Does Age Matter? How Aging May Change our Approach to Skincare
No matter how old you are, you may have reached your age thinking that you have a certain skin type, and that’s that. Whether dry, oily, acne prone or ‘normal’, you may have gotten used to your skin type and have either always stuck to the same skin care products (as the brand loyal type you are) or at least stuck to the same type of skin care products suited to your skin.
But did you know that as we age, our skin might develop different needs or shake off some of the needs it had when it was younger? As we slowly move from our baby soft skin to the onset of fine lines, wrinkles, sagging and thinning skin, we have different skin needs. So that means that our skin care products and regime may well need to change too.
What we might have done in our 20s and got away with (by the way, makeup wipes on an everyday basis are never a good idea, even on youthful skin!), we probably don’t want to be doing as we enter our 40s and beyond as our skin loses its plumpness and tightness.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the things we could be considering in terms of skin care, depending on what age we are.
Teenage skin
Our teenage years are tricky beasts as we navigate our way through puberty and massive changes in our hormones. Not only do we have to contend with changes in our bodies and our emotions, we have to contend with the effect of all these hormone surges on our skin.
Male hormones called androgens, that are also present in female bodies as well as male, are responsible in part for teenage acne, in particular, the male hormone testosterone.
Testosterone causes some of the physical bodily changes during puberty but it also triggers the sebaceous glands within the skin to start to release more sebum. Sebum is a natural oil with a wax like consistency that’s produced by the skin to keep it hydrated and supple.
When too much sebum is released, such as is often the case during puberty, it can lead to oily skin and acne breakouts that are common in our teenage years. Therefore, using skin care products that support oily skin and acne prone skin can be helpful for treating teenage hormonal acne and managing oiliness.
20s
As we progress into our 20s and young adulthood, it's common for us to leave the years of acne prone skin behind. But it’s also common to still suffer with acne breakouts well into our 20s and beyond. In fact, for some, it’s a lifelong condition.
Using skin care designed for non conformist, acne prone skin and living a healthy lifestyle is a good idea for managing acne breakouts.
If we don’t suffer with acne, in our 20s, living a life of excess, burning the candle at both ends, studying and the stress of forging our career path can also take its toll on our skin. So it’s important to look after our skin from the inside and the outside.
This means making sure we drink enough water to stay hydrated and using skin care that nourishes our young skin. Although it’s tempting to spend long days relaxing in the sun too, it’s always best to take steps to avoid sunburn and exposing our skin to the sun for long lengths of time.
30s
Adult acne can still plague us into our 30s and the same hormone surges that lead to teenage acne can also be responsible for acne that develops as a result of menstruating, being pregnant and breastfeeding. Again, it makes sense to live a healthy life as far as possible, and to continue using skin care products that support our skin.
In our 30s, our skin can start to show the visible signs of ageing such as fine lines, areas of hyperpigmentation and dryness.
If you’re in your 30s, now is the time to introduce extra skin care products such as serums into your routine to help support your skin as it begins to age.
Using a retinoid or a retinol based product can also help to slow down the ageing process. Also making sure you’re exfoliating twice a week (once a week if you have particularly sensitive or acne prone skin) using salicylic acid will help to prevent pore blockages and will help to improve any hyperpigmentation, acne scarring or fine line formation.
40s
Many women start to notice symptoms of the perimenopause when they’re in their 40s, and among these symptoms, our skin can also start to become stressed out, even if we’ve never experienced problem skin before. This is all down to our hormones again, as we begin to lose the female hormone oestrogen.
Using a product that contains hyaluronic acid will help to keep the skin hydrated which can help to reduce the signs of skin ageing that really start to come into force in our 40s. We’ve added hyaluronic acid to our Sidekick Day Cream and Strength Training Serum and our fans love it!
50s
Women that are going through or have gone through the menopause are, generally speaking but not always, in or around their 50s. This is a time when our skin starts to appear less elastic, thinner, possibly more hollow and with visible fine lines, wrinkles, sagging, hyperpigmentation and larger pores - all classic signs of skin ageing as we lose collagen, the protein responsible for skin plumpness and youthfulness.
You might notice your skin becoming much drier during this time, so using a heavier moisturiser, particularly at night, or more of your usual one, will help to keep your skin hydrated and nourished. Keep up with the hyaluronic acid and retinoids, too.
60+
Reaching our 60s and beyond often means we’re beginning to wind down, we might take retirement and spend our days in the sun (or looking after the grandchildren). As our skin at this time is much thinner and we may have lost some muscle and bone structure too, it's important to cover up when in the sun, and to stay hydrated.
Mature skin often needs more moisture, so make sure you’re moisturising twice a day and exfoliating regularly to avoid a buildup of skin dulling dead skin cells and oil.
Caring for your skin with Sönd
Here at Sönd, we know what it is to have stressed out, non conformist skin. That’s why we developed our range of skin care products made from plant based ingredients, active botanicals and alkalising silica salts. We’re excited too, to announce the release of our much anticipated Purifying Clay Face Mask, a mask containing zeolite and bentonite clay for an intensive skin detox.
Our range of skin care includes a creamy cleanser, a day and night cream and a serum, and all have been developed with all skin types in mind. So whatever your skin type, whatever your age, our kind, natural and effective ingredients will support and nourish your skin.
Sources
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/acne/causes/
https://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/stages-of-puberty#acne
https://www.healthline.com/health/adult-acne
https://www.webmd.com/menopause/guide/guide-perimenopause#1
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3840548/
https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/age-not-skin-type
https://www.webmd.com/beauty/cosmetic-procedures-aging-skin#1