As you age some things are supposed to get better, and depending on how well you’ve taken care of your skin throughout your life that will be one of them. Nevertheless, some signs of aging are natural and cannot be avoided, even if your last name is Kardashian. Protecting and nourishing your skin should not be overlooked, especially as you age and your skin becomes more fragile. For anyone experiencing signs of aging, we have made a skin care routine especially formulated to help you look and feel your best, and embrace your skin every day.
Be Gentle
If you wear makeup often, we recommend being gentle when you start to remove it for the day. Using excessive scrubbing or cleaning practices can make your skin stretch out or cause micro-tears—particularly around the eye area where your skin is far more delicate than the rest of your face. When applying makeup, avoid tugging on your skin as this can stretch it out (we are looking at you, winged eyeliner).
Nourishing Cleansers
Speaking of removing makeup, we recommend opting for a nourishing or cream cleanser instead of a foaming cleanser. The active ingredients in foaming cleansers, called sulfates, are responsible for making soaps luxuriously foamy and rich, but can also dry your skin out and make wrinkles and fine lines much more prevalent. On your face, this can be particularly annoying as it will only end up creating more work. Opt for a nourishing cleanser that will remove makeup and cleanse without drying.
Products we recommend: Cream Cleanser from iS Clinical is deeply nourishing and hydrating but also does a great job of removing makeup, dirt, and grime that accumulates from throughout the day.
Avoid Skipping Exfoliation
It may not seem like it very often, but your skin is endlessly cycling and creating new skin cells without shedding the dead ones. Use a gentle chemical exfoliant at least once per week to remove these dead skin cells and help boost cell regeneration in your skin. This will prevent wrinkles and fine lines from appearing to be more prominent because your skin is constantly having to re-generate itself. Many exfoliants, like retinol, can also help smooth over discoloration and hyperpigmentation, making your complexion more radiant and smooth all over.
Products we recommend: Retinol and retinoid products will work to slough off dead skin cells and promote the regeneration of new skin cells. These “holy grail” products can also help out with acne problems and work to smooth over the appearance of pores. The strongest dose of retinol you can buy over the counter is 1%, in which case we recommend SkinMedica’s Retinol Complex 1.0. This brand also offers less potent options for those with sensitive skin, as retinol can often make your skin more sensitive than normal, especially in the sun.
Serums and Oils
Because your skin tends to lose a lot of its natural hydration barrier and nourishment as you age, serums and skin oils can be extra useful for anyone with aged skin. Nourishing botanical oils will add a layer of hydration and nourishment to help make your skin appear more radiant. Meanwhile hyaluronic acid serums can help boost your natural moisture barrier and make your skin appear more plump.
Products we recommend: Juno Antioxidant + Superfood Face Oil from Sunday Riley helps target fine lines and wrinkles to plump your skin and remove toxins from urban stressors (pollution, sun damage, etc.) that help contribute to signs of aging.
Eye Creams
Like we said before, your eye area can become extra delicate as you age because the skin around your eyes is the most fragile part of your face. Combat fine lines around your eyes, called crows feet, with a plumping and nourishing eye cream.
Products we recommend: Obagi makes a great eye cream called ELASTIderm that works to nourish and hydrate the skin around your eye area to help increase its natural elasticity, decreasing signs of aging.
Collagen Moisturizers and Creams
One of the most important ingredients you should be looking for in a face cream is collagen, especially if your biggest concern is signs of aging. Other important ingredients, like vitamin C, will help brighten and remove inflammation or hyperpigmentation that increases with aging. Your skin naturally produces collagen, but as you age it will begin to produce less of it naturally. Using a collagen face cream can combat the sudden loss in collagen production and help keep your skin looking plump and supple as you get older.
Products we recommend: Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream (pictured in the featured photo of this blog post) is rich in texture and packed with nutrients like collagen to help put life back into mature, sagging skin.
Sun Protection
We recommend focusing on sun protection for all skin types because—well, sun protection is just that important. Period. Using an SPF of at least 30 on your face each day can minimize how your skin ages because it will prevent exposure to harmful UVA rays. UVA, the type of sun radiation that penetrates deeper into your skin than UVB, is responsible for increasing signs of wrinkles and aging. Using SPF every day is singlehandedly one of the most effective ways to minimize signs of aging even further.
Products we recommend: EltaMD is one of our most popular lines of natural sunscreen products. These mineral sunscreens are safe for all skin types and effective at preventing sun damage.
Use A Night Cream
If you do not get enough sleep at night your skin will suffer the consequences in the same way that you might. Your skin restores itself while you sleep, meaning that the more sleep you get, the more opportunity your skin has to regenerate and take care of itself. A rich night cream can help aging skin along in this, as these products are often packed with ingredients like collagen and hyaluronic acid to improve elasticity and hydration overnight.
Products we recommend: A favorite among Hollywood stars, Erno Laszlo’s Phelityl Night Cream is rich in hydrating and nourishing ingredients like glycerin and essential fatty acids to help restore your skin overnight.
Remember Your Neck and Hands
Ignoring your neck and hands is a sure fire way to notice signs of aging on your skin even if you have taken good care of your face throughout your life. The skin on your neck and on the back of your hands is similar in texture and appearance, and tends to accumulate wrinkles in the same way that your face has. Not to worry, though, simply extend your skin care routine down to your neck area each day and remember to put certain hydrating and moisturizing products on the back of your hands as well—and try not to skip the lotion.