Understanding Your Skin as You Age

Wrinkles develop for many reasons—some we can control, others we have to accept

Sun exposure, repeated facial expressions, decreasing collagen production, and the natural thinning of our skin all play their parts. The good news? With the right treatments, you can make a significant improvement- you won’t look like you’re 20 again, but your skin’s texture and appearance will be so much better!

Now before you look at all this and think My God how am I going to remember/ work out how to do all this? I have created a table at the beginning of this article that summarizes what you need to do each day, but still if you can try to read further so you understand what we are doing with all these products. I have tried to make my explanations understandable and non-technical as I can.

Also, I have written separate articles explaining

Retinoids

Cleansers

Moisturizers

Peptides

Eye creams

Which give you a lot more information about all these products.

Here is a Bare Bones Budget -Friendly Table Describing Your Essential Skincare Needs:

Weekly Budget Skincare Regime

 

Below I describe a more complicated and slightly more expensive regime in more detail:

To Start off in the Morning

First off- a Good Cleanser

Your first treatment of the day- Splash your face with lukewarm water (hot water can strip away natural oils) and cleanse with something gentle like CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser.

Massage the cleanser in with circular motions.

Vitamin C: Your Daily Shield

While your skin is still slightly damp, use your vitamin C serum. This powerful ingredient does two things—it helps build collagen (the protein that gives skin its bounce) while protecting against environmental damage.

Apply 3-4 drops of something like Timeless Vitamin C + E Ferulic Acid Serum to your fingertips, then gently press—don’t rub—into your skin. Imagine you’re delivering little packets of protection to every cell.

Hydration: Plumping From Within

Next, apply a hydrating serum containing hyaluronic acid. This  molecule can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water, instantly making your skin look plumper and less lined.

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 is a good choice. Apply a few drops to damp skin. Don’t miss  areas where wrinkles are most noticeable—often around the eyes and mouth.

Then Moisturizing

Lock in all the hydration with a moisturizer suited to your skin type. For normal to dry skin, CeraVe Moisturizing Cream provides ceramides that help restore your skin’s natural barrier. If you’re on the oilier side, try Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel is good for lightweight hydration.

Massage the moisturizer into your skin using upward motions. Take about 30 seconds to do this. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends applying moisturizer “immediately after cleansing, when your skin is clean and slightly damp”

Please see my separate article about moisturizers if you want to know more about these important products for your skin health, and which moisturizers are best for dry, “normal” or oily skin.

Sunscreen: Your Most Powerful Anti-Aging Tool

This is non-negotiable, even on cloudy days or when staying indoors (yes, UVA rays penetrate windows!). Apply a broad-spectrum SPF 30-50 as your final step.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-In Milk Sunscreen SPF 60 feels lovely on the skin without leaving a white cast. Use about a quarter-sized amount for your face and neck, and remember to reapply every two hours when outdoors.

Think of sunscreen not as a chore but as an investment and protection for your long-term skin health.

Your Evening Ritual: Repair & Renewal

Thorough Cleansing

In the evening, take time to properly remove the day from your face. If you wear makeup or sunscreen (which you should!), consider double cleansing.

Start with a balm or oil cleanser like Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm. Massage it into dry skin and watch as makeup and sunscreen melt away. Follow with your regular gentle cleanser.

Retinoids: The Gold Standard

Three nights a week, apply a retinoid product. If you’re new to retinoids, start with a gentle over-the-counter option like Differin Gel (adapalene 0.1%) or The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion. You can gradually increase the strength of the retinoid- I explain this in my article about retinoids. Something like SkinCeuticals Retinol 1.0 maximum strength refining night cream (1.0% retinol) is one of the most potent retinoids you can get without a prescription.

Apply a pea-sized amount to your entire face, avoiding the immediate eye area. Be patient—retinoids work by communicating with your skin cells, encouraging them to behave more like younger versions of themselves. This treatment takes time, but the results are worth it.

If your skin is already accustomed to retinoids, you might consider talking to a dermatologist about prescription-strength options like tretinoin.

Peptides: The Messengers

On nights when you’re not using retinoids, apply a peptide serum like The Ordinary “Buffet” or Paula’s Choice Peptide Booster. Peptides are like little messengers that tell your skin to produce more collagen and elastin—the proteins responsible for skin’s firmness and bounce. Apply a few drops and gently press into your skin.

Kigelia Extract- an effective anti-aging ingredient, as in Hemp Cream with Kigelia Extract, especially noted to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, in much the same way as peptides do, by reducing muscle contractions under your skin.

Rich Moisture: Overnight Repair

Finish with a richer night cream than you might use during the day. Something like Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Night Cream with Hyaluronic Acid provides intensive moisture while you sleep.

