Anti-Aging: Your Ultimate Guide To Youthful Skin
Anti-Aging: How To Keep Your Skin Looking Youthful at Every Decade
Anti-aging is why women and men invest in facial services and skincare products. We constantly search for the next best thing to help us look and feel younger. Regardless of your age, aging is at the top of everyone’s minds. In this guide, we are digging into everything about aging – what it is, how it begins, and what you can do at every stage of life to prevent and manage aging. Aging is inevitable. You can’t stop it! But with the right approach, you can work to slow it down.
Let’s dig in!
What Is Aging?
Aging happens as the body and cells slow down. Many of us have a fear of getting old. When we are young, we look at elderly people and think “I’m never going to be like that when I’m old” yet one day we all will be there. The good news is that you can make positive lifestyle changes to keep yourself healthy and looking youthful.
We love to geek out over anything skin-related. We found this aging article on the NIH website, “Aging is the time-related deterioration of the physiological functions necessary for survival and reproduction. The phenotypic changes of senescence (which affect all members of the species) are not to be confused with diseases of senescence, such as cancer and heart disease (which affect individuals).”
What Causes Aging?
Also in the article linked above, aging is caused by a variety of factors, such as:
🌞 Oxidative Damage: Environmental factors such as the sun causing Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), responsible for oxidation and cell damage.
⚡ Mitochondria Damage: Mitochondria are small organelles inside the cell that create energy for the cell and are responsible for how the cell functions. As we age, our cells produce less energy, leading to decreased cell functioning.
🧬 Telomere Shortening – As we age, telomeres (protective ends of the DNA strand) shorten, causing cell division to slow.
Want to learn more about this process? Check out the full article
When Does Aging Begin?
The moment we are born we begin aging! There is nothing we can do to stop it. The good news is with a healthy lifestyle and the targeted skincare & facial services, you can minimize signs of aging to keep that youthful glow.
Here’s how you can start:
Lifestyle Changes to Slow Aging
What we put into our bodies impacts our health. The foods we eat, the drinks we drink, exercise, sun, chemical substances, etc speed up the aging process. Below are anti-aging tips you can do for your health and wellness:
🍭 Limit Sugar: Sugar is more addicting than cocaine. Food companies know this which is why sugar is in everything! They put it in our foods so we become addicted and can’t stop eating. Sugar causes inflammation and speeds up aging. Aim to cut back or eliminate sugary foods and drinks to improve your skin health.
💧 Drink more water: We all know to stay hydrated and the most frustrating part about this is the constant need to pee. Hydration is key to flushing your system and keeping your blood and lymphatic systems moving. This keeps your skin clear and plump.
🏃♀️ Aim for 20-30 minutes 3-5 times a week to improve circulation and detox your body. This can be as simple as walking around the block to high-intensity exercise. Whatever you can fit in will do as long as you get your body moving. Exercise is great for our hearts no matter how little we do.
🌞 Minimize sun exposure: Most of us did our damage when we were young. We didn’t know that applying baby oil and iodine was a bad thing! We thought being tan was beautiful and just what you did during the summers. Don’t beat yourself up, we all did it! Wear your SPF daily to protect yourself and prevent premature aging by limiting your time in the sun.
🍷 Drinking alcohol: While there are plenty of people talking about the health benefits of drinking wine, in actuality, alcohol is responsible for speeding up aging. You learned that telomeres slow down as we age. A study published in Molecular Psychiatry done on over 245,000 people testing for alcohol use and how it affects aging does show that alcohol speeds up the aging process.
According to the study, “In the observation analysis, there was a significant association between high alcohol intake and shorter telomere length.” Bottom line – while wine can be tempting, too much accelerates aging!
Aging Through The Decades
Aging begins in your mid to late 20s as collagen begins to break down. Below is what happens during each decade and what you can do to help prevent and minimize signs of aging.
Your 20s: Prevention
Between the ages of 25-30, the aging process begins when collagen starts to break down. The skin is still plump. By the end of your 20s, you may see fine lines appearing. You can keep your skin clear and youthful with monthly facials and acne treatments if necessary. This is the perfect time to begin age prevention with the help of Microcurrent treatments. Unfortunately, during this age, we are beginning to see women and men rushing off to get injections to stop this process. Starting these treatments at a young age when the skin doesn’t even need it is unnecessary. We don’t know the long-term effects of starting injections young, but in theory, the reason why is to stop aging before it begins, however, the reality is these treatments done too soon may speed up aging.
Anti-aging skincare in your 20s
Most 20-year-olds produce oil and tend to have oily skin and acne. During this decade, starting on a good skincare routine is key and not overdoing the serums and anti-aging because the skin is still turning over and working properly. Doing too much to your skin in an attempt to “prevent aging” can accelerate the aging process. Recommended homecare for your 20s:
Cleanser: Foaming cleanser twice daily to keep oil under control
Exfoliation: A gentle Enzyme or Gommage 2-3 times a week
Serums: Apply acne serums if necessary. Serums aren’t necessary during your 20s unless you are dealing with acne or post-acne pigmentation
Treatment: We have an amazing facial oil, Hygia Oil, that hydrates dry skin but fights acne if your skin tends to be dry. This can be used as a spot treatment or all over.
Moisturizer: A light-weight moisturizer to hydrate and control oil
Sunscreen: Never forget your SPF!
