As women age, skin dryness and sensitivity increases. Particularly after their 50th birthday, many women lose their rosy glow and their skin becomes thinner and drier. Luckily, there are some simple routines that help. For women in their 50’s, the most important part of skincare is to strengthen the moisture barrier. There are several products on the market that can help to keep your skin hydrated and glowing.
Back to Basics
As people age, their skin becomes drier, flakier, and more susceptible to damage. If you wash your face in the morning, do so with a creamy moisturizing cleanser made for sensitive skin, such as one made with EvodioxTM, an extract from the Chinese Evodia Rutaecarpa plant.
Our Suggestion: Calming Cleanser
Use a serum that improves skin moisture and helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Hyaluronic acid is particularly effective for this purpose. Avoid harsh soaps and lower the water temperature to preserve the moisture in your skin.
Our Suggestion: Hyla-Peptide Serum for day time and Hyla-Peptide Cream at night
Many people will use a gentle cleanser in the morning but need a stronger cleanser to remove the environmental pollutants that build up on your skin throughout the day which can age your skin over time. At night, use an emulsifying cleanser designed to purify and exfoliate, followed by a rich night serum made with retinol, a form of Vitamin A, which improves the texture and smoothness of the skin.
Our Suggestions: Emulsifying Cleanser and Retinol 50 Night Serum
Skin-Bolstering Ingredients
There are many ingredients that can be beneficial for aging skin, including:
- Retinol — Chemically related to vitamin A, retinol helps to regulate tissue and cell growth, but keep in mind that over age 50, your skin becomes a bit thinner and absorbs ingredients more readily. As a result, strong creams may irritate your skin. Instead, look for a cream with about 0.25% retinol and use it sparingly under your eyes, but liberally on your face, neck, chest, and the back of your hands.
- Hyaluronic Acid — Hyaluronic acid is naturally occurring in the body, but it decreases substantially as you age and is one of the major reason for dry skin after 50. Its name is deceiving because the word “acid” makes it sound like something that will dry and peel you, but it doesn’t. It actually helps attract and retain moisture and keeps skin moist and supple. Adding a product with Hyaluronic Acid is key to healthy skin. Try our Hyla-Peptide Serum with 8% HA or our intensive hyaluronic moisturizer Hyla-Peptide Cream with 20% HA and Ceramide, a lipid molecule composed of fatty acids for ultimate moisture.
- Lipids — Aging skin lacks natural lipids like ceramides, fatty acids, and cholesterol, and using creams that mirror your skin’s natural lipids can help with inflammation and dehydration of the moisture barrier. Our Hyla-Peptide Cream is packed with ceramide.
- Glycolic Acid — Glycolic acid is an excellent exfoliator and helps to remove the outermost layer of dead skin cells, revealing soft new skin underneath. Our Clarify Toning pads contain 1% Glycolic acid, gentle enough for daily usage. Exfoliant pads have 10% Glycolic Acid which can be used all over the face and body 1 to 2 times per week.
- Vitamin C – Vitamin C has been proven to help improve the overall appearance of the skin. It is great to brighten your complexion and give your skin a beautiful glow. If you are suffering from stubborn brown spots, the acid in Vitamin C can help lighten the spots as well as improve skin texture and tone. The over all result is brightening, tightening and healthier looking skin. Our Sustenance has 20% Vitamin C as well as Vitamin E, Ferulic, BHA, and Green Tea. Apply at night while your skin has a chance to rest and recover for the stress of the day.
Three Simple Tips
Finally, there are just three simple things to remember when formulating your specific skincare routine.
1. Use Sunscreen
Even if you didn’t use sunscreen often when you were younger, you can protect your skin now from the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays. Use sunscreen every day under your makeup to prevent damage to your skin.
Our Suggestion: SolarEclipse
2. Exfoliate Regularly
A gentle bi-weekly exfoliation will keep dead skin from accumulating on your face, which can steal your natural glow. Look for exfoliants like glycolic acid, lactic acid, and alpha and beta hydroxy acids.
Our Suggestion: Exfoliant Face and Body Pads or Retinol-50 Serum
3. Moisturize Often
Keep your skin moisturized, as deeply hydrated skin develops fewer wrinkles. Components like lipids and hyaluronic acid glide on smoothly, leaving your skin feeling plump and supple.
Our Suggestion: Hyla-Peptide Serum or Hyla-Peptide Cream
As you age, using healthy, healing ingredients for your skin becomes more important. To learn products are right for you, contact Dr. Elizabeth Roche today. At the Elizabeth Roche, M.D. MedSpa, we offer a variety of treatments designed to enhance your natural beauty.