As we age, the prescription for maintaining radiant skin changes. Cell turnover becomes sluggish, leading to a dull, uneven complexion, while collagen and elastin fibers – which keep skin as firm as a snare drum in our early years – begin to break down. Knowing how to combat these changes is half the battle of again gracefully. Luckily for us, celebrity dermatologist Ava Shamban, M.D. offers some tips on how to have healthy, happy skin at every age.
ages 25-35 years
| Wash this Way It’s never to early to implement a basic skincare regimen that you follow throughout your life. Start with a gentle cleanser and moisturizer, along with a daytime face lotion with a least SPF 30. Wash and moisturize before bed every night, smooth on the SPF every morning, and – if you’re prone to flaky clogged pores- de-gunk with a facial scrub once or twice a week in the shower. Try Obagi Nu-Derm Gentle Cleanser and PCA Skin Gentle Exfoliant. |
| Battle Breakouts Your teenage years may be well behind you, but many women in their 20s and early 30s are still plagued by the occasional rogue pimple. To control oil and kill bacteria, look for cleansers with salicylic and azelaic acid like SkinCeuticals Clarifying Cleanser. |
| Have Fun But not too much fun. Overdoing it at happy hour can aggregate skin conditions like rosacea and creak fragile capillaries. Drinking is also a serious hydration zapper. The fix? Down at least one full glass of water for every cocktail you finish. |
ages 35-45 years
| Relax and Recharge If the decade before had a “work hard, play hard” mentality, then this decade is often the “work hard, work harder” one. With a high-octane career or young kids (or both!), it’s easy to skimp on sleep. But getting those crucial eight hours a night goes a long way in maintaining gorgeous skin. The body rebuilds tissue and cells when we’re in dreamland, and with prolonged sleep deprivation, skin woes like fine lines and splotchiness are more likely to develop early on. |
| Get Physical Working up a sweat does more than keep your ticker healthy—cardio-based exercise (anything that gets the heart pumping) promotes healthy circulation, which gives your skin that coveted rosy glow. And the fresh blood carries oxygen and nutrients to skin cells, while also carting away free radicals, a common enemy of youthful skin. Take that! |
| Give Me an A! With fine lines and discoloration starting to appear, this is the perfect decade to introduce retinoids into your skincare routine. Retinoids are vitamin A derivatives that unclog pores and speed cell turnover, while smoothing the surface of the skin. Try SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.5 or Murad Time Release Retinol Concentrate for Deep Wrinkles |
ages 45-55 years
| Find Your Zen This is the decade when career goals come to fruition for many women. But be mindful of keeping that healthy work-to-play ratio. Stress shows up on your skin in various ways. The fight-or-flight hormone cortisol increases, revving up oil production, and your skin’s barrier function can go haywire, resulting in water loss that makes skin’s ability to repair itself more strained. Mitigate intense days with chill-inducing activities such as yoga, meditation and acupuncture. |
| Make a Change Yes, it’s that time. The hot flashes of menopause hit around 51 leading to a drop in estrogen. As a result, collagen production slows and skin loses its density and elasticity. To counteract the effects, look for products packing alpha and beta hydroxy acids, like SkinMedica 15% AHA/BHA Face Cream, that help increase skin’s thickness, as well as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), which draw in moisture and keep skin plump and hydrated. |
| Look on the Bright Side Hyperpigmentation, fueled by hormonal changes and sun damage, can leave your complexion looking splotchy. To even out your skin tone, there’s a crop of new brightening treatments featuring ingredients such as hydroquinone, azelaic and kojic acids, vitamin C, mulberry extract and niacin amide. Try NeoStrata HQ Skin Lightening Gel and SkinCeuticals Pigment Regulator. |
ages 55-65 years
| Eat This Up A diet full of good fats yields a good face. Cells rely on fatty acids to maintain the vigor of its membranes, which hug nutrients and water to the actual cell. As we age, cells have a harder time holding on to water. Help them out by replacing saturated fats with monounsaturated fats (found in walnuts, avocado and olive oil) and polyunsaturated fats (like in salmon and sunflower oil). |
| Stay Sun Smart You’ve been shielding your skin from aging UV rays for years, and there’s no reason to stop now. If your skin has become more sensitive, then look for a sunscreen that provides a physical barrier against the sun—not a potentially irritating chemical one. Ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, found in , SkinCeuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50, are now fine enough that they won’t leave a haze of white residue on your skin. |
| Be a Natural It may be tempting to invest in products loaded with potent anti-aging ingredients in this decade, but treating skin with harsh acids and other serious exfoliators can backfire, leaving it thinner and less smooth-looking than before. Instead, consider ingredients straight from nature, such as pomegranate, basil, grape seed, green tea, ginseng and acai berry extracts. On the whole, botanicals tend to be gentler than their chemically wrought counterparts, but no less rejuvenating. Try 100% Pure, John Masters Organics, and Pevonia Botanica. |
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