SKIN CARE TIPS AT EVERY AGE
The sooner your start a daily routine, the better
When it comes to properly caring for your skin, sooner really is better.
“Skin care starts from birth. We don’t wait until we’re teenagers to floss and brush our teeth, so it doesn’t make sense to wait to start caring for our skin,” says Kathryn Sawers, a Vancouver-based skin therapist.
While thinking about anti-aging as an infant may be a bit of an exaggeration, the idea that taking earlier steps toward giving your skin what it needs leading to a better outcome over the long term, isn’t.
“The benefits of good skin care are an investment for a lifetime,” says Dr. Mark Lupin, the medical director at Cosmedica Laser Centre in Victoria and a clinical instructor at UBC’S Department of Dermatology and Skin Science. “The earlier the better.”
Rather than approaching skin care needs based purely on age — focusing on the number of years rather than other internal and external factors — experts says it’s important to consider your skin’s unique needs at every stage of your life. Then, tailor your regimen to address them.
And, according to Sawers, good skin care for everyone really starts with four simple considerations.
“I like to focus on the foundation of skin health with four key elements: daily broad spectrum sun protection, antioxidant serum such as vitamin C, hydroxy acid exfoliant or nightly retinol protection and nourishment and hydration with a face cream best suited to skin type and condition,” she explains.
These four elements, she says, will act as a strong foundation for your skin care routine in your 30s and all the way to 70-plus. But, she warns, while it’s OK for people to keep their regimes more on the minimal side in the earlier decades, it’s important to introduce proactive and preventive products and measures as early as your 30s.
“People can introduce serums with peptides in their mid-30s and beyond to stimulate collagen synthesis,” she explains. “I also like supporting the skin structure and integrity through supplements and nutri-cosmetics.”
While the aforementioned four steps are undoubtedly essential, the most important element to consider for your skin among them, no matter your age, is proper sun protection.
“As 90 per cent of aging is due to photo-aging — i.e. too much sun — it is especially important to be aware of not only sun protection but also sun-reversing treatments,” Lupin says. “This starts at home with use of proper topical antioxidants such as photo-tested vitamin C serums, which not only protect against the sun, but also accelerate healing and reverse early damage caused by the sun.”
A good sunscreen, it turns out, may be one of the only things in your regimen that remains consistent throughout the years.
“Skin care needs do tend to change as we age,” Lupin says. “The oily skin of youth usually becomes the dry skin of our mature years. Moisturizers can be helpful at all ages but need to be adjusted with time to help restore the skin from within rather than just coating it. Acne-prone skin often benefits from moisturizers but naturally these need to be lighter and non-comedogenic. Rosacea can increase with time and the skin becomes more sensitive. This means adjusting the dosing and/or frequency of skin care so that it is well tolerated and performing well.”
In recent years, the general awareness of and knowledge about proper skin care techniques has been boosted thanks to online and social media sharing.
“My patients are more informed about proper skin care now compared to a decade ago,” Lupin says. “Social media is a lightning rod for spreading news quickly — sometimes not all true information — but it has been healthy in the sense of generating conversations.”
The boost in online posts about information, products and procedures has also led to an increase in male customers to his practice.
“I do generally see an increasing proportion of men who are concerned about sun damage and protecting for the future,” he says.
While more men are embracing skin care practices, and some men undoubtedly practice advanced preventive regimes that would rival any other, Sawers says there’s still change that needs to happen in the perception of men’s skin care.
“As preposterous as it sounds, there are still men who feel self conscious about caring for their skin,” she says. “The societal expectation/ standards for men’s skin just aren’t the same as for women, so many of them are quite OK going around with dry, rough, red or prematurely aged skin. I think we still have a ways to go before getting a facial is as normal as getting a hair cut for men.”
But while more patients are familiar with procedures, treatments and branded products than in previous years, thanks to online exposure, Lupin says it still should be left up to educated practitioners to determine what’s best for your specific skin needs.
And Sawers further stresses this professional point by reminding people that, while you can get inspiration online for your ultimate skin care goals, you shouldn’t use online resources and social media influencers as full reality. When researching online, she says, it’s important to do your due diligence in learning about the background experience and motivations of the person who’s putting the information out there.
“In order to get accurate and helpful information, I recommend following accounts that are run by people who either have access to experts in their field, or who are experts themselves,” Sawers says.
Exploring the various options for at-home products and professional treatments can seem overwhelming. Especially with an ever-increasing number of new ingredients and “miracle” procedures being touted online. But, according to Lupin, it’s important to keep things as simple as possible in order to increase efficacy — and boost results.
