Where Do You Sit on the Glogau Wrinkle Scale Today?
Glogau—if you hang around in aesthetician circles as much as we do, you’ll hear this unusual word quite a bit.
But what is it, and what’s it got to do with your skin?
This classification system, officially called the Glogau Wrinkle Scale, developed by Dr Richard Glogau, helps you (or your Authorised Treatment Provider) identify how much photoaging has affected your skin. It’s a helpful tool for analysing skin and deciding upon appropriate measures to improve the skin’s overall look.
Keep reading to understand where your skin might sit today and how you can get better results in the future.
Introducing the Glogau Scale
When you think of ageing skin, you might think of wrinkles. But discolouration is as much a sign of prematurely ageing skin as wrinkles. The Glogau Scale assesses wrinkle development and pigmentation to determine the degree of photoaging.
There are 4 types on the Glogau Scale, and each corresponds with an estimated age range where this type is predicted.
4 Glogau Scale Types
G1: “No wrinkles” Mild photoaging (Age group: 20s-30s)
What it looks like:
- Early on in your photoaging journey
- Minimal to no wrinkling and pigmentation
- No age spots, also known as liver spots
- No keratosis
G2: “Wrinkles in motion” Moderate photoaging (Age group: 30s-40s)
What it looks like:
- You’ll start to notice the signs of photoaging
- Wrinkles may appear when your face moves
- Skin texture starts to change; pores become more visible
- Age spots start to appear
- Keratoses are palpable but not visible
G3: “Wrinkles at rest” Advanced photoaging (Age group: 40s-50s)
What it looks like:
- Wrinkles are present even when face is relaxed
- Brown pigmentation and age spots are more visible
- Small blood vessels are prominent (telangiectasia)
- Visible keratosis
G4: “Only wrinkles” Severe photoaging (Age group: 60s or 70s)
What it looks like:
- Wrinkles are present on entire face when at rest or moving
- Skin has a lacklustre yellow-grey colour
- Pre-cancerous skin changes (actinic keratosis, which is a rough, scaly patch of skin) and prior skin cancers
Glogau Scale & Dermapen Treatments
This easy-to-use classification system helps your Authorised Treatment Provider select the right therapies to get you the best results. The higher the classification, the more potent products and procedures may be needed to correct existing photodamage.
What’s photoaging?
It’s easy to blame the passing of time for the ageing of our skin, but the sun plays one of the biggest roles in any change you see in the mirror.
Photoaging is the damage caused by exposure to UV rays. This causes the skin to age prematurely and puts you at risk of skin cancer. UV rays are responsible for up to 90% of visible signs of ageing.
Every individual will experience photoaging in a slightly different way. However, symptoms of photodamage include:
- Pigmentation changes, such as melasma, sunspots, or age spots
- Wrinkles, as seen in the Glogau Scale
- Broken blood vessels, redness, blotchiness
- Skin is less elastic, resulting in loss of tone
- Rough, leathery skin texture
- Yellowish tint
How to Prevent Photoaging
One of the ultimate topical creams you can use on your skin is good quality sunscreen. While there are plenty of great ways to reverse the signs of ageing, it’s often much easier to try to prevent them from occurring (or getting worse) in the first place.
Ways that you can help prevent the sun from damaging your skin include:
- Staying inside when the UV is the strongest, usually between 10 am-2 pm
- Wear a sunscreen that offers broad-spectrum protection of at least 30 SPF or higher
- Regularly reapply your sunscreen every couple of hours or after your sweat or go swimming
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses
- Wear loose-fitting SPF factor clothing
How to Choose the Right Sunscreen
If you’re going to wear sunscreen all day, it needs to block the sun’s harmful rays, but it should also feel good.
Gone are the days of wearing sticky, smelly SPF to keep your skin safe. Use organic mineral sunscreen ingredients with Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide to offer high levels of protection.
While you might be familiar with SPF (which helps shield UVB rays), the PA+++ rating refers to the level of UVA protection. UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin than UVB rays and play a greater role in skin ageing.
How to Reverse Photoaging
No matter where you sit on the Glogau Wrinkle Scale, Dermapen Treatments can help your skin look its best. While some therapies might focus specifically on smoothing wrinkles OR reducing pigmentation, Dermapen Treatments target multiple signs of aging simultaneously.
The superior Dermapen 4™ allows your Authorised Treatment Provider to alternate speeds and depths as they go. They are provided with proven Protocols and training on how to get the best results.
And there’s no heat involved, meaning that Dermapen Treatments are safe and effective for all Fitzpatrick skin types.
What is Fitzpatrick Skin Types?
Fitzpatrick Skin Types is another scale used by Authorised Treatment Providers to analyse your skin and determine what products and procedures are suitable. All Fitzpatrick skin types can tolerate Dermapen Treatment and UBER PRO Peels. However, Fitzpatrick Types IV to VI may require more extended preparation using prescribed homecare before a procedure.
Get Your Skin Professionally Assessed
Figuring out what type of skin you have and how to best restore a youthful glow on your own can be exhausting and inaccurate. Before you know it, your bathroom cabinet is overflowing with abandoned products that haven’t erased a single wrinkle.
Once you have your skin assessed with an Authorised Treatment Provider, we can provide you with a customised skin prescription, ensuring you’re getting the right balance of active ingredients. We will also advise you on how many Dermapen Treatments you may need, at what frequency and whether any at-home accelerators are necessary to get the results you want. Find out more about what to expect by booking a consult today.
