone skin. We’re familiar with topical hyaluronic acid, but now there’s also an oral formulation that helps moisturize the skin. Vitamin C protects the skin from UV rays, boosts collagen production, and reduces melanin production, resulting in brighter skin and a reduction in freckles and melasma.
Skincare that helps slow down aging
Dr. Ice: Vitamin C serum is an item that I’m never without. As we’ve said before, the main culprit in skin damage is UV rays, and Thailand is in an area with a very high UV Index. In addition to applying sunscreen every morning, applying vitamin C serum every morning helps fight free radicals and works in conjunction with sunscreen to strengthen the skin.
What behaviors should you stop doing because they are unknowingly damaging your skin?
Dr. Ice: Using your phone against your face without cleaning it will cause your phone to be full of bacteria because we carry it everywhere. We don’t change pillowcases or towels. Pillowcases should be changed every week, and towels every three days.
If you do these 3 things, your skin will be better and you will slow down aging.
Dr. Ice: 1. Apply sunscreen every day. Many people overlook sunscreen when they’re staying indoors. But don’t forget that UV rays can pass through glass and there’s also light from screens that can damage your skin. So apply sunscreen every day and reapply throughout the day. 2. Double Cleanse your face. Especially for those who wear makeup, use sunscreen, or are exposed to dust and pollution, start with Cleansing Balm / Cleansing Oil to dissolve dirt, then follow with facial foam. If your skin is clean, the nourishing cream will be able to penetrate the skin well without clogging pores. 3. Choose skincare products that suit your skin concerns. You don’t need to use expensive creams or get frequent facial injections. Just eat well, get enough rest, and use sunscreen and skincare products that suit your skin type. This alone can help slow down aging.
