By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS

The bad news is that aging — just like death and taxes — is inevitable, and so are those telltale signs of aging like wrinkles, sagging and uneven skin tone.

But the good news is that the aging process can be slowed through a series of external and internal factors, such as wearing sunscreen, avoiding tobacco and alcohol, and consuming a healthy diet.

“As early as age 25, your skin — the largest and most exposed organ in your body — begins to age and show early signs of aging, such as thinness and fine lines,” explained Oswaldo Vázquez Martínez, head of demo-surgery at Mexico’s Autonomous University of Nuevo León’ Medical School.

“This is due primarily to the breakdown and deterioration of protein cells.”

Vázquez Martínez, who spoke last week during a presentation of a new antiaging serum developed by the French Institut Esthederm skincare company, went on to explain that most antiaging products are aimed at protecting and regenerating one or two specific types of proteins, such as collagen or elastin, both of which play key roles in maintaining facial skin structure.

“But what Esthederm has done is develop a treatment that targets all the proteins in the skin, what we call the proteome,” he said.

The proteome makes up roughly 20 percent of the human body and is the second-most-common element in body after water.

Numerous factors such as exposure to the sun, chemicals, nervous tension and hormones can contribute to harming the proteome, leading to premature aging.

But Esthederm’s new Age Proteom serum, developed by Croatian molecular biologist and geneticist Miroslav Radman and bio-pharmacist Jean-Noël Thorel, founder of the Naos Group (which includes Institut Esthederm along with skincare lines Bioderma and État Pur) after a 40-year study on the aging process, helps to protect and strengthen the skin’s entire proteome ecosystem, thus slowing the aging process by as much as 50 percent.

“Age Proteom is the first anti-aging treatment that protects the proteome by molecularly changing skin cells to make them stronger and more resilient to deterioration,” added Isabelle Benoit, a member of Naos’ scientific committee, who also spoke during the presentation.

“That is why this is a revolutionary product that can significantly slow the aging process.”

After just one month of use twice a day, most women who used Age Proteom saw dramatic results, and improvement continued to be noticeable over the course of the next six months.

Now available in Mexico, Institut Estherm’s Age Proteom can be found in Liverpool, Farmacias San Pablo, Farmacias del Ahorro and Dermalia and sells for just under 3,000 pesos for a three-month supply.