Dr. Caspari, our society is getting older, we hear a lot about the topic ANTI-AGE. What exactly does anti-age mean?

In fact, anti-aging is a medical term offering the possibility to differentiate between inner and external aging. Where do influencing facts for aging come from? Some people say everything is based on genetics via natural factors which induce, accelerate or preserve the aging process – others are of the opinion, that aging is only influenced by environmental factors, by dangerous radiation, bad air conditions or bad nutrition for example.

Some people do have wrinkles at the age of 50, some not at all. Where does this come from?

Of course people without wrinkles are envied. But often it is hard to distinguish between these inner and outer influences. I suppose we will not be able to control the inner ones within the next decades. But we do have daily control of the external factors as long as we make the most of the given possibilities such as good nutrition, fresh air and exercise and at the same time avoid dangerous toxins.

Are wrinkles partly self-inflicted?

Of course. We create a lot of wrinkles ourselves which we could distinguish according to their origin. Very often, we provoke them via our mimics. We are all living in a stressful and very active surrounding. We move our muscles – and due to that movement the wrinkles simply are more formed than without moving. In fact, there are more basic fact to get wrinkles, such as the quality of the skin, the aging process inside the skin, the thickness of the subcutaneous structure and the whole connective tissue.

Are there any other signs of skin aging?

Certainly. In the end, the wrinkles are an imprint of prior facts – for example that the skin has already lost some of its thickness or is getting thinner and therefore more fragile leading to even more wrinkles!

A keyword is collagen production. How far does the reduction of collagen influence the skin aging process?

Collagen reduction leads to the fact that one important component in the skin is either lacking or reduced – and therefore also the skin ability to elastic reaction. Therewith, also other substances are reduced via aging. As a matter of fact, the overall appearance shows a diminution of the skin thickness and the skin gets more fragile. It really “breaks” on the surface – that is exactly what we see as the wrinkle.

An other topic: Free radicals. How far do these influence skin aging?

Free radicals are a keyword for many chemical reactions inside our body, day after day, year after year. Free radicals are the natural by-products of many metabolic processes within cells and in excess, they can promote harmful oxidation. Oxidation is meant to be a big factor provoking aging because it can damage cell membranes.

What exactly can one do to be adequately supplied with anti-oxidants? What exactly should be taken?

First of all it is a question for instance of nutrition, sun exposure – your overall behavior in a sense. In order to avoid free radicals, less sunbathing and some sports can help to speed up the exhalation of free radicals. And you can get also antioxidants from skin care or nutritional supplements which help to absorb the free radicals and therefore rendering them harmless.

Which substances could that be?

Let’s talk about vitamins. The most popular one is vitamin C, but also A and E, these are redox potentials, which absorb free radicals. Among these natural substances, one can cite the so-called flavonoids which are natural plant pigments. Red wine for example has the highest redox potential, even exceeding the vitamin C level.

Dr. Caspari, could you please explain the difference between invasive and non-invasive anti-age methods?

'The difference is the degree of invasiveness: Dermo-esthetic skincare are not invasive as the products do not go deep in the skin. The further step are non-operative invasive treatments including wrinkle injection, firming of wrinkles thanks to botulinum toxin for example or smoothing the skin with nutriments, the so-called mesotherapy. The third area is operative treatments like face lifting, the classic eyelid lift being the most popular among them.

To prevent aging – is that possible?

It is definitely a question of lifestyle. The genetic predisposition cannot be influenced. We have to take our weak points – our familiar heritage - into account. Look at your relatives, look at their weak points – perhaps one tend to a double chin or hair loss. These are first hints to estimate your own position. But the quality of life and the lifestyle you live, this is very much influencing the ageing process, especially when it comes to the well-known items enabling us to reduce the age factors: doing some sport, not too much and not exhausting. One should also try to go for healthy, varied food and drink enough in order to keep the metabolic system alive and to be offered the possibility for an inner rinsing. These are the chances you can take by yourself.

How far does sport keep us from aging?

Exercise is a very good mean to flush the body with oxygen, to speed up metabolic processes. Too much sports would perhaps accelerate cell oxidation and therefore also the aging process. On the other hand, if you don’t do anything you would also provoke aging as all the metabolic waste would stay longer in your body. Here, one has to find the optimal balance.

So, anybody can do at least something?

Yes, anybody can do something. This is the easy thing about it. One has the complete control of his or herself.

Let’s talk about the famous beauty sleep. What exactly happens while asleep?

We call it like that – because it really helps to be beautiful. This means, cell growth and repair takes place mostly while we are asleep. At daytime, the body actually has no time to recover. One can even experience a more active blood circulation at night which stimulates reduction of oxidative potentials and as a result less harmful substances – and so the skin looks more beautiful, even and plump.

Is it possible to support these processes by using a night cream?

This is of course a very important factor. You treat your skin with nutrients the skin otherwise does not get and you add repairing ingredients on site so your body has not to provide them.

You spoke about liquid intake. Why is drinking so important?

Unfortunately today – due to our unnatural way of sitting in the office, in the car, being away – most of us do not drink enough and are surrounded by a rather dry environment. One should try to balance the lack with isotonic liquids but also with the classic water providing nearly all factors we need in order to avoid a higher concentration of harmful substances in the body and finally to keep us from dehydration. Because on the surface, the body sometimes works like a sponge.

Do smoking lead to typical signs of aging, do smokers get typical wrinkles?

Yes, due to the permanent usage of the mimic perioral muscles and the typical smoking movement, they have more vertical wrinkles around the mouth than non-smokers. I suppose that somebody who permanently uses a straw also gets this kind of wrinkles. But, you don’t do this for 20 years and more … but while regularly smoking – yes.

In modern society stress plays an important role. To what extend do stress factors influence skin aging?

Stress is the generic term which describes a certain performance limit of the body that is exceeded. Bearing this in mind, one should not always go up to the top of limit – neither does your skin. It is of course impossible to avoid stress but you can avoid the aging effects by reacting better to it. The skin feels better if you pamper it and put cream on twice a day or treat it with the right care product. If you don’t do that, even the skin feels stressed.

How could your dermatological expertise be integrated in the development of the Diadermine Dr. Caspari line?

From my side it is certainly the experience I gained as a plastic esthetic surgeon caring a lot about skin surface. On the other side for a long while I am engaged in non-operative anti-age methods coming from the medical area. And therewith, in this case, these experiences could be combined with the approach Henkel strives for - to preserve the skin from the surface on or even to significantly rejuvenate skin.