Can we let you in on a little secret? Your age doesn’t need to be written all over your face. The skincare routine – or lack thereof- you had in your 20s just isn’t doing it for you anymore. Sure, we are 30, flirty and thriving, but we are also noticing fine lines, new spots that weren’t there before and perhaps a little more laxity than we would like. Even so, entering our 30s and 40s are eras to celebrate, not dread! These are the eras of becoming mothers, finally having a little extra money to spend, and settling into our career paths. These are all exciting things to look forward to leaving our 20s. Call us bias, but we happen to think that a new skincare routine is pretty exciting too! First, let’s dive into why your skin is changing at this stage of life and how proper skin care and new ingredients can correct signs of aging and encourage anti-aging moving forward.

Why You’re Noticing Signs of Aging in Your 30s and Beyond

There are a few key contributions that are simply biological and can’t be avoided, and then there are lifestyle-specific contributions that may or may not apply to you. Let’s break them down:

Collagen Reduction

Collagen is the fibrous protein that holds your skin up nice and tight against gravity and gives it that youthful plumpness and vibrance. Unfortunately, collagen tries to retire from its job early… like really early. Collagen reproduction drops by about 1% every year starting around the mid-20s (Cleveland Clinic, 2023). When you think about a 20% reduction in collagen between the ages of 25 and 45, it makes sense why you start to notice wrinkles you’ve never seen before, laxity in your cheeks and jawline and more tired, sunken under-eyes even with a full night’s sleep. Collagen loss is a universal contributor to aging that affects all men and women and can’t be avoided.

Lack of Hydration Retention

Drink up because water intake and skin elasticity are closely connected. Water is the only way your body can flush out toxins that manifest on the skin as dullness, inflammation, puffiness, and even acne. Dehydration will show on the skin quite clearly as dullness, dryness, flakiness, hypersensitivity and long healing times post-treatment. As you age your skin has a harder time retaining moisture (this is why you’ll find most moisturizers targeted to age groups 50+ are quite heavy compared to ones targeted to younger age groups.) As you age, it is crucial to up your water intake to allow the simple magic of water to work towards brightening, rejuvenating, tightening, and healing your skin barrier. Did we mention those who consume more water are less likely to experience deep lines and wrinkles as they age? Water is like a free anti-aging skincare product that you can’t overdo.

Smoking

Smoking wreaks havoc on all areas of your body, from every internal organ and cell to your skin. Each cigarette inhale is directed immediately to the lungs, and these 7,000-sum toxic chemicals are then carried by blood cells to every organ of the body. A long-term smoking habit is sure to show on the skin as discolouration, acne, inflammation, sunken cheeks and under-eyes, “smoker lines” on and around the lips, and premature wrinkles. One study showed long-term smokers in their 40s can have as many facial wrinkles as a person in their 60s who has never smoked (How Smoking Affects The Way You Look, 2022, para 4). Why does smoking cause such rapid premature aging? Turns out there is an enzyme in cigarettes called metalloproteinase that breaks down collagen production in the skin (How Smoking Affects The Way You Look, 2022, para 6). Your body is already naturally losing collagen as you age, so adding an enzyme that essentially does double duty will cause rapid premature aging.

Excess Sun Exposure

Need we remind you of the benefits of SPF? Well, we are going to because the sun is your skin’s worst enemy in the quest for preventative or anti-aging… okay maybe smoking takes the lead, but unprotected sun exposure is a close second. You don’t need to experience a sunburn for the sun’s UV to be damaging. UV rays cause oxidative stress at the cellular level, meaning your cells have to kick into repair mode when they’ve been exposed to too much sun with or without a sunburn. This quickly becomes challenging on your cells as their ability to function and reproduce is affected at the DNA level (Medical News Today, 2023). Signs of this oxidative stress manifest on the skin as sun spots, wrinkles, uneven tone and texture, dehydration, and laxity. Aging caused by the sun’s UV rays is referred to as photoaging. Unprotected exposure to the sun is a massive contributor to premature aging and can be very difficult and expensive to correct. Take a peek at our recent blog post: SPF: Here’s What to Look For When Choosing The Right One For You if you need more convincing on the benefits of SPF.

Hormones (pregnancy or otherwise)

Unfortunately, not everyone experiences that “pregnancy glow” when it comes to their skin. Many pregnant women experience melasma (brownish-grey patches commonly found around the mouth and forehead) for the first time during pregnancy, other forms of hyperpigmentation, skin texture changes, and increased redness. Later in life, we hit menopause which comes with its own unique skin challenges such as laxity, excess dryness and thinning skin as well as more hair becoming noticeable on the face due to the drop in hormone levels.

