With the plethora of products and skincare recommendations available to us today, it can be daunting figuring out what we should be using and routines to follow as we get older. We always like to keep things simple and truly believe that good skincare doesn’t have to be that complicated.

Your 20’s – Prevention

It’s your first full decade as an adult and what we call the beginning responsibilities! You can still party hard all night but it is no longer OK to go to sleep afterwards with a full face of makeup. You’ve finally gotten over the dramatic hormonal changes of your teenage years - well mostly, and have started to enjoy having clearer skin. 

The best routine at this stage is one that protects the skin and delays any breakdown as much as possible. This is the time to sow the seeds that will yield a bountiful harvest in later years. The impact of your habits may not be immediately apparent but your 40s and 50s will look much better thanks to things you did right in your 20s. That is because as we age, the upper layers of our skin—epidermis and dermis will start to thin out, reducing its ability to protect against UV damage. This slow breakdown begins in your mid to late 20s but the speed at which it happens is largely dependent on your lifestyle, environment, genes, and how you protect your skin. So establishing a good skincare routine will help delay this breakdown process. Here’s what we recommend:

1. Design a daily routine, and it can be a simple one too, because you are more likely to stick to it if it is simple. Here’s a blog post to help you with that.
2. Never go to bed with a full face of makeup! Yes, you had such a great time at the club and are now insanely tired and sleepy but please, take that additional 2 minutes to cleanse and moisturize before you crash.
3. ALWAYS wear broad spectrum SPF with at least a sun protection factor of 30. The sun is not your skin’s friend so please, protect your skin from it!
4. Vitamin C is a great ingredient to have in your routine to help prevent pigment formation.
5. Introduce a gentle exfoliating serum.
   
   

Your 30’s – Protection

The great news about your 30s is that you most likely now have more disposable income and can afford to splurge some more on self-care. Unfortunately, this is also the decade when collagen production peaks and you start to notice the signs of aging and sun damage. Think of fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and environmental damage from free radicals that manifests as dull, less radiant skin. So your focus should be on maintenance and preventing more degradation. Here’s what we recommend:

1. Your daily routine from your 20s will change in intensity and regularity. When using SPF, pay more attention to how much you use. Half a teaspoon is recommended and do not forget your neck area. As the skin renewal process begins to slow down, make exfoliating with AHAs like glycolic acid an important part of your routine. They boost cell turnover by getting rid of dead skin cells more efficiently.
2. Spend more time on your routine at night as a lot of anti-aging products work while you sleep. 
3. Again, Vitamin C is one of the more important ingredients of your day. Not only does it help prevent pigment formation, it also has UV protection, and is great at regulating the collagen synthesis and production.

Your 40’s - Repair

We all claim it’s the new 20s but the new aches and pains tell us otherwise. You find that creases on your skin from your pillow during sleep take longer to disappear. When you don’t get enough sleep, your sunken and sometimes dark eyes cause you to look less human. Our skin is no longer as elastic as we begin to lose more facial fat. We are also now losing more collagen than we produce. Ingredients that stimulate collagen production are needed more than ever. To add insult to injury, our hormones start confusing us as the early stages of menopause stealthily creep in. Here’s what we recommend:

1. Continue with your skincare routines from your 30s, emphasizing sun protection and exfoliating more frequently. Consider adding retinol to your routine, preferably at night since it can make your skin more sensitive to UV rays. Retinol is an action packed Vitamin A derivative that stimulates collagen production and cell renewal, so it helps improve the skin’s elasticity, firmness and fines lines. It can cause dryness and irritation so when introducing it, start slowly and at a low concentration to see how your skin responds.
2. To manage dry skin in your 40s, add products with ceramides, niacinamide, and peptides as these ingredients are great for helping the skin retain moisture. The appearance of fine lines and wrinkles diminish on a well hydrated skin. 
3. A good eye cream is a diamond in the rough—it needs to be able to plump up the eye area and also gently brighten to counteract hyperpigmentation. Our AWAKE Under Eye Patch is a great remedy for reducing puffiness and brightening the under eye area.

Your 50’s and later decades - Renewal

The biggest complaints we hear from women in their 50s and beyond are sagging and dry skin. The decrease in estrogen that comes with menopause is the main culprit. Estrogen is responsible for collagen synthesis and moisture retention. Dehydration causes the skin to lose its elasticity, leading to even more sagging skin. Here’s what we recommend:

1. For moisture and hydration, use creams and serums which feature hyaluronic acid as the main ingredient, it is powerfully hydrating and will help improve elasticity. Ceramides and peptides are ever more important, so generously use rich creams with these ingredients. 
2. Daily sun protection is still a required part of your routine in these decades. You may notice more age spots as your skin becomes more sensitive to UV rays so avoid too much sun exposure. Vitamin C and retinol continue to be good for managing hyperpigmentation at this stage.  
3. Consider cutting back on exfoliating as the epidermis and dermis have become much thinner. 
4. Pamper your skin as often as you can. Get facial massages. They help to improve circulation and relieve tension.

Whatever your decade, understanding how your skin is changing and will continue to change with age, will allow you take the best care of it.