How Koreans Treats Signs of Aging

Episode Description:

And no, it's not snail mucin. On this podcast episode, Lauren shares how Koreans actually treat the signs of aging. From the focus of their skincare routine and philosophies through to the kinds of treatments people are getting in Korea to fight everything from sagging skin, lack of elasticity, dullness, pigmentation and wrinkles. 

Episode Summary

Korean Anti-Aging Philosophy 1: Prevention is better than a cure. 

• When it comes to skincare Koreans start young. How young?
• If you watch any Korean reality TV shows like "The Return of Superman" or "High School Parents", you’ll see Korean parents frequently wash their babies faces and apply lotion all over their face and body as well. 
• Korean children are taught how to wash their faces, apply basic skincare and sunscreen. 
• It’s not considered strange for people to visit an aesthetician here for regular treatments either.
• In many countries like Australia and the States, going to a dermatologist or having skin treatments done is considered a vanity thing. But just as no one in those countries would think twice about taking care of their health; Koreans think the same of skincare. 

Anti-Aging Philosophy 2: Keeping the Skin Hydrated Delays the Signs of Aging

• Koreans believe that keeping your skin in its optimal state of hydration delays the signs of aging.
• That's why they don't like to let their skin dry out. Dry skin is the first thing to show lines
• Similarly, when your skin is properly balanced it's better able to heal itself, which can also delays the signs of aging.
• This is why you will frequently see people in Korea applying balms, spritzing mists and layering products throughout the day. 

Anti-Aging Philosophy 3: SPF Is The Best Anti-Aging Product You'll Ever Buy

• Wearing SPF is the best way to protect the skin from the signs of premature aging, like fine lines and wrinkles. This is because unprotected skin exposed to UV light suffers from a range of skin damage. 

Korean Anti-Aging Philosophy 4: Don't Just Rely on Your Skincare Products for Anti-Aging

• Unlike in western countries, where retinol and harsh actives are on trend, in Korea you'll rarely see products designed solely for the purposes of anti-aging. 
• That's because Koreans prefer to avoid any cosmetics that are strong, harsh, irritating, drying or have many unwanted effects. For more on retinol in Korean skin care, visit our blog post here. 
• Retinol and bakuchiol have really only become popular in the last few years and that's mainly because foreign audiences are seeking it out. 
• Instead, Korean skin care for firming, plumping, and brightening are  formulated with things like EGF, collagen, peptides, niacinamide, red ginseng, hyaluronic acid, licorice root extract, Idebenone, adenosine etc 

Anti-Aging Philosophy 5: Anti-aging is a waste of time if you've got a damaged skin barrier 

• K-beauty products focus a lot on reducing irritation, calming and strengthening the skin’s barrier.
• This is because a damaged barrier is pretty much useless when it comes to doing anything productive for your skin.
• If you are combatting issues like dull, rough, dry or flaky skin there's no point loading it up with other strong products or treatments. You need to get that under control first before you think about other issues.  To hear more about skin barrier damage, tune into Episode 28 of the Korean Beauty Show podcast here. 

Korean Anti-Aging Philosophy 6: There's No Shame in Professional Treatments 

Clinical Anti-Aging Treatments in Korea 

• In Korea, it's very common to visit a dermatologist, aesthetician or spa to have your skin tended to. This is much more cost effective and easier to get into due to the wide variety of options and the sheer number of qualified medical professionals in Korea. There are no long wait times like there are in countries like Australia. 
• Popular treatments include everything from skin botox, to HIFU, Vitamin injections and more. 

Skin botox 

• Skin-tox is an anti-aging injection using Botox in the superficial skin layers of the skin to improve the look of pores and fine lines. It's different from regular botox, which is injected deeper into the skin to paralyse the muscle. 

PRP - the vampire facial 

• AKA the one Kim Kardashian had done on Keeping Up With the Kardashians that involves drawing your own blood, separating the platelets and re-injecting them in your face to improve your skin.

HIFU 

• HIFU, which we spoke about on the podcast here. These are non-surgical lifting procedures like Ulthera and Thermage, which help to stimulate collagen deep in the skin to help improve skin laxity. 

Injections

• Popular injections include:
• Firstly, Glutathione: lightens the skin by deactivating the pigment-creating enzyme Tyrosinase. 
• Secondly, Aqua Injection - A collagen-replenishing injection that improves the elasticity of the skin. 
• Thirdly, Derma Shine Balance - uses a microneedle to inject your skin with things like hyaluronic acid, Botox and Vitamin C
• Fourthly, The Chanel injection, which is infused with amino acids, hyaluronic acid, and vitamins A, B, C, and E and helps stimulate new collagen growth 
• Finally, The Rejuran injection, which contains salmon DNA and has anti-inflammatory properties. Salmon DNA is a 95 percent match to the human.  

Thread lifts 

• Korea is a world pioneer when it comes to thread lifting. They developed and patented a lot of the thread lifts on the market globally

• Threads are ideal to treat mild to moderate skin laxity. They are usually a good option for those in their 20s - 40s. They aren't a replacement for a face lift. 

• Depending on which type of threads you have, they can also boost collagen. 

Korean Anti-Aging Philosophy 7: Never Stop Researching New Alternatives 

• Korea is leading the way when it comes to regenerative medicine development, having passed the Act on Advanced Regenerative Medicine and Advanced Biopharmaceuticals in August 2019 and implemented it in August 2020.
• The purpose of this act is to contribute to the improvement of public health by preparing a system for the safe management, support, and commercialisation of regenerative medicine, and enable clinical research related to cell therapies.
• Stem cell transfusions are becoming increasingly popular especially in Gangnam. This is one of the treatments former President Park Geun Hye was in the news for. 

STYLE STORY - Your Go-To for Kbeauty