Skin Care In Your 40’s

Within the past 10 years skin care for the over 40 age group has improved tremendously, so much so that it is now possible to maintain a healthy and glowing complexion well throughout your 40’s.

This is largely due to the development of various cosmeceuticals (i.e. skin care products with drug like effects) and inexpensive medical skin procedures (e.g. Botox) that are widely available to all.

As a result of these advancements turning 40 doesn’t mean you have to look old, and as long as you are willing to make an effort you can still have great looking skin.

Skin In Your 40’s

Healthy skin in your 40’s has minimal sun damage with few wrinkles and expression lines. Skin should be moist and have some colour to it.

Moist skin will be more common in people who have an oily skin type, so if your skin is naturally dry make sure to use the correct moisturiser to keep your skin hydrated.

Men may have additional skin care concerns as they enter their 40’s, as receding hairlines will expose new areas of skin that were inaccessible before.

These should be treated just like any other part of skin on the face, by washing, moisturising and exfoliating bald areas.

For women in their 40’s skin oil production will start to decline as they enter the start of perimenopause. This can leave the skin looking drier and thinner.

At this point in your life any serious health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or autoimmune disorders can start to affect the health of your skin.

This can cause your skin to become more sensitive and inflamed giving it a reddish or flushed appearance.

Skin Care In Your 40’s

Skin care in your 40’s should consist of your basic skin care ritual that involves cleansing, toning and moisturising.

However you might find that as your skin becomes drier and more sensitive, you may need to switch skin care products to something more suitable to your current skin type.

Chemical peels should be done once a month to help speed up the rate at which skin cells turnover, or every few months or yearly depending on the strength of the chemical peel.

Exfoliation should be done two to three times a week with alpha hydroxyl acids, scrubs or enzymes.

Enzymes are recommended for mature skin because they help to break down a lot of dead skin cells and other waste, giving the skin a fresh looking and rejuvenated appearance.

The use of cosmeceuticals, vitamin c, alpha lipoic acid and emu oil can also be used to help reverse the signs of aging.

One skin care product worth looking into is Retin-A. This is a vitamin A derivate that can help to rebuild collagen and remove fine lines and wrinkles.

It does however increase the skin’s sensitivity to the sun, which means it should always be used with sunscreen.

Medical Skin Care Procedures

If you feel that cosmeceuticals don’t give you the results you were hoping for, then you may consider Botox or collagen injections to temporarily hide lines and wrinkles.

A more drastic approach is laser skin resurfacing which can help to improve the appearance of the skin by destroying brown pigmentation caused by sun damage and reduce the appearance of enlarged or broken capillaries.

Finally there is the option of having a facelift, although this should always be done as a last resort and only if you are unhappy with your previous efforts.