Tackle Age-Related Skin Changes with These Skincare Tips for Each Decade
It’s never too late to start working towards healthy, radiant skin, but the sooner you begin a regimen of skin damage prevention, the better! As we age, our skin loses some of its protective fat, becoming thinner and drier over time. This combination of normal skin changes with aging can make your skin appear less plump and smooth than when you were younger.
Beyond the typical age-related skin changes, we also experience long-term exposure to various skin-damaging elements, including environmental factors like sunlight and pollution and lifestyle choices like alcohol and tobacco consumption.
Experts agree that it is easier to avoid skin damage than repair it, making prevention incredibly important. So what exactly should you be doing right now to prevent and address signs of aging skin?
Read on as we tackle skin aging decade-by-decade while exploring how to prevent skin damage and repair or reduce the appearance of skin damage.
Best Skincare Routine for Your 20s
If you’re in your 20s, your skin is still very young, and now is prime time for adopting a routine that emphasizes skin damage prevention.
There are two key skincare tips for 20 somethings looking to prevent future aging skin problems: adding sunscreen to your daily skincare regimen and keeping your skin hydrated. We advise using a full-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher to help keep wrinkles away and protect collagen fibers. To keep skin moisturized, limit smoking and alcohol consumption and high sugar diets, all of which cause dehydration.
You may still face the occasional acne flare-up at this age and into your 30s, so choosing the right products and treatments is essential to keep your skin looking and feeling its best. LED light therapy, such as Celluma, can be an excellent option for those experiencing adult acne.
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Best Skincare Routine for Your 30s In your 30s, collagen (the protein that gives skin strength and structure) and elastin (the protein that gives skin its elasticity) production starts to decline. To help limit that decline, use Vitamin C as part of your daily skincare regimen. Vitamin C not only helps stimulate collagen production but also protects your skin from the free radicals that cause wrinkles, dark spots, fine lines and sagging skin.
Retinoids (derivatives of Vitamin A) are also great for this age because they stimulate the production of new skin cells and suppress the body’s natural enzymes that break down collagen. Keep in mind, however, that you should avoid retinoids while pregnant or trying to become pregnant.
Along with incorporating retinoids and vitamin C into your skincare routine, exfoliate daily to further protect from the onset of wrinkles.
It’s usually around this time that you may begin to see more fine lines. You may want to consider BOTOX® injections to combat those early signs of aging skin, such as crow’s feet, frown lines, and other fine lines.
Other helpful options for firming the skin and reducing the appearance of fine lines in your 30s include professional chemical skin peels and salicylic/glycolic peel pads, which help firm the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines for a smoother surface.
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Best Skincare Routine for Your 40s
Many changes to your body begin to occur in your 40s. For women, this decade often brings with it fluctuating hormone levels from menopause, resulting in collagen loss.
For both men and women, reaching your 40s means you’ve experienced the effects of gravity for several decades. You are now at an age when sagging skin and deeper wrinkles can start to be an issue.
Continue incorporating retinoids into your skincare routine to lessen collagen reduction and keep your skin looking firm and smooth. You can also treat sagging skin with several innovative skin treatments, such as microneedling with PRP and our Mint PDO thread lift, also known as the “One Hour Face Lift.”
Your 40s is also a decade where skin dryness may become more of an issue. Tackle dryness directly by boosting your skin’s hydration. Change out your cleanser for a cleansing balm, use more hydrating moisturizers that include fatty acids or ceramides, and incorporate a toner (preferably one that includes aloe) to restore lost moisture. Try This
Best Skincare Routine for Your 50s For women in their 50s, the aftereffects of menopause begin to take hold during this decade. Did you know that most women lose 30% of their collagen in the first five years after menopause? The associated fat loss and dryness cause your skin to become less elastic, with deeper lines and increased sagging.
Now is the time to really step up your skincare regimen, with a daily routine that includes layering vitamin C serum, retinoids, and a protective SPF to stimulate collagen and keep deeper wrinkles at bay.
Incorporate a hyaluronic acid moisturizer into your routine to address your skin's increased dryness. Furthermore, combat free radicals associated with aging skin by using products that include antioxidants like green tea extract.
While you can continue to utilize at-home peels and retinoids to reduce pigmentation and brighten up your skin, they likely won’t penetrate the skin deeply enough at this age to make a huge difference in the long term. To best combat deep wrinkles, consider Resilient Hyaluronic Acid (RHA) Fillers, which provide immediate results that can last up to 15 months.
Another treatment option is Radiofrequency (RF) Microneedling, a rejuvenating therapy that uses radiofrequency technology to improve skin laxity and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Try This
Best Skincare Routine for Your 60s+
For those 60 and beyond, now is the time to nurture your skin, as it becomes thinner, drier and more sensitive to rising inflammation.
Add more gentle steps to your daily routine, including washing your skin with warm water instead of piping hot, using a soft cloth instead of scrubbing tools like stiff luffas and puffs, and avoiding products that contain harsh ingredients.
Counteract inflammation with a topical soother like argan oil and up your intake of Omega-3s, which you can get from fatty fish like salmon, flaxseed oil and supplements.
During these decades, you may also notice more sunspots, age spots and other pigmentation issues due to aging. Tackle skin discoloration with Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Photorejuvenation treatment. This therapy helps you achieve a more even skin tone by sending light beneath your skin’s surface to be absorbed by pigmented melanin. Please note that this treatment is most effective on fair to moderate skin tones.
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Reduce the Signs of Aging Skin with Proper Skincare
No matter what decade you find yourself in, now is the perfect time to upgrade your skincare routine with the products, treatments and lifestyle choices that meet your skin’s needs.
For more information on the state of your skin and which services would be best for you, call (203) 323-5660, and schedule an appointment with one of our dermatology specialists today.