Your skin ages every day, but the signs are more noticeable through the decades…
Whether you’re in your 20s or your 60s, there’s no getting away from the fact that skincare can be pretty overwhelming.
Every day it feels like there’s a new multi-step skincare routine or must-have product that could change your life.
It’s like you can never do enough to keep up.
Though the basics of skincare (eat a balanced diet, stay hydrated, cleanse and moisturise) won’t change throughout your lifestyle, there are subtle tweaks you should make to your routine that will allow you to hold onto your youthful looks and avoid ageing prematurely.
We’ve put together a quick skincare guide for every decade to give you a helping hand…
20s
You’ve finished your exams, your acne has cleared up and life feels pretty good.
But the hard work isn’t over yet. Though your skin may feel like it’s settling as your hormones begin to balance, it will still be oily.
Make sure you balance that with the right moisturisers and cleaners to avoid looking greasy or going the other way and drying out your skin.
When you reach your mid-20s, you’ll likely find that your skin starts to dry out. It might sound like good news if you’ve been plagued with greasy skin, but dry skin can lead to fine lines. Make sure that you moisturise and use coconut oil, humidifiers, and avoid long showers.
Dry skin usually occurs when our body’s natural antioxidant levels start to decline, so look for products that feature Vitamin A, C, and E.
Stock up on multivitamins and foods with antioxidants such as blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries.
Sounds pretty delicious!
30s
As you enter into your thirties, your metabolism will start to slow down.
That means you’ll need to think twice before ordering dessert, and making more of an effort to work out if you want to maintain your figure. What’s more, a slower metabolism means that your collagen and elastin will start to break down, meaning thinner and less plump skin.
You can overcome this with Vitamin B3, which kick-starts your metabolism and keeps your skin looking young.
Vitamin B3 is found in most meats, oily fish, poultry, eggs, milk, and dairy products, but you can also find it listed as an ingredient in many high-end facial moisturisers.
Your skin will also become more sensitive and dry out in your thirties, which can cause deep wrinkles around your eyes and mouth.
The skin around your eyes will also become sensitive and delicate in your thirties, so investing in a good moisturiser and staying hydrated is key.
40s
Your skin’s natural lifecycle will start to slow down in your forties, which means you’ll need to work harder to look after what you’ve got.
Your wrinkles will likely deepen and become more noticeable, and your collagen and elastin levels will plummet, meaning your skin will sag.
As well as staying hydrated, you should begin to incorporate more anti-ageing techniques into your routine.
Ingredients such as retinol and glycolic acid are able to revive skin cells and give them a boost, keeping them plump and reducing the appearance of your wrinkles.
Foods such as garlic, raspberries, salmon, beans, olive oil, green tea, and water can help to fight wrinkles.
Incorporating our natural facial rejuvenation device into your skincare routine will help to reduce lines around the mouth and eyes and strengthen your jawline.
50s
When you reach your fifties, your upper eyelids might begin to sag where they reach your eyelids, and droops on the corners of the eye can give off a “sad” look. What’s more, your nose tip may droop and wrinkles may begin to appear around your lips and neck, whilst the skin on your cheeks will become loose and the rounder cheeks of your youth will flatten.
Your skin will also become drier, especially if you are entering the menopause, and wrinkles and fine lines will begin to settle on your skin. Make sure you’re investing in high-quality oils and moisturisers to prevent excess drying and sagging, and consider some facial exercises.
Using exfoliating acids such as glycolic acid or lactic acid can help to reduce dead skin cells, revealing fresher, youthful skin underneath, whilst adding additional steps to your skincare routine can add oil back into the skin now that your natural oil production is slowing down.
60s
In your sixties, your wrinkles will deepen and there’ll be a decrease in your eye size from the progressive encroachment from the surrounding lid skin. Your skin will also become much thinner and drier than in your younger years, so it’s important to use products which will be both moisturising and sensitive and towel-dry your face rather than aggressively rubbing it.
Light exfoliation is also recommended to help reveal new layers of skin, and you can tighten up your skin using the Oralift facial rejuvenation device. We also suggest that you opt for an oil-based primer before applying any makeup to ensure that your skin doesn’t dry out.
70s
When you reach your seventies, signs of advanced ageing will appear, making your face skeleton-like. By the time you reach your seventies, muscles on the face will have decreased by up to 40%, so women with fuller faces will naturally look younger than those who are slim.
Your skin may be itchy, blotchy, easily irritated, and more susceptible to skin infections, so you should take good care of it. Bathe to relive dry skin but keep it short, and use a humidifier when the air feels dry to reduce itchy skin. You should also consider wearing gloves when doing housework or gardening to avoid exposure to harsh chemicals, and go fragrance-free to reduce the chances of irritation. Soap-based products will serve you well.
Though the fundamentals of skincare remain the same whatever your age, making subtle changes as you progress through life will allow you to keep your skin looking as youthful and as healthy as possible. Subscribe to the Oralift blog for more anti-ageing tips every week.