Caring for your skin is incredibly important at any age. But it becomes especially important as you grow older and your skin begins to change.
As you age, your skin can undergo many different changes. It can become rougher, loosen as it loses elastin and collagen, and get thinner and more transparent. And on top of these changes, your skin can also begin showing signs of aging like wrinkles, fine lines, and dark spots.
Anti-Aging Skincare Tips
The first step in keeping your skin in its very best shape as you grow older is caring for it carefully. And practicing healthy skincare habits is one of the best ways to do this.
With the right care, your skin can appear brighter, stay firmer longer, and reduce the development of fine lines and wrinkles. To get in the habit of practicing good anti-aging skincare, follow these tips.
1. Always Wash Your Face
Throughout the day, your face and skin can collect more dirt and grime than you think. And all of that buildup can result in dull, unhealthy skin if not cleansed.
Make sure to wash your face twice each day. Use warm water and a mild cleanser to keep your skin sparkling clean and feeling fresh. This will also give you the perfect blank canvas for your skincare routine.
2. Protect Your Skin from Sun Exposure
The biggest risk to your skin is the sun. Every time you’re exposed to sunlight, your skin faces harmful UV rays that can speed up the aging process and put you at risk of even greater dangers like skin cancer.
Keep your skin protected by seeking out shade and staying out of the sun as much as possible. Make sure to cover up your skin when you’re outside – wear a hat, pants, and long sleeves to limit exposure. You should also apply sunscreen any time you’re headed out.
3. Moisturize Your Skin Daily
Aging can leave your skin drier than ever before. And as your skin becomes drier, the signs of aging become more visible and obvious. Fine lines and wrinkles can appear more prominent, and your skin can dull.
To prevent – or reverse – the effects of dry skin, make sure to keep your skin hydrated with moisturizer. Moisturizer helps the skin retain water, which makes you appear younger. Hydrated skin is also plump skin, which can make wrinkles and fine lines less visible.
4. Stick to a Healthy Diet
What you eat affects your skin just as much as it affects your weight and your overall health. Certain foods can leave you looking your best, while others can only leave your skin looking older.
To keep your skin looking youthful from the inside out, it’s important to stick to a diet that includes plenty of beneficial fruits and veggies. These foods will make sure you’re getting important vitamins, minerals, and skin-important antioxidants.
5. Quit Smoking
Smoking is terrible for your health in so many ways. While many people are aware of the deadly health issues smoking can cause, it also rapidly ages and damages the skin. Whether you’ve been a lifelong smoker or haven’t ever picked up a cigarette, it’s crucial that you keep – or cut – smoking out of your life.
Smoking contributes to wrinkle formation, leads to skin damage, and leaves you looking older than you are. Nicotine also causes blood vessels to narrow, which restricts nutrients your skin desperately needs.
6. Get a Good Night’s Sleep Every Evening
While it might seem like an obvious step, it’s important to get enough sleep each night to keep your skin in its best shape. Sleep is restorative for the body, and it’s especially important for overall health.
When you’re asleep, your body is renewing itself. If you miss a good night of rest or struggle to sleep soundly, your body can age faster. Research has shown that even one night of poor sleep makes your cells speed up the aging process, which can directly affect your skin.
4 Crucial Daily Skincare Steps for Older Adults
In order to care for your skin as you grow older, a solid daily skincare routine is important. The right routine will help you give your skin exactly what it needs each day. And over time, that can restore youthfulness and even potentially reverse some signs of aging.
Older adults should follow these four steps each day to care for their skin.
1. Wash Morning and Night with a Gentle Cleanser
As mentioned above, washing your face each day is an important step in keeping your skin looking its best. However, it’s especially important that older adults cleanse their skin with a gentle cleanser every morning and evening.
When you wash with a gentle cleanser, you’ll remove any skincare products and makeup sitting on your skin. You’ll also remove oils, pollutants, and bacteria. You need clean skin as a foundation for any next steps in your skincare routine. Skincare products work most effectively on fresh, clean faces.
And a gentle cleanser is important because it helps to preserve your skin’s natural barrier. This prevents against dehydration, irritation, and damage. A cleanser with a low pH balance can help your skin stay perfectly balanced.
Recommended Products
- Aveeno Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser, $6.39
- COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser, $9.29
- Clinique Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam, $21
2. Apply Moisturizer with SPF
Hydration is crucial for your skin, which is why you absolutely need to apply a moisturizer after cleansing your wash. Washing can strip away some natural oils produced by your skin, and you’ll want to restore a bit of moisture to keep your skin well-hydrated.
