Suddenly 40 or 50, or even getting close, and noticing changes in how your skin feels as well as its appearance. You know your skin has changed and you realise that maybe if you had have taken a more active role in your skin care in your 30’s or even in your 20’s those lines around your eyes may not be there. You look around at your friends and family and wonder what they have done to care for their skin. Do you wonder what skin care in your 40’s and 50’s should actually be?You may even find yourself examining peoples faces more closely and suddenly find yourself on your phone googling makeup for the over 40’s!
You are more concerned with the health of your skin than the fine lines but aren’t liking the fact that you do have them, would like to slow their progress and certainly would prefer not to be feeling the tightness, dryness and maybe redness which seems to be developing.
If you are anywhere near in your 40’s you’ll be aware that at some point during the next decade your hormones will be changing and you’ve heard this means your skin will change. If you are closer to 50 it is likely you will have noticed these changes already and maybe be trying to work out what can be done to help your skin age as slowly and as healthily as it can.
Menopause can drive you crazy in more ways than one and it is just as important to understand what is happening in your skin as it is to understand your body’s changes. Here is some extra reading to help you understand both the ageing process and the hormonal skin changes you can expect.
https://www.theskincareclinic.com.au/menopause/
https://theskincareclinic.com.au/aging-the-effect-of-the-sun-on-our-skin/
https://theskincareclinic.com.au/ageing-gracefully/
If you are through menopause – congratulations! Hopefully it was trouble free and now that you are on the other side and can forget about the ups and downs of hormones you can concentrate on healing your skin, creating one which will take you into the next phase of life, feeling and looking absolutely superb! Isn’t that something we all wish for?
Whether you are in your 40’s or 50’s just take note that it is better to start now than to never start at all. You can start a diet any time, start getting fit at any time and both will improve your health so starting a skin care regime at any age is also going to benefit you.
Whether you are new to skin care regimes or whether you’ve consistently given your skin some or a lot of care the focus in your regime needs to cover the following –
- Increase collagen and elastin
- Decrease pore size
- Increase hydration
- Increase firmness and suppleness
- Stimulate new cells
- Create healthier cells
So How…
Skin care in your 40’s and 50’s – for now or looking forward…
Cleanser
A gentler one is best. No more scrubs even if you have breakouts and feel your skin is dirty. A lactic acid based or enzyme is best. Never go to bed with makeup on. Using Micellar waters as a first cleanse is smart – a gentle way to remove makeup and then the days grime can more easily be removed with your usual cleanser.
If you do enjoy your eye makeup, but cleansers tend to irritate your eye area, as is common as the area thins with ageing, the Osmosis Colour Melt Away Gelee simply does just that. Your eye makeup just slides off down your face ready to be cleansed away. No more irritation.
If you feel your skin is a little dull treat yourself to an enzyme mask twice a week. The CosMedix Pure Enzymes or the Osmosis MD Polish are beautiful choices for normal skin. If your skin is problematic in any way, or you have specific skin concerns, believe me – there’s a mask for everyone! Check them all out here. Remember to think gentle.
Serums
Now an essential part of your morning and evening regime.
Growth Factors, Peptides & DNA repair – from our 30’s our DNA repair systems slowly begin to degrade. This makes it harder for cells to heal themselves, easier for free radical damage to occur and generally harder for skin to function as it should. Cell function just slows down.
These serums are especially important if you are concerned about enlarged pores.
If your skin is quite dry no doubt it doesn’t feel smooth and supple, but maybe reddened or be developing fine lines faster than you feel is normal. Two products to help are Aspect Dr Redless and Osmosis MD Stem-factor. It’s a wise idea to treat the dryness with these in combination with a DNA repair serum prior to starting a Vitamin A.
Vitamin A – enables normal cellular function tricking the skin into thinking it is younger. It encourages and stimulates a faster cell turnover rate and helps with natural exfoliation. It is important to choose an appropriate form and strength for your skin type and condition. If you are starting on an A the Osmosis MD Calm, CosMedix Serum 16 or the Rejuvaphyl Retinol Free or LS – low strength Vitamin A.
Hyaluronic acid – Hydration. It can hold up to 10 x its own weight in water so is marvelous for dehydrated skins and has the added bonus of plumping out fine lines. Will not make oily skin feel greasy. It a great ingredient to apply just prior to your makeup as it smooths the skin. Our fave is the Aspect Dr Hyaluronic serum.
Vitamin C – Brightens, lightens and assists with almost all other skin functions. Everyone needs this, but is especially essential for uneven skin tones and pigmentation along with kojic acid, liquorice and azelaic acid. Try adding the Cosmedix Pure C crystals to any other serum or cream, (not a Vitamin A) every day – Wizz bang wonderful! Most products do contain some % of C, however specialist products will usually be more effective. Use daily preferably in the mornings and after a day in the sun.
Other important ingredients include Seabuckthorn and CoQ10 for their super powers in antioxidants and how they stimulate the cell metabolism. These are both found in many products.
Moisturisers and SPF
It is ok to use these together. Your SPF, or UV protection ideally should be based on zinc as it is less inflammatory than chemical sunscreens in the skin and is an antioxidant in its own right. Our and your faves include CosMedix Hydrate+ and the Aspect Hydrashield.
Night Creams –
If you’ve never needed to use a night cream, you may find that around your 40’s you feel you need one. It’s nice to wake in the morning with skin feeling nourished and refreshed. Using one such as Aspect’s SMC with its Growth Factors kills two birds with one stone. Our best sellers include the Aspect Dr Resveratrol and Medik8 Advanced Night Restore.
These can all be used during the day as well, just ensure you follow up with your sunblock as well.
Never ever go a day without your UV protection!!
Extras
Don’t forget the lips, eyes, neck and décolletage!
My faves are:
- PCA Lip Balm – great for dry, chapped lips.
- Cosmedix Opti-crystals.
- PCA Neck and Décolletage treatment.
- CosMedix Illuminate and Lift decolletage and neck treatment.
Diet needs to be the best ever and ensure you get sufficient sleep, manage your stress and have regular exercise.
It is the time of your life when you need to start to put yourself first
Still not sure?
If you need more help or would like personalised advice on what skincare products are best for you, book now for your consultation with a skin care advisor:
Book Your In-Clinic Consultation.
Or fill in the Online Skin Consultation and Gaye, our registered nurse, will happily help you to choose the right treatments and products for your skin type or concern.
Check out our latest Specials!
Leave a Reply