Guest Post by Lee Ann Buttery
From college sorority sisters to centenarians and everything in between, everyone should practice good skin care. With each subsequent decade, we must adjust our skin care regimen accordingly. If we take proper care of our skin (along with eating healthfully and exercising regularly), we can be confident that we’ll age gracefully. Whether you’re 20 or 100, keep reading to learn skin care tips appropriate for your age.
20s
Your skin is still very young but it requires a little more attention than it did in your teen years. Simplicity is still key here, but now is the time to take a small step toward anti-aging for preventive purposes. If acne is an ongoing battle it may be because you are using the wrong skin care products for your skin type. If you have oily skin, opt for a gel-based cleanser. If you have dry skin, choose a cream-based formula. For acne-prone skin, use a cleanser that contains acne-fighting ingredients such as salicylic acid. After cleansing, apply a toner on the face and neck—well formulated toners can offer amazing benefits to the skin.
To treat blemishes, use a spot treatment that contains salicylic acid and/or colloidal sulfur. The last step is to apply a moisturizer with a built-in broad spectrum sunscreen for daytime. Choose one with a physical barrier like zinc so you don’t absorb harmful chemicals. For nighttime, choose a formula without sunscreen. It is crucial to take proper care of your skin now, because you’ll reap the benefits (or lack thereof) in your 30s and beyond—especially when it comes to protecting your skin from the sun; sunscreen is the top anti-aging product. When you approach your early 20s, you can incorporate an eye cream into your regimen to slow the formation of crow’s feet.
30s
You may start to notice your complexion is not as vibrant as it used to be in your 20s. Also, you may notice a few fine lines and crow’s feet around the eyes. Now is the time to really address signs of aging. Aside from basic cleansing, toning and moisturizing, it would be wise to include a serum in your skin care routine. Choose an antioxidant-packed serum such as a vitamin c serum to help address discoloration and dullness.
Moreover, now is the time to be a little more aggressive with exfoliation—use a cleanser that contains an alpha hydroxy acid such as Glycolic Acid. Exfoliating two to three times a week will instantly slough away dead surface cells to reveal a fresher, more youthful-looking complexion. It will also help increase cellular turnover, which slows down as we age. Cellular turnover is the speed at which skin cells die and are replaced by new ones. The process of cellular turnover is what determines the youthfulness of our skin. For instance, a child’s skin has very fast cellular turnover, which is why their skin looks so young and smooth. At this stage of the game, you should be using an eye cream to nourish the delicate eye area, especially since it gets more fragile and thin as we get older.
40s & Beyond
When you reach your 40s and beyond, hydration is more important than ever before. Continue the basic regimen suggested for those in their 30s but step it up a bit. Your skin care products—from cleanser to eye cream should contain hydrating ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid, Glycerin and Lactic Acid. Retinols work wonders too. Furthermore, continue to exfoliate two to three times a week with a product formulated with an alpha hydroxy acid (Glycolic Acid), for higher grade resurfacing.
Regardless of your age, there are universal skin practices that everyone should abide by. Aside from the basics such as cleansing, toning and moisturizing, everyone should wear sunscreen on a daily basis, moisturize and exfoliate regularly. Be careful of the products you use, most skin care lines contain harmful chemicals. Beauty comes with every age and good skin care will yield the healthiest skin possible.
Lee Ann Buttery is a Licensed Esthetician and Professional Makeup Artist who works for Mario Badescu. She is passionate about all things beauty-related and has a particular obsession with anti-aging.
