Your skin is a living, evolving organ that changes significantly over the decades. Just as your skin changes over time, so do its needs. In your 20s, your skin is radiant and looks after itself. Your routine is more about prevention rather than cure. However, as time passes, you will notice subtle changes that signal that more intentional care is needed to maintain good quality skin.

Hormones play a huge role in affecting your skin, and these change as you age. Your skincare routine must change with these shifts, giving your skin precisely what it needs at every stage of your life.

This article will help you understand how to stay ahead of your skincare routine, helping you to work with time and age, rather than be beaten by it.

Opulent Aesthetics provides a range of specialist treatments that enhance your skin quality over time and protect it from the early signs of ageing. Our cosy studios in Caterham and Purley are fully equipped with the latest technology. Our lead practitioner, Sadie, also carries out some treatments in the comfort of your home, so looking after your skin has never been easier.

Let’s consider how to take care of your skin across the decades.

Your 20s – Your skin is radiant. Focus on prevention and protection

In your 20’s your skin is at its peak. Your cells rapidly turnover and collagen regenerates at an optimum level. However, any damage from neglect at this stage will show up later, so taking precautions is necessary.

Your focus should be on:

• Sun protection – Make sure to wear sunscreen everyday, even on cloudy days. Use a minimum of SPF 30. The sun is your skin’s worst enemy and it’s the leading cause of [photo]ageing, so sunscreen is your best defence.
• Gentle cleansing – Use a mild cleanser that removes impurities without stripping your skin of its natural defences.
• Mild moisturiser – Implement an oil-free and non-comedogenic moisturiser, meaning one that will not clog your pores with harsh chemicals and impurities, which defeats the purpose. A good moisturiser will keep your skin hydrated without compromising your skin.
• Exfoliate – Use a mild exfoliate like glycolic or salicylic acid once or twice a week. This will remove dead skin cells, preventing your pores from being blocked, reducing breakouts.
  Having an Opulent Aesthetic facial peel every 4-6 weeks will exfoliate deeper, exposing younger and fresher skin that is easier to maintain.
• Antioxidants – Use vitamin C serum as part of your night routine to eradicate free radicals, and eat a diet rich in natural antioxidants to reduce inflammation and unwanted immune responses that cause flare-ups.
• Eye creams – As you approach your mid-late 20s, implement a good eye cream, or have one of Opulent Aesthetics’s  skin booster treatments like Lumi-eyes or Julupro, that are designed to treat this area.

Your 30s: Early signs of ageing. Focus on repair and restoration

Your 30s mark the beginning of a decline in your skin quality, owing to slower collagen production, and greater sensitivity to environmental stresses, particularly the sun and lack of sleep.

While maintaining the good practices you followed in your 20s, here is what else to focus on to keep your skin looking and feeling great:

• Retinoids/retinol creams – Implement a retinoid cream (no more than 0.5% or 1%, and build your way up to avoid irritation). This vitamin A derivative is a powerful weapon against anti-ageing because it will increase cell turnover and promote collagen production.
•  Peptides – Apply a topical serum or moisturiser containing peptides, which are short chains of amino acids that act as building blocks for proteins like collagen, elastin and keratin. They are best left on your skin, so perhaps alternate between a peptide serum and your vitamin C serum at night.
• Hydrating moisturisers – Hydration is essential to good quality skin. Without sufficient moisture, your skin becomes dry and lacks the medium to repair itself. Use creams rich in hyaluronic acid and ceramides, which are formed from lipids – fats that naturally occur in the skin. Ceramides hold skin structures together and form a protective barrier locking in moisture, and preventing damage from external stressors.
  Skin boosters like Profhilo provide deep and lasting hydration, contributing to healthier and radiant looking skin.
• Exfoliation – Increase your exfoliation routine to 2-3 times per week to maintain a bright and smooth complexion. Facial peels are more effective at exfoliating and should be incorporated into your routine.
• Microneedling – Microneedling improves your skin quality by triggering your skin’s natural healing response. Tiny punctures are created in the epidermis – the outer layer of your skin, stimulating collagen and elastin production. Engaging this wonder treatment early will help counter the natural decline in collagen and elastin.  Opulent Aesthetics provides this treatment from its studios in Caterham and Purley, South Croydon.
•  Targeted eye care – Introduce eye products with peptides and caffeine to reduce puffiness and fine lines to reduce signs of ageing. For best results, have routine injectable boosters like Lumi-eyes or Jalupro that are really effective at reducing puffiness and fine lines around the eyes.

