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| Mature Skin Care Through The Ages |
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As we age our skin changes and therefore we need to change our skin care regime according to its changing needs. Here’s how to care for your skin as it matures… It's only natural that as we get older, our skin gets older along with us and we start to notice changes. Most commonly these will be increased roughness in skin texture, fine lines that develop into wrinkles, pigmentation issues, enlarged pores and a lack of elasticity. These are all perfectly normal, though we all might admit that these changes in our reflection are not always that welcome.
If you are really serious about maintaining youthful skin for as long as possible we can tell you right now a few things that you will need to do.
1) Quit smoking. In fact, don’t even hang around where people are smoking. It will age your skin tremendously, no to even mention the fact that you will be inhaling carcinogens.
2) Enjoy a healthy, well balanced diet with plenty of colourful fruit and vegetables – ingesting your antioxidants is as important as applying them topically. Remember beauty starts from the inside out and it doesn’t look like a pizza!
3) Need we say it? Drink loads of water. You will hydrate your body thoroughly and it will help to flush toxins out of your system, keeping your skin clear and nourished. Aim for at least two litres a day and if cold water is not your buzz, start getting into herbal fruit teas.
4) Choose the right, age-appropriate skin care regime for your concerns.
5) Cut down on the amount of refined sugar that you consume. It’s not only fattening and puts you on an emotional rollercoaster, but it causes an inflammatory reaction within the body which scientists believe contributes to the ageing of the skin. Boo to sugar then!
In Your 30s
Ok, before you get too offended, no, you don’t have to be ‘mature’ at 30, but most women see the first signs of aging in their early to mid-30s. We’re sorry to say it, so you might want to be sitting down when you read this, but these signs are more pronounced in sun worshippers and party gals. Oops!
Skin appears drier
Fine expression lines and wrinkles begin to appear
You complexion might start to look uneven and develop sunspots
Skin starts to lose some of its youthful glow
Skincare needs:
Supplements Invest in a good multi-vitamin and if you are on the pill you may also want to look at magnesium, calcium and zinc blends as well as an iron supplement during your periods as the pill can reduce your levels of these vitamins and minerals. Omega 3 supplements or flaxseed oil are also great for the skin – as well as helping maintain a healthy cardiovascular system.
Sun protection is a daily necessity. Yes, every day not just in summer! This will help to prevent skin cell breakdown and uneven complexion known as freckles and pigmentation. Only ever purchase broad spectrum UVB (sunburn-inducing) and UVA (skin aging and skin cancer-inducing) sunscreens.
Moisturisers that focus on gentle anti-ageing are useful at this age as they can help to heal damaged skin. Retinol is an excellent ingredient to look for as it helps to thicken the epidermis – which makes it less fragile or damage prone and reverses signs of ageing. Many dermatologists will say that a retinoid product is not an option, it’s a must-have!
Antioxidants are also ideal as they help fight the skin damage caused by environmental stressors (cigarette smoke, pollution). The best topical antioxidants available are idebenone, amino-peptides, coffeeberry, green tea extract, coenzyme Q10, vitamin C and vitamin E. Look for serums to go underneath your moisturiser or a moisturiser combination that contains these.
Products that might help:
Celazome Daily Antioxidant Moisture Supplement, $73.90
Trilogy AGE PROOF Daily Defence Moisturiser with SPF15 contains pure plant moisturisers as well as hyaluronic acid and vitamins A, C and E, $52.90
Biore Skin Preservation Power Couple Moisturiser which provides broad spectrum sunscreen in a hydrating moisturiser base, $24.99 and Biore Restore Skin Boosting Night Serum nourishes and soothes while it protects with antioxidants A and C, $21.99
RoC Hydra+ Bio ctive which is packed with hydrating ingredients and antioxidants and comes in a SPF option, $45
Clinique Even Better Skin Tone Correcting Moisturiser SPF 20 which helps correct hyperpigmentation and even skin tone, $99.
Prevage Day Ultra Protection Anti-Ageing Moisturiser SPF 30 which provides the ultimate in antioxidant protection, $240.
In Your 40s
The changes that started to appear in the 30s are more pronounced in the 40s. All those Kiwi summers and juggling career (read: frown lines) and kids (read: laughter lines) and just being a superwoman is taking its toll. The skin will start to see changes as a result of premenopausal changes inside the body, in addition to an even slower skin cell turnover rate than what you experienced in your 30s. The collagen levels in your skin also break down and as a result skin will show increased signs of ageing and a loss of elasticity. Skin may appear dull, with increased expression lines, photo-ageing and sun damage will appear increased as the things you did in your youth start to show through on your skin.
Supplements This is a great time to start on a supplement such as Imedeen Time perfection. Yes, it’s expensive, but think what you spend on clothes and remember that you wear your face every single day!
Skincare needs:
Sun protection daily. As above! Be religious about it to prevent further breakdown of collagen as a result of sun damage.
