As you age, you should continue to evaluate and update your skin care routine to meet your changing needs. The three major changes occurring in your skin as you age are a reduction in skin cell turnover (renewal rate), a decrease in elastin and collagen production, and a loss of moisture.[i] Fighting the changes that occur with aging has never been easier.
Let’s take a look:
Your 20s:
Your goal at this age is simple: protect, protect, protect. Remember that much of skin damage comes from the outside in the form of sun exposure. Use a sunscreen daily. Choose products that are gentle and supporting to the skin. Protection pays the biggest dividends (at every age). Now is the time to establish a good, consistent skin care routine that involves cleansing, toning, moisturizing day and night, and using sunscreen.
Your 30s:
Your skin rejuvenation rate (renewal rate) has already slowed down by the time you hit your 30s. That means your skin looks less radiant and less soft. Fine lines can begin to appear at this age, and maybe a few dark spots. Oil production drops—which is good news for acne but bad news for moisture. Exfoliation can help to increase turnover of skin cells, but avoid chemical peels. Support a natural increase in cell turnover by providing your skin cells with the nutrients they need. Vitamins A and C as well as apple cell extract can help accelerate skin cell turnover.[ii] Antioxidants in skin care products and those you get in food and supplements are a key to protecting against damage from free radicals.
Your 40s:
Because of a loss of collagen, moisture, and volume, deeper lines typically start to appear in your 40s. Pay attention to areas around the eyes and corners of the mouth. A good tip is to use a vitamin-infused product at night after cleansing to help plump and brighten these areas. Make sure you are doing everything you can to encourage collagen building. Vitamin A can help to build collagen and even out skin tone.
Your 50s:
The main story as you reach your 50s (and beyond) is estrogen. As estrogen drops, your skin becomes dryer, and skin turnover decreases even further. Skin can become thin, sag, and is more prone to wrinkling with the loss of collagen and elastin. Moisturizing is especially important at this age, along with continuing to provide the nutrients that combat the loss of collagen and encourage greater skin cell turnover. Take care to protect your skin with products that will help fight against fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration and sagging, while at the same time working to regenerate skin at the cellular level.
It’s never too soon to start a skin care routine with benefits that will continue to grow over time.
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[i] Farage MA, Miller KW, Maibach HI. Degenerative changes in aging skin. In Textbook of aging skin 2015 (pp. 1-18). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
[ii] McCullough JL, Kelly KM. Prevention and treatment of skin aging. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2006 May 1;1067(1):323-31.