As you age, your skin produces less sebum, which can make dehydration and dry skin more common. A moisturizer can also improve your skin’s ability to retain water. The better your skin can hold in moisture, the more hydrated it’ll be – and the younger your skin will look.
In addition to applying a moisturizer that locks in hydrated skin, you need to include sunscreen for total protection. This is especially important when you’re applying moisturizer in the morning. A moisturizer with SPF offers protection against harmful UV rays and potential skin damage. Applying at least SPF 30 daily is proven to fade age spots, improve skin’s texture, and smooth out wrinkles.
Recommended Products
- Eucerin Daily Protection Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen Moisturizing Face Lotion, $7.39
- Clinique Face Cream SPF 50, $26.50
- Chanel UV Essentiel Multi-Protection Daily Defense SPF 50, $55
3. Pat on an Anti-Aging Serum
The next step – and product – in your anti-aging skincare arsenal should be one that specifically targets the signs and effects of aging. And serums are one of the most powerful anti-aging products you can use.
Anti-aging serums contain a higher concentration of active ingredients than most skincare products. You’ll want to seek out serums that include crucial anti-aging ingredients like vitamin C, retinoids, and alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs). These ingredients can increase collagen, soak up toxins, and can smooth out skin where fine lines and wrinkles are present.
In addition to getting the right anti-aging serum for powerful impact on your skin, you’ll also want to be careful in how you apply it. Serums should be patted onto the skin gently. This ensures even, soft application that won’t rough up your skin.
Recommended Products
- The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%, $5.80
- Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum, $15.98
- VI Derm Clear HQ Free, $60
4. Apply a Reparative Cream Each Night
After you cleanse your face at night, make sure to apply one more thing before bed: a reparative night cream. A good night cream can pack a serious anti-aging punch and keep your skincare routine working 24 hours a day.
How is a reparative night cream different from your morning – or daily – moisturizer? Night creams are actually water-based to offer even more moisture. And this is especially important for seniors and older adults whose thinning skin is prone to dryness.
Additionally, when you apply a night cream that’s dedicated to anti-aging or repairing the effects of aging on the skin, you’ll get the most intense dose of anti-aging ingredients available. Applying a night cream before bed will up your hydration while adding special ingredients like retinol and glycolic acid for deeper anti-aging treatment.
Recommended Products
- Aveeno Absolutely Ageless Restorative Night Cream, $18.79
- Olay Regenerist Night Recovery Night Cream, $33.49
- Estee Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Global Anti-Aging Cell Power Creme, $85
Add These Tips to Your Weekly Routine for an Extra Anti-Aging Boost
In addition to your daily anti-aging skincare routine, you’ll also want to work in a few additional steps each week. These extra steps and products can give your skin extra benefits. They’re also a fantastic way to give your skin any extra nutrients or care it needs.
Work these two bonus tips into your skincare regimen each week for added skin benefits.
Exfoliate to Replenish Your Skin
Exfoliating your skin weekly is a smart idea, especially as you get older. Aging skin means your dead skin cells aren’t replaced as quickly, which can leave skin looking dull, uneven, and even cracked.
An exfoliant removes both these problems and any dead skin cells that are hanging around. Look for a chemical exfoliant to add into your skincare kit. Chemical exfoliants are gentler than harsh physical exfoliants, like sugar scrubs or cleansers with rough beads. You’ll want to opt for one with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), which can be found in exfoliants like toners and at-home peels.
Recommended Products
Nourish with a Face Mask
Another weekly skincare choice you should treat yourself to is a face mask.
There are plenty of different types of face masks you can try out. While you can use a variety and change up your mask depending on what your skin needs at the moment, it’s also a great idea to use one just for anti-aging benefits. These masks can keep skin bright and firm, hydrate skin, and nourish skin.
Recommended Products
Keep Skin Protected and Flourishing With This Advice
While there are many changes that come with growing older, it’s common for some of the most visible signs to appear right on your skin. However, with the right anti-aging skincare routine, nourishing products, and a little care, you can keep your skin looking its very best.
Whether you’re hoping to diminish the signs of aging or keep your skin hydrated and protected, the advice found in this guide will help you accomplish your skincare goals. No matter your age, you can use these tips and products to achieve youthful, healthy skin.