Learn how to look after your skin at every age
Whatever beauty means to you, how you maintain it changes with age. Louse Wedgwood offers some advice for women in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.
In your 20's
Your 20s is the time to start investing in your skin, says Dr Serene Lim, a Perth-based cosmetic and complementary GP. “Your skin is quite resilient at this age but negative effects accumulate and it’s much harder to reverse the effects in later years.”
To protect your skin, she recommends a zinc-based daily face sunscreen. Sunscreen has been shown to prevent ageing in recent research at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research. Participants in the study who wore sunscreen every day had no detectable skin ageing after four-and-a-half years.
In your 30's
Your 30s can be particularly stressful while you develop your career and often raise a young family. Dr Lim says that stress creates more free radicals – molecules with unpaired electrons that damage surrounding molecules. Free radicals age your skin, make your hair grey, and increase skin pigmentation. She recommends offsetting stress by prioritising a healthy lifestyle.
“Your body needs as much sleep, rest, and nutritious food as it can get to support healthy skin,” Dr Lim says. Nourish your skin with healthy fats, grass-fed organic meats, wild-farmed fish, a rainbow of different-coloured vegetables, and wholegrains. If life is too busy and you’re burning the candle at both ends, Dr Lim says you should be mindful that the effects of late nights show up on your face.
In your 40's
In your 40s, hormonal changes begin to affect your appearance. Dr Lim warns: “Your skin can start looking dry and wrinkly, especially if you haven’t taken all the preventative measures in your earlier years.” She suggests using a serum containing a trifecta of vitmans A, B and C to boost collagen and replenish your skin. When you’re transitioning to menopause, hormones can also mess with your beauty sleep, and a lack of sleep affects your complexion. To sleep well try eating some protein before bed, taking the occasional melatonin supplement and practising meditation if you wake up during the night.
In your 50's
If you’re 50, you may notice muscle tone declining in your face, which can contribute to sagging. Facial exercises and massage can slow the process (go online to learn the techniques).
“Facial exercises not only improve your facial muscles but will help deliver oxygen to the skin surface,” Dr Lim says. To prevent further sagging, always smooth moisturisers and sunscreen upwards over your face – in the opposite direction to gravity.