Cleansers Use gentle, creamy cleansers as you will be upping your retinol strength during this decade which may make your skin sensitive. If required and your skin can tolerate it – or you are suffering from breakouts, you may wish to use salicylic acid cleansers occasionally.
Ingredients to look for in moisturisers:
Hyaluronic acid – this is the skin’s natural moisturiser and keeps the connective tissues between joints lubricated. Ensure you have adequate magnesium intake as not enough magnesium can deplete hyaluronic acid in the body.
Antioxidants – continue to use them daily for both their preventative and regenerative aspects – they can actually correct cell damage and increase clarity of the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Retinoids are vitamin A-derived ingredients that can build collagen, repair sun damage and reverse fine lines and wrinkles. While effective it can be too strong for sensitive skin. A dermatologist can prescribe something suitable for your skin.
Exfoliants can be beneficial to mature skins as they work to increase skin cell turnover and reveal more youthful cells below. Choose between a manual (grainy) exfoliants or a chemical exfoliant which will have alpha-hydroxy (AHA) or beta-hydroxy (BHA) acids in the cleanser or lotion.
Eye creams look for nourishing eye creams that blend a combination of hydrating ingredients and retinol.
Specialist Help
Botox can be useful at this age for softening fine lines and chemical peels are useful to bring more clarity and even-tone to the complexion.
Products that might help:
Celazome N.45 Firming Peptide Cream, $195
Dr LeWinn’s Line Smoothing Complex S8 Double Intensity Night Cream, $119.90 which targets expression lines around the eyes and mouth, brow furors and loss of elasticity.
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair which helps repair past damage and prevent more with antioxidants, 50ml $176.
Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream which contains amino-peptides to help firm the areas that are prone to sagging, $49.99
Murad Sleep Reform Serum which stimulates collagen production and protects with antioxidants, $249.75
Estee Lauder Time Zone Anti-Line/Wrinkle Eye Cream which promises to reduce fine lines in just 4 weeks (You’ll have to wait till 11 Jan 2010 for this to be on counter!), $104
Your 50s and beyond are still a time for you to feel glamorous and sassy, so just because you are still making friends with your grey hairs and the lines that etch the stories of your life on your face, does not mean you should call it quits on your beauty routine. Skincare is still going to be an important part of maintaining your skin – and give you that dose of pampering – after all these are your ‘YOU’ years. Enjoy! You skin’s signs of ageing will become more pronounced during these later years as the skin continues to age and estrogen levels drop post-menopause, the skin’s natural oil production also decreases, so your skin can tend to dry out. Remember that right now your skin also becomes more fragile; it gets damaged more easily and heals more slowly. The eyelid area and neck area may start to droop and sag as a result of decreased elasticity.
Skincare needs:
Supplements Evening primrose oil, flaxseed oil and Omega 3/6/9 combination supplements should be considered as they hydrate the skin from within and help to keep the skin moist.
Sunscreens Choose a sunscreen that is high protection but in a moisturising base to give additional hydration and add a fresh dewiness to your complexion.
Moisturisers Choose a rich, creamy moisturiser to keep the skin soft and supple. Supplement your regime with a moisturiser or serum that contains a high percentage of stable vitamin C, which helps to reduce the appearance of lines and pigmentation as well as further protecting the skin from free radical damage. If you have particularly crepey skin you might like to consider creams that have peptides in them, which help to support the skin structure and boost collagen levels in the skin.
Night cream Consult a dermatologist who can recommend a product that contains retinol but which will not dry out your skin so much as to irritate your skin. Retin-A is a great prescription cream as it is helpful in treating both post-menopausal breakouts and wrinkles.
Eye creams The best eye cream to use at this point is one that contains corrective ingredients, in a rich emollient formulation.
Specialist Help
We’re not going to say this is the right or wrong thing to do, it is entirely up to the individual, but it is around this time in life, where women consider more drastic measures to maintain their youth. Cosmetic surgical interventions or cosmetic enhancements such as dermal fillers containing hyaluronic acid, like Restylane, Juvederm and Perlane might be considered. Botox or course will help to relax any defined wrinkles, but if the skin is very loose, the best form of treatment would be a facelift. For a non-invasive and not very scary procedure, Fraxel Laser is extremely effective for fine lines during this stage of your life.
Products that might help:
Lancome Absolue Precious Cells is especially formulated for women aged 50+ this cream is the result of many years of stem cell research and delivers amazing results on crepey skin and wrinkles.
Day Cream, $310; Night Cream, $365; Eye Cream, $185.
Clarins Super Restorative Serum which replenishes skin that is affected by age-related hormonal changes.
Juice Beauty Antioxidant Serum which is proven to deliver high protection antioxidants to the skin, $65.
L’Oreal Revitalift Lotion, SPF18 gives advanced anti-ageing benefits in a lightweight lotion and is suitable for sensitive skin, $32.99
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