The Ultimate Skincare Guide for Women Over 40

The Ultimate Skincare Guide for Women Over 40

Women over 40 skincare is especially important. As we get older, age takes its toll on our skin. Unfortunately, society puts pressure on women to look young. We live in an age where aging gracefully isn’t necessarily an option. While we may not have had to do much to care for our skin when we were younger, it becomes a major priority. Here is everything you need to know about women over 40 skincare.

What Happens to Our Skin?

Before we talk about how to stay looking young, it’s important to understand what happens to our skin as we age. Here are some of the things you will notice.

First, your skin will get significantly drier. Moisturizer becomes more important than every before. However, you won’t have to deal with acne. You’ll also notice wrinkles. It will start small, but they will get deeper and more plentiful with time. You will also notice that your skin starts to sag. As we get older, the collagen that keeps the skin firm gradually goes away. Finally, you may also notice that your skin gets redder. This occurs from broken capillaries. As your skin loses collagen, it becomes more susceptible to damage. That’s where the redness comes in.

Now that you know what to expect, it’s time to combat it!

Tips for Good Skin Over 40

When we were younger, we didn’t have to focus as much on our skin as we do when we get older. It was tight and glowing. As time takes its toll, even the most naturally beautiful of us have to step up our skincare routine. Here are some tips to give yourself healthy skin.

Take a trip to the beauty store

The first thing you need to do is go to the store and get the products you need. For some of us, this is one of the best parts of the process- shopping! Some of the most popular stores for beauty products include Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Rodan + Fields, Sephora, and Ulta. Simply go to your favorite store and stock up.

However, how do you know what products to buy? Well, look for an anti-aging cream with the active ingredient retinol. It’s the most effective substance on the market when it comes to controlling wrinkles. You’ll also want to stick to the basics. You need a good eye cream, anti-aging cream, face wash, and exfoliant. Ask your friends for suggestions, and try numerous products to learn which ones you like the best.

Follow a religious skincare regiment

We are all busy with work, kids, family, working out, cooking, cleaning, time to destress, and we are expected to maintain a skin routine every day, too? Yes. No one said that living your best life and looking your best would be easy. It took work to get where you are, and beauty takes work, too.

You need to plan a skincare routine and stick to it. In the morning, you need to be extra diligent to put sunscreen on your face every single day, especially if you live in an area with a lot of sun. You also want to put eye cream on every morning. You may even consider using an all-day anti-aging cream. Your morning routine isn’t quite as important as your evening routine, though. You need to get rid of all of the makeup and dirt that gathers on your face throughout the day. You will do this with a gentle cleanser and an exfoliant.

If you don’t remove your makeup and everything else that accumulates on your face throughout the day, it can give you bad, unattractive skin. This will only make you look older. After you’ve cleaned your skin, it’s a good idea to end the night with a nighttime anti-aging cream.

Protect yourself from the sun

When our skin gets dehydrated, that causes wrinkles. One of the biggest culprits of drying out the skin is the sun. Being out in the sun for excessive periods of time is especially harmful. It’s super important for us to protect ourselves with sunscreen not only for our appearance but also for our health.

Excessive exposure to the sun can also increase the chances of skin cancer. Along with sunscreen, wear big hats to help protect yourself. Stay out of the sun when it’s not necessary. If you want to get a tan, your best option is a spray tan.

Stop Smoking

We all know that smoking can cause lung cancer, throat cancer, mouth cancer, emphysema, bad teeth, and heart disease. On top of all of those reasons not to smoke, it also damages your skin.

The tar in tobacco can actually stain your skin. Even worse, though, smoking can actually cause your skin to age more quickly than people that don’t smoke. First, you’ll notice lines around your mouth. You may also notice that lines under the eyes appear more quickly. Finally, smoking will cause the skin to sag. If you want to look your youngest, one of the first things to do is just quit smoking. It’s good for your insides and your outsides.

Smoking is addictive, and it’s hard to quit. There are a number of ways to help you stop smoking, though. Try switching to e-cigarettes, hypnosis, or any other method that allows you to quit the habit for good.

Start Early

If you want to look your best, you need to start early. Once wrinkles have gotten deep, it’s virtually impossible to get rid of them. However, mild wrinkles and future wrinkles can be corrected and prevented much more easily. If you’re just starting, be sure to get to work. However, if you’re in your 30s, it’s time to focus on what’s important- a lack of wrinkles. Start working on your skin now so that you don’t wake up one day to find out it’s too late.

