When it comes to caring for the skin, people have many questions. What is the best skin care regimen for aging skin, and does it change based on age? How accessible are these treatments, and what does the science say? Thankfully, there are a ton of tips and tricks that’ll keep you looking and feeling young, each backed by both research and personal experience, and they’re all able to be incorporated into a regular self-care routine, so you don’t need to stress about getting them done. Simply find the products that work for you, and start taking care of your skin.
What Is the Best Skin Care Routine for a 50-Year-Old Woman?
If you’ve had a skin care routine most of your life, it’s not the routine that changes but rather the type of product. The process for keeping your skin healthy and protected is the same no matter what your age. However, there are some particular considerations for women who are beginning to enter their mature years. Consider how the following can keep your skin well cared for.
Keep Your Face and Neck Clean
The first step to any skincare regimen is to keep your skin clear of bacteria with the daily use of a gentle skin cleanser. As our skin ages, we become more susceptible to damage and irritation, and cleaners offer the best prevention from irritants and allergens. However, not all cleaners are made equal, and you need to know what you’re looking for. The wrong cleanser can damage your skin’s all-important pH level, which can then make it harder for your skin to regenerate and combat bacteria.
For all cases, but especially when dealing with mature skin, it’s best to find a cleanser that keeps the good, protective skin oils that are natural to the face while still removing all that damaging grease and grime. It’s important to look for a cleanser made of mild chemicals that clean your skin without being too harsh. You may also want to look into finding a good toner that can help you moisturize and prepare for the other steps of the skincare routine.
Exfoliate Once a Week
When you exfoliate your skin, you’re getting all kinds of benefits, from unclogging your pores to boosting your blood circulation and even making your skin look brighter and healthier. Just don’t go overboard on this step, as exfoliating too often can irritate your skin instead – achieving the opposite of what you’re trying to accomplish. Try and stick to exfoliating only a few times a week at most. In fact, it’s preferable that you do this only once a week to ensure you don’t cause unnecessary damage. When used properly, however, a good exfoliator can do wonders for your skin, especially as you get older.
The best exfoliators to use are the ones made with alpha-hydroxy acids, such as lactic acid. These acids are found in other skin-health products as well, such as peelers and toners. These acids reduce damage caused by sunlight, including age spots and roughness.
Moisturize, and Moisturize Often
Once your face and décolletage are clean, you might notice your skin becoming dryer, especially if you used a harsher cleanser. Skin dryness isn’t exclusive to aging, but the aging process does tend to particularly dry out your skin. This is because your skin begins to produce less sebum as you age. While this does lead to less acne, it also means your skin can crack and irritate more easily, leading to worse problems down the road.
Remember not to stop just at the face. Many cleansers specifically make your face healthier, but dry skin can occur everywhere, so moisturize wherever said dry skin pops up. Also, keep in mind that moisturizing without cleaning your skin can trap bacteria under the moisturizer, so make sure you do the cleansing steps first.
Always Wear Your Sunscreen
Use sunscreen every day, even if you’re not regularly spending a lot of time outside in sunny weather. The daily impact of the sun can cause damage. Depending on where you live, this might not be as big of an issue, but living in or visiting hot places like the southern United States makes broad spectrum sunscreen a necessity for skin care.
Even the simple act of wearing SPF 30 sunscreen for three months can result in a 20% decrease in skin damage and wrinkles. It works by absorbing the harmful UV rays before they can damage your skin, which in turn is believed to allow your skin more time to heal naturally, resulting in healthier skin overall. It is best to block the sunlight and let your skin do its thing without interference.
Watch What You Eat
Beyond the use of skin products, there are other things you can do to improve your skin’s health that only require you to practice and pay attention to what you’re doing throughout the day. A good diet, for example, is an essential part of keeping your skin healthy. Try eating more plant-based foods, as these plants are high in various compounds that ultimately play a role in protecting your skin. This means a good, round diet of fruits and vegetables, along with nuts, legumes, and even certain beverages, so long as they’re full of polyphenols. Keep in mind that water is the first moisturizer you need, and drinking plenty of it can protect your skin from the inside out.
Even without the skin-health benefits these plants come packaged with, a natural diet like this is full of good nutrients, so it can’t hurt you regardless. There’s a good chance your favorite foods are already doing their part to help your skin health, so enjoy those foods and look for others that are known for skin rejuvenation.
A few of these include:
- Foods high in vitamin C, like citrus, bell peppers, strawberries, and kiwi.
- Antioxidant rich foods, like tea, chocolate, and grapes.
- Omega-3 rich foods, like fish and chia seeds. Other great options include avocados, walnuts, and other nuts. All are nutrient-dense and do a lot for your complexion.
What Is a Good Skin Care Routine for Over 60?
In addition to a daily regimen of basic and attentive care, the following practices can be added to anyone’s routine – again, regardless of age – for keeping skin healthy and protected. In fact, while keeping your skin clean is good advice for everyone to follow, there are some products and steps specifically for older people to take advantage of. For those over 60, these tips will prove especially helpful.
Using an Anti-Aging Serum
These serums are designed specifically to help increase collagen and protect your skin as antioxidants. They’re also designed specifically for people who want to protect their skin from the aging process, as the increased collagen helps restore the skin’s natural elasticity and prevents wrinkles. If a mild skin cleanser is an answer for everyone looking to protect their skin, anti-aging serum is the answer for everyone asking, “How can I improve my mature facial skin?”
These serums are made from all kinds of skin-aiding chemicals, including the antioxidant topical melatonin, various types of peptides, and even raspberry leaf extracts. Many of these chemicals are proven to have a positive impact on skin health and the reduction of wrinkles. These serums also make use of the aforementioned alpha-hydroxy acids due to their ability to reduce sun damage.
However, two chemicals to avoid when looking for a good serum are Sirtuin1 and αKlotho, which do help fight the aging process but are also linked to various kidney diseases. Stick to serums with good scientific and customer reviews, and your skin and organs will all thank you.
Avoid Everyday Facial Trauma
Avoiding “facial trauma,” in this case, means avoiding any unnecessary damage that might occur from daily activities. For instance, lying a particular way on a pillow can stretch the skin and cause problems, or grinding your teeth can change your facial structure. Most of this might be negligible if you’re taking care of your skin; otherwise, just be careful not to cause harm simply because you’re not paying attention.
Massage Your Face
The idea of giving yourself a daily facial massage might seem silly, but it can work wonders for everyone, regardless of age. From sculpted facial muscles to improving collagen production, a good facial massage really does help combat the effects of age – all without costing a dime, as you can simply use your fingers. Just contour your muscles and travel to all the major regions of your face, perhaps following it up with green-tea infused ice-cubes for a healthy and refreshing finish.
Fix Your Age Damaged Skin Today
They say that age is just a number, and in some regards, this is true. Whether you’re 86 or 16, you should be taking care of your skin and treating it with the same care and respect you would of your other organs. You’re never too young to protect your beauty. And, protecting your beauty never gets old.