As our skin ages we need to take a look at our skincare routine. The skincare industry is developing new products constantly with ingredients that can address the visible signs of ageing including wrinkles, age spots and elasticity. In fact when asking the Fab after Fifty community on Facebook about their biggest skincare concern, surprisingly it wasn’t wrinkles that came out on top but lack of firmness and a sagging jawline! There are things we can do to slow down the signs of ageing
Habits that affect our skin
Sometimes little things like changing daily habits can help. Some habits are obvious, like touching your face a lot, sitting in the sun for hours and smoking are really going to work against your efforts to improve your skin. You don’t just need a sunscreen when going outside on sunny days, your skin is susceptible to the effect of UV rays every day. Even if you are sitting in a car you the ‘window’ side of your face has increased exposure to the sun. If you don’t want to apply a separate sunscreen on a daily basis, look for a foundation with built in sunscreen. The eye area is often the first to show signs of ageing so wearing sunglasses is a must too – apart from protection against UV rays, they reduce ‘squinting’ against the sun – repeated muscle movements contribute to wrinkles! If you sleep on your side, movement against the pillow can have a ‘dragging effect on your skin’ – switch to a silk pillowcase so that the skin glides as opposed to drags. If you live in a city – look at the impact pollution is having on your skin – there are moisturisers with built in protection against pollutants. Decleor, This Works, Clinique all have products to address tis, and Ultrasun has a sunscreen that also protects against pollution. Smoking has a lot of chemicals in it that cause premature ageing ageing of the skin, if you aren’t ready to give up, you can swap to a vape kit that doesn’t have any of the skin-damaging ingredients in it. Similarly alcohol has a dehydrating effect- reduce your intake, switch to low alcohol alternatives and for every glass of alcohol you drink have at least one glass of water.
Cleansing for mature skin
Many soaps dry out your skin, and this can be doubly drying in later years. So swap to a cream cleanser. Cleansers today don’t just strip away dirt but are designed to soothe and support the skin as well. As we age our skin tends to not shed dead skin cells as quickly, they effectively sit on the surface making the skin look tired and dull. Build in exfoliation into your skincare routine. I particularly like Time Bomb’s exfoliating cleanser which gently buffs the skin , while cleansing and softening.
Serums
Add a serum to your routine. More potent than moisturisers they boost the skin’s defences by added rich ingredients targeting specific issues. Hyaluronic is a must in terms of adding moisture to the skin- the molecules help the skin retain more moisture. Vitamin C helps to combat age spots
Ampoules
If you are wanting to target specific areas. Wrinkles, fine lines, dry areas, dullness… Ampoules might just be your best friend. They are supercharged versions of serums, usually dedicated to a single ingredient. People often tackle one thing at a time. Vitamin C is great for brightening skin, Vitamin E for softening, Bifida Ferment on wrinkles and Snail Mucin for cell renewal. They vary in price, but some can be very budget friendly if you just want to try one out for a while.
It can be difficult to really know what is working in your skin care routine if you are changing a few things at once. So typically you should start drinking more water first, to get naturally hydrated, and then introduce other items one by one – when trying a new range I tend to start with the cleanser for 2 weeks– it is usually the cheapest and so I can see how I like it before investing in the more expensive. When adding the serums and moisturisers I use them for at least a month before deciding to assess the difference and decide whether or not to stick with it.
As we embrace our age – and the stories our changing faces tell about our lives- we can be pro-active in giving nature a little helping hand!…