From sheet masks to charcoal face scrubs, the skincare industry always seems to be coming up with new products to try. However, you shouldn’t feel pressured to keep up with the latest trends. Instead, focus on creating a skincare regimen that works for you. As we age, our skin’s needs mature, so products that help people in their 20s might not actually help people in their 70s. If you’re wondering how to keep your skin healthy as you age, all it takes is some self-care habits and a few tried-and-true skincare ingredients. Once you get the hang of your new routine, make it your own and have some fun trying out new products.
How to Keep Your Skin Healthy as You Age
The Basics
While food, water, and shelter are our basic needs for survival, your skin needs sunscreen, water, and moisturizer to stay healthy. After all, your skin is an organ. Just like any other organ, you need to take care of it:
- When you wake up in the morning and before you go to bed at night, wash your face with a gentle cleanser. Use a dermatologist-tested product that isn’t very drying.
- Follow up with a moisturizer that contains an SPF of at least 30 (source). Even if it is cloudy out, you can still get sun damage from ultraviolet rays.
- Drink plenty of water: The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies recommends that you drink about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluid per day if you are a man and about 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day if you are a woman. Water helps keep your skin hydrated throughout the day (source).
Anti-Aging Ingredients
Scan the skincare aisle of a drugstore, and you will find many different products that market themselves as anti-aging. Unfortunately, the FDA classifies creams and lotions as cosmetics, and the organization doesn’t monitor cosmetic claims as strictly as they do drug claims. If you want to be sure that your products are actually doing the work they claim to do, look for some of these anti-aging ingredients:
- Retinol is a vitamin A compound. According to the Mayo Clinic, this antioxidant neutralizes free radicals, which are unstable oxygen molecules that break down skin cells and cause wrinkles.
- Vitamin C is another antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals. When you pair it with sunscreen, it helps further protect your skin from the sun (source).
- Your body naturally produces hyaluronic acid, but as you age your body makes less of it. If you use a product that contains hyaluronic acid, you might notice that your skin is smoother (source).
Now that you’ve done research on how to keep your skin healthy as you age, come up with a routine that works for you. Everyone’s skin is unique, so what works for one person might not work well for you. Keep your routine simple, and you might find that it’s the perfect way to unwind before bed or jump-start your day.
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P.S. In the colder, dryer months, check out our blog post Winter Dry Skin Remedies!