Your 30s: Time to Step Up Your Anti-Aging Routine
In your 30s, wrinkles begin to form and oil production finally decreases, but the start of dry skin happens, especially in the cooler months. Anti-aging treatments should begin during this decade, however, some 30-year-olds still deal with acne. During your 30s collagen continues to break down and why we see signs of aging. Bump up your skincare routine with the addition of serums to slow down signs of aging. Aim to schedule Dermaplaning, Microcurrent, or Microchanneling into your facial routine.
Anti-aging skincare in your 30s
As you move into your 30s you will notice that your skin stops producing as much oil. This is when we start to shift skincare products around from season to season, especially when it comes to cleansers and moisturizers. We minimize gel-based moisturizers and shift to cream moisturizers. When it comes to cleansing, we suggest cream-based or oil-based cleansers, especially in the cooler months.
Cleansers: Cream-based or oil-based cleansers are introduced. Many women in their 30s may stick with a foam cleanser in the warmer months and shift to a lighter cleanser for the cooler months
Exfoliation: A gentle Enzyme or Gommage 2x a week
Serums: We begin to introduce serums, such as Vitamin C, Hyaluronic Acid, and Retinols, however, we don’t recommend retinol until your late 30s when cell turnover begins to slow
Treatment: We have an amazing facial oil, called Hygia Oil, that hydrates dry skin but fights acne if your skin tends to be on the dry side. This can be used as a spot treatment or all over.
Moisturizer: Heavier moisturizers are introduced when necessary, we shift moisturizers from gel to cream moisturizers depending on the season
Sunscreen: Never forget your SPF!
Your 40s: Hormonal Shifts
During this decade, hormonal changes can impact women’s skin by altering their texture and hydration. Most women are going through either peri-menopause or menopause during this decade. Treating the skin during your 40s is such a vast span due to the hormonal shifts in each client’s skin. This is the decade when women see the most changes in how their skin ages due to hormonal fluctuations.
If you are still suffering from acne into your 40s, avoid using acne cleansers. These cleansers are for those who have oily skin and clogged pores. Women in their 40s tend to have hormonal breakouts. An acne cleanser will only dry your skin out further and won’t help clear the breakouts, because hormonal acne tends to be under the skin and can’t be managed by an acne cleanser.
Anti-aging skincare in your 40s
Hydration is a must during this decade as hormones shift and we begin to feel dryer than ever. We also must be diligent about our skincare, especially with the addition of facial treatments to combat aging and serums used both morning and night. This will help keep your skin healthy and minimize signs as best as possible.
Cleanser: Cream-based or oil-based cleanser twice daily
Exfoliation: A gentle Gommage or Enzyme 1-2x per week
Serums: A must during this decade to fight aging. Daytime serums should include Vitamin C, Peptides, and Hyaluronic acid. Night-time serums should include Retinol or Bakuchiol and Hyaluronic acid
Moisturizer: Heavier moisturizers are a must to combat dry skin, especially in the cooler months
Sunscreen: Never forget your SPF!
Your 50s: Hydration Is Key
By this decade, post-menopausal causes the skin to become thinner and extremely dry. Post-menopause also leads to bone loss which causes our facial bones to shrink. This is why the skin shows signs of deeper wrinkles, sagging, and sunken-in eyes. Monthly facials and anti-aging treatments are essential to maintain firmness and minimize wrinkles. Dermaplaning is a great monthly option to stimulate regular cell turnover to keep the skin younger-looking, plus allow for better serum penetration.
Anti-aging skincare in your 50s
The same recommendations for clients in their 40s. However, we do like to introduce Growth Factors as an additional serum to fight aging on a deeper level and complement your retinol. Growth Factors can be used 1-2 times a day.
Cleansers: Cream-based or oil-based cleansers twice daily
Exfoliation: A gentle Gommage or Enzyme 1x a week to keep the skin cells from building up. This prevents the skin from taking on a dull or grey appearance
Serums: Are a must! For the day, Peptides, Hyaluronic Acid, Salmon DNA, Growth Factors, and/or Vitamin C. For night we suggest Hyaluronic acid, Growth Factors, Retinol, or Bakuchiol to fight wrinkles
Moisturizer: Heavier moisturizers to keep the skin hydrated, plus targets aging
Sunscreen: Never forget your SPF!
60s and up: Anti-Aging is a Must
Let’s face it, we look in the mirror at this stage of life and ask, “What happened?” In your 60s it hits women the most. Bone loss causes our eyes to look sunken and hollow and our skin begins to sag. Not only have you lacked in collagen since your 30s, but there is less bone for the muscles to attach to so everything droops and wrinkles deepen.
anti-aging Skincare for 60+
Same routine for the 40s and 50s because dryness and aging continue to be the main concern.
Cleansers: Cream-based or Oil-based cleansers twice daily
Exfoliation: A gentle Gommage or Enzyme 1x a week to prevent the skin from looking grey and dull
Serums: For daytime, Peptides, Vitamin C, Salmon DNA, Growth Factors, and Hyaluronic acid. For nighttime serums, Retinol, Bakuchiol, Salmon DNA, Growth Factors, and Hyaluronic Acid.
Moisturizer: Heavy moisturizers target dryness and aging by keeping the skin firm.
Sunscreen: Never forget your SPF!
It’s never too late to care for your skin. Aging is a natural part of life and with the right care, you can look and feel your best at any age. We love treating the skin during all stages of life and hope that breaking it down decade by decade can help you understand what you should be doing to help your skin look its best no matter what age you are.
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