Is Anti-Aging Even Possible?

While preventative aging is always the goal, anti-aging is still possible with a combination of proper skincare suited for your age and stage of life, skin treatments to improve- and in some cases reverse- signs of aging and living a mindful lifestyle of what goes in and on your body.

Anti-Aging Skincare

Skincare is highly personalized and customizable based on your skin goals. In your 20s, you may have had a standard skincare routine of makeup removers, a serum if you’re lucky, moisturizer and hopefully SPF. But now it’s time for a high-quality skincare routine. Don’t mistake “high-quality” for “extensive”, you can still keep your routine simple but if you haven’t incorporated actives into your skincare regime yet, now is the time to really start seeing anti-aging results.

Actives such as AHA’s and retinol are highly exfoliating and are going to target cell turnover which is what you want when reversing signs of aging. These types of actives typically come in a serum and are used several times a week to sweep away dead skin cells and promote new cells to rise to the surface. L-ascorbic acid - or Vitamin C - is a key antioxidant used to brighten tired skin, protect against environmental pollutants and pigmentation (such as sun spots and age spots), and plump the skin. Vitamin C can be used every single morning to prevent further signs of aging and start lightening pigmented areas. Peptides are another powerhouse ingredient for mature skin over 40. Peptides are specifically useful for targeting fine lines and wrinkles.

When targeting specific signs of aging, specialized serums are going to become your new best friend. Serums penetrate deeper into your skin than moisturizers or cleansers, making them more effective for harnessing anti-aging results. Rather than purchasing a $200 “anti-aging” moisturizer, save your pennies for targeted serums instead and don’t be afraid to use multiple serums at once that target multiple concerns. So long as they can be used together, serums can be layered.

Anti-Aging Skin Treatments

Some of Natology’s most popular anti-aging skin treatments include laser peels, fractional resurfacing, microneedling, and intense pulse light. Laser peels, fractional resurfacing and microneedling are incredible treatments for giving the skin a restart, diminishing the appearance of lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, tightening sagging skin, and promoting collagen production in a short amount of time. For example, several studies have shown just one session of microneedling can produce a 400% increase in collagen production as a result. Intense pulse light is used to rapidly dimmish dark spots, photoaging (sun spots, age spots), and rejuvenate the skin, restoring a youthful glow. Downtime is usually required of any highly effective treatment such as laser peels and microneedling; however, these treatments typically require a series of 3 sessions and provide noticeable anti-aging results, making the downtime worthwhile in the end. If the word “downtime” scares you, many of these treatments allow for the incorporation of PRP to speed up healing time and improve your overall result. Have a read at our blog post all about this liquid gold: PRF: Turn Back The Signs of Time, Naturally

Neurotoxins and Dermal Fillers

Botox and dermal filler are available as a quick- yet temporary- fix to fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of volume in the face. Something to note with Botox is that the deeper the facial wrinkles, the less likely it is to correct and smooth the wrinkles. It may be recommended that Botox is used in conjunction with skin treatments such as microneedling to achieve a more permanent, long-lasting solution. Dermal filler on the other hand is an immediate solution to lost volume in areas such as the under-eyes, cheeks, and lips and results can last anywhere from 6-12 months, depending on the individual. Dermal filler does not encourage collagen production, once the filler has metabolized you will be left where you started. 

Consciously Mindful Lifestyle

This isn’t simply limited to remembering to vigorously apply your SPF, but also being aware of your water intake, the foods you are putting into your body and the level of inflammation that is associated with them, your sleep patterns, supplement intake, stress levels, exercise regime, and the time you prioritize to give yourself self-care and fill your own cup. We’re especially talking to you new moms out there who fill everyone else’s cup before even looking at your own. Don’t underestimate the havoc that stress can wreak on your skin.

What Is The Best Anti-Aging Treatment?

The truth is, there isn’t one treatment that is universally the best because your anti-aging goals may look different than someone else’s. What we can tell you is unless you undergo surgical measures to reverse signs of aging, it will be a combination of targeted at-home skincare and in-clinic treatments to holistically reverse the signs of time. Anti-aging isn’t about smoothing every single line and wrinkle or removing all signs of maturity to restore a 20-year-old's face. Anti-aging is about skin confidence and correcting the signs of aging that affect your own skin confidence. Be proud to enter your new era and feel empowered to embrace the signs of this era that you enjoy, and correct the ones that you don’t.