For the delicate eye area, apply an eye cream like RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream using your ring finger (it naturally applies the least pressure). Tap gently around the orbital bone-don’t go above the ridge of bone you can feel just below your lower eyelid, and don’t pull or tug at this delicate skin.

As you apply your final layer of moisture, aim for a good night’s sleep. Your skin does its best repair work while you’re dreaming.

Weekly Treatments: Extra Care

Gentle Exfoliation

Once a week, help your skin shed dead cells that can make wrinkles appear more pronounced. Skip harsh physical scrubs and opt instead for chemical exfoliants like Paula’s Choice 8% AHA Gel or The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + HA.

Apply to clean, dry skin in the evening, then follow with your moisturizer. Skip other active ingredients that night to avoid irritation.

Think of exfoliation not as scrubbing away imperfections, but as revealing the fresher skin waiting underneath.

Hydrating Mask

Another evening each week, treat your skin to deep hydration with a mask like Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Sleeping Mask or Laneige Water Sleeping Mask.

Apply after cleansing as per the manufacturer’s directions, then either wipe off the excess with a tissue after 15-20 minutes or leave it on overnight. Wake up to skin that looks noticeably plumper and more radiant.

Monthly Extras

Consider professional treatments that can complement your home care:

Facial Massage

Book a facial that includes lymphatic drainage massage, which helps reduce puffiness and temporarily tightens the skin. Or learn facial massage techniques you can do at home—with tools like jade rollers and gua sha stones can enhance your routine.

Professional Treatments

Depending on your comfort level and budget, treatments like microneedling, radiofrequency, or light chemical peels can stimulate collagen production more dramatically than home care alone.

Talk to a board-certified dermatologist about options that might be right for you. Remember that these are enhancements to—not replacements for—your daily care.

Beyond Skincare: Whole-Body Approaches

Hydration

Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Well-hydrated skin appears plumper and shows fewer fine lines. Keep a beautiful water bottle nearby as a reminder.

Nutrition

Include plenty of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids from fish and nuts, and protein for collagen building. Your skin is built from the inside out, after all.

Sleep

Prioritize quality sleep—it’s called “beauty sleep” for good reason. Your skin cells regenerate most actively between 10 PM and 2 AM. Create a restful bedroom environment and establish a calming pre-sleep routine.

It’s really important you get the sleep your body needs. Some people need only six hours a night, some need closer to 12. Some people are larks (naturally wake up early, at 5-6 am) while others are owls (naturally wake later, even after 9 am). So if possible, you need to follow your natural sleep cycle- yes, it can be modified, if you have a job, which means you need to get up at 5 or 6 am, but you won’t be running at 100% and will probably feel tired and grumpy a lot of the time.

Your sleep will be much more refreshing if you follow your body’s innate rhythms.

Following our natural bio-rhythms is being increasingly recognized as being essential for optimum physical- including skin- and mental health. Chronic sleep deprivation is very bad for you- it causes increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, depression and stroke, even in younger people ( under 50), as well as overall poor performance. There is also evidence that many motor vehicle accidents are due to poor concentration from lack of sleep.

Stress Management

Find ways to manage stress that work for you, whether it’s meditation, yoga, walking in nature, or simply taking five deep breaths when tension builds. Chronic stress accelerates skin aging through cortisol production.

Reminders:

• Retinoid nights: Use only a pea-sized amount. If new to retinoids, start with twice weekly and gradually increase.
• Exfoliation night: Skip retinoid and other active ingredients this night.
• Hydrating mask night: Apply as final step, either tissue off excess after 20 minutes or leave overnight.
• Active ingredients: Wait 1-2 minutes between layers to allow absorption.
• Sunscreen: Reapply every 2 hours when outdoors.
• Seasonal adjustments: Use richer moisturizers in winter, lighter formulations in summer.

A word about commencing new products:

I have recommended a number of products for you to use. You shouldn’t start them all together in the first week. Start one each week. So first the Vitamin C serum for a week, then if no problems add the Hyaluronic Acid serum, then a week later add the Peptide serum, and so on…. This will do two things:

• Using one new product a week is less likely to cause irritation
• If you do get some irritation, it will be much easier to identify the cause if you are only using one new product a week.

Summary Table of Your Treatment Regime for the Week

Please note: Hemp Cream with Kigelia extract is also recommended as a moisturizer with strong anti-aging effects, especially noted to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. This can be used once daily as a cheaper alternative to the Peptide serum, or you could try alternating between the two, Peptide serum one day, Hemp Cream with Kigelia the other day and so on.