When it comes to skin care, most of us fall into one of two camps. There are those of us who never change our routine, using the same ill-suited face wash and moisturizer from our high school days. Then there's the other group, who embrace treatments like Botox and acid peels before there's a wrinkle in sight.
As we age, our skin changes. What worked in our 20s won't do us any favours in our 30's or 40's. If the goal is to maintain a youthful, dewy glow well into our golden years, and look just as radiant every decade in between, we need to tailor our skin care regimen to the number of candles on our birthday cake.
If you're in your 20's
At this age, your goal is to preserve and protect. In your 20s, many of the skin issues you see come from carefree living: partying on weekends, drinking too much and pulling all-nighters. There might be lingering acne from the teen years as well. Hard living comes at a cost, though: fine lines can start to creep up in the second half of your 20s. To stave them off and counteract your skin sins, it's important to start a consistent skin care routine. Use a gentle foaming cleanser that will remove makeup and excess oil, but won’t dry your skin out. If you are one to stay up all hours of the night drinking and smoking, use an antioxidant to counteract the damage from your partying ways.
If you’re in your 30’s
Discolouration and fine lines are likely two of your biggest skin challenges. At this point you need to start exfoliating regularly because your skin only exfoliates naturally every 35 days as opposed to every 14 days in your 20’s. Women in their 30’s need a cleanser that does a little bit more than the one in your 20’s. Use an eye cream both day and night to hydrate the skin around the eyes and increase suppleness.
If you're in your 40's
In your 40s, expression lines between your brows and around your eyes and mouth don't disappear like they did in your 30s. Your estrogen level is tapering so your skin will become dryer. The neck and décolleté area might start to look saggy as well. Overall you'll need to add moisture and collagen-building ingredients like peptides. Cleanse to help remove all the dead skin.Use products that contain antioxidants to fight free radicals and help reverse any damaged you may have.
If you're in your 50's
Moisture, moisture, moisture. This should be your main concern in your 50s. Loss of tone, hollow eyes and sagging are your biggest issues, and creams and serums can only do so much. If you're looking for more dramatic results consider talking to your derm about skin rejuvenation options.