Procedures

Let’s face it- anti-aging creams and a healthy diet simply can’t give us the results we want. Plus, plastic surgery is too scary and expensive. It’s natural for women to look into alternative procedures to help keep their skin looking young. Here are some of the most popular and some lesser-known procedures and everything you need to know about them.

PDO Threads

One of the newest new fads in cosmetic surgery is the non-surgical facelift known as PDO Thread Lifts. It’s effective on both the face and the body, and it doesn’t require you to have surgery.

A doctor will inject you with threads filled with polydioxanone (PDO) sutures that completely absolve into the skin in 4 – 6 months. This substances causes the skin to create more collagen. With more collagen, the skin has more elasticity and looks tighter (and younger). The doctor will use a topical anesthetic to help numb the pain at the injection sites.

After the procedure, you may experience some swelling or bruising, but it’s minimal. You may need Tylenol or another mild pain killer, and you may want to ice the affected area. You don’t have to go through surgery, it’s much cheaper than a facelift, and you have a much shorter recovery time. Plus, the results will make you proud to show off your new face.

PRP

Plasma is a clear substance in our blood with regenerative properties. While it won’t turn you into Wolverine, it will certainly help your skin regenerate. That’s why dermatologists are using it in the new Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy facial.

Once thought to be only for celebrities, many women you may know are know experiencing the joys of this facial. Doctors take your own plasma and inject it underneath your skin. This causes the skin to produce more collagen. Anticipate a large number of injections and a little bit of pain. After three months, you should have your full results.

One additional benefit to PRP Therapy is that it can actually help with hair loss, too. If you have noticed that your hair is thinning, talk to your plastic surgeon about how this can help!

Kybella

Many of us see a big difference in our neck once we get into our 40s. Some of us call it a “double chin”, others of us call it a “turkey neck”, but, whatever we call it, we can all agree that we don’t want it. This excess fat gets harder and harder to get rid of as we age. That’s where Kybella comes in! Kybella is injected under the fat of your chin. It actually eats at the fat and prevents further fat from building there. Generally, the desired results require a couple of sessions. The good news, though, is that the effects are permanent, so, once you’re done, you shouldn’t need to come back for further treatment!

Red Light Therapy

Incorporating red light therapy into your skincare routine can be an efficient and time-saving method for maintaining healthy skin, even during busy times like preparing for a research paper. An at home light therapy device can help improve skin texture and reduce acne by targeting inflammation and promoting skin healing, making it a valuable addition to your skincare regimen while managing your academic commitments.

Fillers used with European methods

Fillers are injections that plump up the skin to make it look tighter, a slightly different method than the other options. It’s also the most popular options when people want to increase the volume of their lips. Fillers can be used to improve the appearance of every part of your face and neck. There are a number of different products with different effects, so be sure to talk to your doctor about your expected results to create the best plan. The procedure doesn’t last forever, so expect to go in about every 6 – 18 months to maintain the look.

There are a number of different products to choose from when you get this done. Not all of the products are equal. Always make sure that any product you use has been approved by the FDA, even if it is European. You don’t want to end up with any unexpected cosmetic problems.

Lasers

Lasers are being used by dermatologists to even skin tone and tighten the skin. There are generally two types of laser treatments: ablative and non-ablative. Ablative laser treatments remove the top layers of skin. Non-ablative treatments do not. Ablative treatments are, obviously, slightly more painful.

Remember that lasers can only do so much. It’s important to manage your expectations to keep yourself from being disappointed.

Lasers are especially sensitive to the sun, and so are the results of your procedure. It’s important to get the work done in the fall or winter months when you won’t experience so much sun. If you live in an area with a lot of sun, be careful to use sunscreen and protect your skin with a hat.

Botox

Botox, not to be confused with the other injectables in this article, is a substance injected into the skin to freeze the muscles. When the muscles are frozen, this prevents them from causing wrinkles. It is only approved by the FDA for wrinkles in the brow, but it is often used in other areas of the face, too.

Botox does not last forever. The effect it has on your facial muscles will wear off in about 3 – 4 months. This means you will have to go in for more treatments to maintain your results.

Talk to a professional to determine what procedure will work best for you. Once you decide what procedure you want to do, always go with a certified medical professional. Many women have tried to inject themselves or go to cheap doctors only to find themselves worse off than they were in the first place. You don’t want to risk it.

Conclusion

You don’t necessarily need to resort to plastic surgery as you start to get older. Examine your lifestyle to determine what changes you can make to keep yourself looking vibrant and youthful before you start to notice the harsh effects of aging. When it’s gotten to that point already, look into other options to see if you can go through a procedure that won’t make you go under the knife. Also remember that you are beautiful even in your older age. These procedures are simply to enhance the beauty that it already there.

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