When I started No-Nonsense Beauty Blog I expected that most of the people who would be would be like me and over 40– way over 40. I was pretty surprised when site analytics showed that over 30% of No-Nonsense visitors were in their 20’s and 50% were under 40. In fact the majority of comments and questions were sent in from smart resourceful thirtysomething women. Its human nature to avoid issues until they on top of us, but these bright young women are asking all the right questions years before they actually have to face them in the mirror.
Different Answers for Different Aging
Like everything else in the body, skin changes naturally over time and its not surprising that anti-aging skin care differs over time. Under age 30 our skin is rich in estrogen and natural hydration. The challenge is not to mess it up. To prevent aging, women often use overly rich cleansers and night creams which can provoke the reappearance of teenage style acne. Called acne cosmetica, its the trigger in over half of adult acne problems. Not only are breakouts just not necessary, acne scars tend to become lines and wrinkles as we get older.
Rather than drowning still youthful skin in heavy anti-aging products , good skin care starts with gentle but through cleansing, and regular exfolitation with microdermabrasion brush. At night use an oil free glycolic acid or lactic acid lotion. These ingredients are like a baby step Retin A. They shed dead dry skin, hydrate the surface and encourage collagen and elastin growth.
Its during the day that thirtysomethings can take major steps to prevent aging. Up to age 60, between 80-90% of skin aging is due to UV damage– but using effective sun protection will short circuit environmental aging.
After age 40, the good times and bad leave their mark on your face. Sun filled vacation days reappear years later as dark patches, red spots and crows feet around the eyes. Work and family stress show-up as deepening lines on the forehead and along the sides of the mouth and chin. That’s the bad news. The good news? All of the signs of living can be reversed. But before buying a buffet of creams and serums with a boatload of anti-aging claims, think about what you skin actually needs. Before you swipe your credit card at a store or make an appointment at a doctor, identify what your skin issues. Brown spots and splotches? IPL, Clear and Brilliant and Fraxel lasers are different ytpes of lasers that quickly zap discolorations. Lines around the eyes? Botox will erase them in moments. Dull pale skin color and fine lines? Retin A will deal with both by reving up circulation and boosting healthy collagen. And when you’ve done with all the heavy lifting repairs, be sure to protect your investment with a 30-50SPF sunscreen to prevent new UV damage.
No Nonsense Beauty Blog
Nice article. I’m in my thirties, and starting to worry about aging as some visible lines are starting to show. Thanks for reminding me about the importance of preventing UV damage. Like many I’m prone to knee jerk reaction of buying and slapping on a lot of anti aging products, and neglecting prevention because sun damage is gradual and the benefits of prevention are also not immediately obvious
Deb, you have made a very important point. As an over-40 beauty consumer ever in search of the latest holy grail of anti-aging skincare (besides sunscreen, vitamin C and retin-A – all of which actually work…), I read many product reviews on various websites. Time and again, I’ve noticed many of these opinions are in fact, written by much younger women who are using products that are unsuitable for them and in an improper manner. Many of these women – who have precious few visible signs of aging to fight or correct – become incensed when they realize they’ve wasted their money on products that have produced no dramatic changes – or have done nothing but cause a bad break-out.
Loved reading this blog Deb. I am over 50 and agree with the above comments. I know that in the line I use there is definitely a difference in result according to age…. and how much damage the skin has had over the years, heredity, healthy lifestyle, etc. I am loving it for the first time….. I finally have results on the outside! Beauty comes from the inside as well as the outside don’t you think? Have you heard of Jeunesse…Luminesce with adult stem cell technology? With your background, I was wondering what you think?
I am working on a stem cell post and will send you a email when it is published. Stem cell treatment is popular (and expensive) as well as heavily researched. But whatever anti-aging treatment you are using, make sure that you apply at least a 30SPF sunscreen each and every day.