7 Types of Anti-Aging Compounding Remedies

Everyone wants to preserve their youth for as long as possible, be it in body, mind, or spirit. A healthy lifestyle and positive attitude go a long way in achieving this goal, but sometimes, aging skin needs an extra helping hand. Anti-aging compounding remedies relieve the side effects of aging and empower you to look your best youthful self as you grow older, wiser, and sharper every single day of your life. Whether you’re just reaching 40 or headed for 90, these pharmacy-created products can brighten, even, smooth, and restore your skin to its natural youthful glow.

1. Hand Creams, Lotions, and Moisturizers

Compounded creams, lotions, and moisturizers all achieve one main goal: they impart vital moisture to aging or thinning skin. As our skin ages, it loses elasticity and the ability retain moisture equally; that plays a role in the development of sagging and wrinkles. Moisturizing regularly can effectively offset those effects for some patients. Nutrient-rich blends containing ingredients like hydrating oils, humectants, and vitamins impart moisture where it’s needed most — skin-deep.

Unlike commercial products, anti-aging compounding remedies can be adjusted to suit your needs. Adding or removing ingredients one-by-one makes it easier to limit over-moisturizing and prevent undesired side effects while still achieving your skin care goals.

2. Scalp and Hair Growth Treatments

Compounded scalp and hair growth treatments get to the root of the problem to alleviate the following issues:

• hair loss
• dry and itchy scalp
• seborrheic dermatitis
• psoriasis
• other scalp conditions related to aging

These remedies often cleanse the scalp and rejuvenate pores along the hair shaft, creating conditions that inspire hair to grow and thicken over time. Medicated products also reduce symptoms of skin and scalp conditions for greater patient comfort.

Some scalp and hair growth treatments may also contain hormones that encourage hair growth long into later life. These products may be especially useful for patients suffering from Male Pattern Baldness (MPB) or certain thyroid conditions.

3. Wrinkle and Fine Line Reducers

Compounded products that treat wrinkles and fine lines do so from a number of different approaches. They may plump the skin by injecting moisture to a localized area, or they may utilize antioxidants to reduce toxins that slow the development of wrinkles in the first place. Still others may simply mask wrinkles and fine lines under your daily makeup. Many of these products contain a substance known as retinoic acid (Retinol) that plumps the skin and encourages the production of collagen, encouraging the growth of new connective tissue and skin.

Retinol-containing skin treatments also have the added side effect of greatly smoothing and softening the skin, aiding patients in restoring youthfulness after sun, wind, and weather damage.

4. Dark Spot and Uneven Tone Removers

Dark spot removers and tone-evening formulas use a combination of substances like caffeine, vitamins, minerals, skin lighteners, and/or moisturizers to first re-balance your skin to a healthy state. Then, gentle lighteners work to remove age spots, scars, and other undesired blemishes.

Advanced products containing hydroquinone, a prescription-strength lightening cream, and tretinoin, an anti-blemish product often applied to acne breakouts, may work best for patients with particularly sticky spots or hard-to-lighten skin. These products should be used with care under the guidance of a pharmacist.

5. Remedies for Specific Skin Conditions

Anti-aging compounding remedies may also address skin problems aggravated by aging, such as:

• psoriasis
• rosacea
• eczema
• dermatitis

Because aging skin loses elasticity and moisture, many patients find these conditions worsen over time as they age. By creating a patient-tailored formula with prescription ingredients to relieve skin disorder symptoms as well as moisturizers, vitamins, and healthy skin ingredients, patients can fight everyday signs of aging without worsening skin issues.

For patients with psoriasis, compounded Vitamins A, B12 and B6 products work best. Coal tar, alpha-hydroxy-acid, and salicylic acid soften and reduce the appearance of scales and refresh skin.

For patients with eczema, avoiding allergens and sensitivities is especially important as these can trigger eczema in the first place. Compounded cosmeceuticals not only address the issue directly but also allow pharmacists to remove potentially offending substances.

Overall, patients with chronic skin conditions benefit more from compounded solutions than commercially-available products. Every patient is unique — your skin care solution should be unique, too.

6. Medicated Ointment Sticks and Applicators

Anti-aging compounding remedies don’t just address the signs of aging directly; they may make it easier to address these issues through delivery format changes. This is especially helpful for patients who may struggle with lids or creams due to mobility challenges or weakness in the wrists. Medicated ointment sticks and applicators make it easier to apply treatments to specifically targeted areas of the face or body, especially in hard-to-reach areas like the armpits.

Other specialized applicators may include:

• tubes
• specialized dosing dispensers
• rollerball applicators
• transdermal gel delivery systems

All of these make it easier to achieve your anti-aging goals with less hassle, muss, and fuss.

7. Antioxidant-Based Skin Treatments

Oxidization stress and skin glycation are two of the primary contributing factors in aging-related skin damage. Over time, free radicals increase dermal protein damage within the first few layers of skin. This leads directly to skin glycation, a condition where skin proteins bind with sugars in the body to encourage the growth of certain damaging bacteria, like Propionibacterium acnes.

There’s a great deal of research that shows eating and applying antioxidants may reduce both oxidation and glycation, especially if patients start early and are consistent with treatment all throughout life.

Compounded antioxidant skin care treatments typically include very specific antioxidants — many of which are the same as those found in the foods we eat. Effective formulas may contain Vitamins A, B, C, D, and E as well as other substances, like essential fatty acids, amino acids, glycolic acid, beta-carotene, or CoQ10. There is at least some evidence that Vitamin C itself may actually encourage the cross-linking of collagen, making it one of the most common ingredients for antioxidant-based skin treatments.

In Conclusion

Aging doesn’t have to mean dull, dry, or uneven skin. Through anti-aging compounding, your local pharmacy can create custom-tailored skin care solutions that alleviate your toughest aging-related issues. Find your perfect solution today — schedule a consultation with your pharmacist.