Your 40s: Visible signs of decline. Focus on firmness and elasticity

In your 40’s those early signs of ageing become more pronounced. Your hormones are shifting, and it is time to level-up your skin enhancing efforts, ensuring that your skin quality survives your tender years. Here is what you need to focus on:

• Prescription retinoids – Consider levelling-up to medical prescription grade retinoids to tackle those deeper lines and wrinkles. Remember that retinoids can cause irritation, so be careful. It’s best to speak to a doctor or dermatologist first.
• Hyaluronic acid serums – Layer hydrating serums containing hyaluronic acid under your moisturiser to maintain moisture levels. For best results, introduce injectable skin boosters like Profhilo, Julupro, and Sunekos, which offer various concentration levels. They provide hyaluronic acid deep into your skin, ensuring rich hydration, and amino acids to promote collagen and elastin production.
• Niacinamide – This little known ingredient is a skin-enhancing powerhouse. It helps to minimise enlarged pores, noticeably reducing their visibility. It tightens lax pores, smoothens uneven skin tones, fades fine lines and wrinkles, diminishes dullness, and strengthens your skin’s protective barrier – a lot for a single ingredient. Available in serums and toners, you can’t do away with this essential product.
• Firming solutions – Consider upgrading your moisturisers for those that contain peptides, collagen, and other growth factors. Better still, engage in frequent injectable skin boosters to enrich your dermis with hydrating formulas and amino acids, ensuring your skin always has what it needs to regenerate.
  
  It’s also time to level-up your microneedling game by introducing exosomes. Exosomes are bio-messengers that instruct your skin to produce more fibroblasts, collagen, and elastin. They are applied immediately after your microneedling session to penetrate deeper and are more easily absorbed. This combination accelerates and improves your results.

It’s also time to introduce Polynucleotides – the big-guns of the skin boosting arena. Polynucleotides are bio-stimulators that trigger cell activity, resulting in collagen, elastin, and fibroblast growth. They are derived from tiny DNA fragments from salmon milk. They reduce the visibility of fine lines, wrinkles, and even stretch marks.

Skin boosters and polynucleotides can be applied around the facial area, including the cheeks, under the eyes, the neck and décolletage, where signs of ageing are more pronounced. Opulent Aesthetics specialises in treating these give-away areas, ensuring that you keep ageing at bay, while enjoying your youthful beauty for as long as possible.

• Regular exfoliation -Continue with gentle exfoliants to maintain cell turnover without irritating the skin, but increase your frequency of facial peels. It is beneficial to have this treatment on rotation with your microneedling treatments.
  
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                 Must read: The Magical Three – The Perfect Anti-Ageing Cycle
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• Upgrade your sunscreen – You should use a minimum of SPV 50 to ensure maximum protection from the sun, even in winter and cloudy days, and when at home. If light touches your skin, it is doing damage, so constant protection is necessary.

Your 50s and Beyond: Ageing signs become prominent. Focus on hydration and barrier repair

In your 50’s your hormones decline as menopause sets in. Estrogen levels plummet, causing a significant decline in collagen and sebum production. Skin becomes thinner, drier, and more prone to irritation and crepiness.

Here is what to focus on to maintain that youthful vibe:

• Barrier repair creams – Opt for formulations with ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids to restore the lipid barrier. It will aid hydration and offer protection.
• Rich moisturisers –  Hydrate with products containing squalane, urea, and shea butter to prevent dryness.
• Gentle retinoids – If your skin becomes more sensitive, consider a lower-strength retinol or bakuchiol (a natural alternative). Some studies show bakuchiol to be as effective as regular retinols, but without the irritating side effects.
• Growth factors and stem cells – Look for products containing growth factors because they stimulate collagen production and improve skin thickness, a strong defence against a major sign of ageing.
• Antioxidants – Focus on CoQ10, vitamin C, and resveratrol to combat free radical damage and even out skin tone.
• Professional Treatments: Consider microneedling with exosomes, and anti-wrinkle injections to address deeper lines and restore firmness. Laser resurfacing, and radiofrequency can also be explored, but these are more expensive and only suitable for certain skin types.
  
  Opulent Aesthetics provides anti-wrinkle injections as an effective strategy to eliminate heavier signs of ageing.
• Natural sunscreen – Mineral sunscreens with added antioxidants provide the best protection for mature, sensitive skin.

Final thoughts

Ageing is a natural process that affects us all. There is no escaping the effects of time entirely, but you can certainly slow down the clock. Following Opulent Aesthetic’s helpful guide will ensure that your skin remains glowing and radiant for as long as possible.

Growing older doesn’t have to mean losing your appeal or youthful appearance entirely, especially if you grow wiser about your skin care. Opulent Aesthetics now provides high-quality treatments from two locations in Purley and Caterham.

All of our treatments are designed to give you and your skin the perfect edge by capitalising on the latest discoveries in beauty science. To find out more, call Sadie today to book an appointment.