I swear I was just 20, laying at the beach in my little bikini, feeling the warmth of the sun wash over my body.
And then… POOF!
All of the sudden I am 45. I have sun spots popping up their nasty selves daily, wrinkles finding their way around my mouth and eyes, and a dryness that makes me wonder if I now live in the desert or what?
I am so thankful my mom taught me relatively good skincare when I was a young teen, I cannot imagine if I hadn’t washed my face twice a day all these years. The only thing I wish I had done more, is wear sunscreen. Back then sunscreen wasn’t even considered important. It was an optional thing, and most times only used on babies.
The skincare routine I did in my youth, is different than I do now. Nearing menopause created havoc on a woman’s skin not just her ovaries.
Skincare for the 40- something
Cleanser
As we age (yes ladies aging), we need to be sure to use a hydrating cleanser. It is important not to strip our skin of the oils. Our skin becomes drier naturally, so a creamy cleanser is essential to assist in hydration. The sudsy bar soaps and lathering cleansers can be harsh to our skin and be very drying.
I used to feel like my face was not getting clean unless I had a good lather, but I can tell you after I got used to creamy cleanser I can feel the improvement and I don’t miss the old at all.
Serum
The next is finding a serum rich in hyaluronic acid. This is 1,000 times its weight in water!! HA is essential for having beautiful, healthy skin. Hyaluronic acid is actually made by our body, but as we age our body produces much less, hence the dryness. Topical hyaluronic acid serums have been shown to diminish wrinkles, improve skin elasticity, and boost skin firmness in just two weeks!
This ladies is my favorite and needs to be in your routine asap.
Sunscreen
Another is SPF. This is a tricky one to figure out, especially when wearing makeup. The issue with makeup containing SPF, foundation, in particular, is the effective ingredients are only active for a few hours. So there is a false sense of sunscreen coverage when you are only applying SPF that is in your makeup. A few options are to use an SPF cream before putting makeup on and then reapplying every few hours throughout the day. But that is a little difficult when wearing makeup. Another option that I am using this summer is a powder SPF. This is a tinted SPF to match your skin color, and the good news is you can apply as often as you want! While wearing makeup or not. Here is the link to the one I am using this year. I have spoken to a very established esthetician from Arizona, and she names this as a top of the line SPF, and she recommends to her clients.
Exfoliate
An exfoliator helps remove dead skin cells, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, improves absorption of serums and other products, helps detoxify the skin, and therefore brighten the complexion. What we need to be careful of is using something abrasive. Our skin gets thinner as we age and using an exfoliator that you scrub on manually may end up thinning your skin further and cause skin sensitivity. This abuse is challenging to reverse. What to look for is either an acid-based exfoliant or an enzyme exfoliant. An enzyme exfoliant works by breaking down the keratin protein to remove the dead skin cells revealing smoother skin and a radiant complexion!
This is the line I am using currently for my exfoliant, There is a sample size as well so you can try it before spending the full price. I didn’t do this for years! But I can honestly tell you after using 1-2 times a week I see HUGE improvement!
Eye Cream
The under-eye area is delicate. There are very few active oil glands, so the under-eye area is at risk to be dry, and what happens with extra dry skin? WRINKLES. This is a concern for people over 30 as well, the younger you start, the better it will be long term in keeping the wrinkles at bay. A light eye cream, not a heavy thick cream, and that are full of hyaluronic acid again due to the need for hydration. Also, a circulation booster is a huge bonus! This will help with the puffiness and even dark circles. My current fave is here, and pro tip: keep it in the fridge for a spa like treatment every time!
What I didn’t mention
There are a few products, or ingredients I didnt mention and that is because I am concerned with the health safety when using the products.
XRetinol
This ingreient is put in so many products unfortunely. I personally do not feel safe using this becuase there have been numerous studies that link this to cancer. When skin that has been treated with Retinol is exposed to sun, the chance of sun damage, specifically cancer causing sun damage increases at an alarming rate.
I want to look good and have as few wrinkles as possible, but not at the risk of my health.
XHydroquinone
This ointment or cream is the top used in skin lightening for pigmentation problems such as melasma, and sun damage. The problem? hydroquinone has been deemed cytotixic, meaning it will cause damage living cells and potentially cause cancer. The FDA states it is relatively safe if staying between a 2% (over the counter) to a 4%(prescribed) dosage while using a sunscreen and staying away from direct light. My thoughts? I do not trust the FDA; European countries have banned this ingredient and I am sticking with that.
I have heard Koji acid has shown very effective but that is something I have not personally tried yet since the serum I currently use has been doing a wonderful job at controlling my melasma.
My point is…
Overall, the first step is to start some routine: day and night. I highly suggest you younger ladies begin now. It seems as if suddenly, you wake up in your mid-thirties and BAM! There are wrinkles. Sadly, I have seen ladies in their 20’s with more wrinkles than me at 44 all due to sleeping with makeup on, sun damage (sun or tanning), and no sunscreen.
Ageing signs WILL happen to us all, but what routine you start, the earlier you start, and the higher quality products you use will determine when and how severe the damage will show.
If you would like to have your own personal skin care profile done, I would love to steer you in the right direction for YOUR skin.
XO,
Sydney
When it comes to finding the right tanning oil, it’s important to look out for ingredients that protect and keep your skin looking younger looking healthy. instead of just adding more chemicals and leaving your face and neck feeling greasy. You don’t have to put off going out to the salon for years looking for a good tanning solution, if you use a quality product that contains all of the ingredients needed to keep your skin glowing.