Aging At Every Age || What To Expect And How To Deal
Many women ask themselves; when is the right time to start caring for their skin to prevent the signs of aging and maintain a youthful look for as Long as possible. In actual fact, there is no right time for this! You should start right now as it is a lifetime process. Fighting or as we love to call it “embracing” aging should start in a really young age. It is the little things you’ve been committed to doing over the years that make the difference on how you age.
In Your 20s
What To Expect?
While your skin may still look bright, bouncy, and plump due to collagen production levels, these levels actually start to drop in early 20s and this continue to happen at a rate of about 1 percent per year which results in wrinkles and fine lines overtime… Too early, right?
In your late 20s you may start noticing the presence of small fine lines as the collagen production has slowed down enough at this point.
If you are someone who smokes, stresses so much, doesn’t sleep enough or follows a bad diet, you may also be responsible for some damage that will appear on your skin in later ages. As these things contribute to a process know as glycation; where blood sugars attach to proteins, which can damage collagen.
And of course, the sun plays a major role in dropping your collagen and elastin levels, and damaging your skin which results in premature aging.
How To Address
First of all, start a daily skincare routine, if you don’t already have one. Let it be basic, nothing too fancy. This should include cleansing, exfoliating, toning, and moisturizing. And don’t forget SPF… This one should be applied religiously every single day of the year to prevent sun long-term damage. As you may know, sun effects do not appear instantly, they will accumulate and hit you all at once in later years.
In Your 30s
What To Expect?
At your 30s you may start seeing some early signs of aging in the form of vertical lines between your eyebrows, horizontal lines on you forehead or even crow-feet. Annoying I know!! Also, at this age your cellular turnover starts to take over 60 days to completely renew the top layer of cells compared to 40 days, on average, for someone in their 20s. If you feel that your skin has lost its natural glow, this is due to the fact that dead skin sits on the surface for longer so it interfere with the way light is reflected off the skin making it looks more dull.
The skin start to loose ceramides, critical lipids (fats) that comprise the skin barrier. Ceramides prevent moisture from seeping out of the skin, they also protect your skin from the surrounding pollutants, dirt and environmental stressors. Without them the skin is dry, dull and easily irritated.
The rapid loss of collagen, gravity paired with loss of elasticity may result in subtle sagging, eye-puffiness and as we mentioned some more visible fine lines.
The effects of sun exposure may start to appear in the form of discoloration and dark spots.
How To Address
Continue to cleanse, moisturize and apply sunscreen daily. Also, it is so important to add an antioxidant at this point as it helps to repair some of the sun damage that developed over the years and brighten the skin. Vitamin C is the #1 antioxidant of all. But make sure to choose a plant-based one in a light-proof container to protect the ingredient from degradation.
In Your 40s
What To Expect?
You will start seeing major changes on your skin in the form of more pronounced wrinkles and fine lines. Also, as your lymphatic drainage slows at this age, it may result in in puffiness around the eyes and in the cheeks. Dark sp ts and discoloration will take larger spaces in your skin. And if the sun damage is significant, your skin will attempt to protect itself by thickening the top layer which can result in a leathery appearance. Not cute!
How To Address
You need to incorporate two types of cleansers; one a gentle exfoliating cleanser and a mild lotion-like cleanser. In addition to an anti-aging serum, moisturizer and of course a sunscreen. Retinol and a combination of gentle glycolic acid and antioxidant serums are a must to keep your skin looking young for as long as possible.
In Your 50s And Beyond
What To Expect?
Post menopause, your skin become exposed to the hormonal changes on top of everything else which increase the loss of collagen, making it worse… Pigmentation, dullness, dryness, wrinkles and fine lines become more evident. Acne resurfacing is another issue you may encounter in your 50s and beyond. Oil production drops too, making your skin dehydrated.
How To Address
At this point you may start considering a mix between in-office treatment and a good anti-aging skincare routine.
Your number one concern should be retaining moisture. Use hyaluronic acid-based serums and creams in addition to your retinol, antioxidants, moisturizers and exfoliators. You may consider investing in a good eye cream too as the skin around the eyes is so delicate. Lightweight foundations and concealers are a good way to cover any visible spots or uneven skin tone.