“Most people have too many products, which can start competing with each other, reducing their effectiveness,” he says. When this occurs, he recommends patients pack up their full lineup of products and head to a professional to help them sort out their skin needs in one sweep.
“I have patients bring in all their products — and I simplify and optimize by tailoring for each individual,” he explains. “The goal is better value and better results while simplifying the daily routine.”
And, better skin too, of course.
SKIN CARE CONCERNS: THROUGH THE AGES
While some experts eschew the idea of breaking down skin care by the decades, it remains a useful tool for considering concerns and practical outcomes of products and procedures.
Especially as many people begin to notice certain signs of skin damage, changes or aging around the same age markers.
“Adult acne is quite prevalent for women in their 20s, 30s and beyond, as well as general skin congestion and dehydration. It’s also very common for people to be concerned with expressions lines on the forehead and nasolabial folds that pop up in our late 30s and early 40s,” says Sawers. “The older generation are still trying to clear up the ravages of unprotected sun exposure that occurred in their youths when such protection did not exist or at least was not a focus. On the contrary, children were encouraged to go outside and get extra sun exposure, which later in life, manifests both as health and beauty concerns.”
According to, Dr. Mark Lupin of Cosmedica in Victoria, the path to discovering one’s unique skin care needs starts with a few ingredients: vitamin A creams (retinol); ■ sunblock; ■ vitamin B3. “Niacinamide — ■ which is an antioxidant that has shown potential for skin cancer prevention,” he says.;
vitamin C. “Only ‘Phototested ■ L-ascorbic vitamin C’ that is 10-20 per cent strength with ph < 3.5 in a serum formulation is recommended — as this is proven effective.”
Lupin offered the below quick tips and tricks to identify concerns, ingredients and treatments throughout the years.
30s
Concerns: The start of fine lines and the switch of skin from oily to combination or dry. Lingering acne is a common concern. Lifestyle can impact with early signs of sun damage such as brown pigmentation such as melasma and early signs of rosacea. Emphasis is on prevention of photo-aging and proactive treatments to reduce need for surgical interventions. Key ingredients: Tranexamic acid ingredient for melasma
Popular treatments: Clear+brilliant laser treatments; neuromodulators (like Botox, Xeomin, Dysport) and judicious use of dermal fillers; Isolaz and Fractora treatments for acne and acne scarring
40s
Concerns: Loss of collagen and skin thinning presents as early sagging of skin, deeper lines and enlarged pores. Sun damage from the 20s begins to show itself and a tired look can result.
Key ingredients: Resveratrol and Niacinamide
Popular treatments: Fotona micropeels or Clear+brilliant laser treatments; dermal fillers and neuromodulators
50s
Concerns: The skin becomes drier, loses its glow and lustre, and becomes more laxity. Heavy eyelids and hollowing about the cheeks and eyes can give a tired, drawn look. The onset of small precancerous spots called actinic keratosis may begin to show and this is the age of menopause when the skin goes through hormonal changes. Key ingredients: Triple Lipid repair or moisturizers with ceramides (like Cerave), free fatty acids that replenish the skin rather than covering the skin to help moisturize from inside out.
Treatments: Fraxel laser, resurfacing helps remove precancerous actinic keratosis as well as to gently freshen the skin; dermal fillers and neuromodulators to lift the skin, improve a tired look and address early signs of aging; Excel V Plus laser to treat dilated and prominent veins.
60s
Concerns: Unprotected sun exposure of this decade’s youth is evidenced with more precancerous actinic keratosis, prominent brown sun spots called solar lentigines and dilated facial veins. Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid creams and lotions; Resveratrol is also helpful — the “longevity molecule”
Treatments: Thermage and Ulthera for skin tightening; Fotona Erbium or Ultrapulse CO2 laser resurfacing and spot treatments with picosecond lasers such as the Starwalker or Enlighten for brown sun spots; M22 IPL photo-rejuvenation is popular for rosacea and brown sun spots.
70+
Concerns: Some degree of dryness is almost universal, the skin is slow to turn over resulting in a dull complexion, and increased sagging of the skin is common. There is a loss of underlying facial support with increased wrinkling and sagging about the mouth.
Key ingredients: Collagen firming creams
Treatments: Fraxel laser resurfacing and ablative laser resurfacing such as Fotona Erbium or Ultrapulse CO2 about the mouth and eyes. Microneedling treatments alone or with radio-frequency for some tightening (e.g. Fractora treatments); Ulthera for lifting. CO2 laser for removing brown raised age spots and moles.