If you want to preserve your youthful skin as long as you can, you need to adopt some non-negotiable skincare habits.
Unlike what some marketing teams will have you believe, a single “miracle product” is not going to help you stave off signs of aging overnight. However, commitment to a set of good skincare habits can help you “anti-age”. It’s all about consistency and product quality.
Unfortunately, we can’t stop ourselves from aging, but we can give our pretty skin the TLC it needs to thrive.
Let’s get into the top 3 skincare habits you need to adopt into your daily routine if you want to preserve the beauty of your skin.
#1 Use nightly retinoids
Retinoids are the holy grail of anti-aging products. They are scientifically proven to help reduce wrinkles, brighten dull skin, smooth over scaring, and sun damage.
When we’re young our skin cells rapidly regenerate. As we age, this process naturally slows down. Incorporating retinol can help speed up this “skin cell turnover” process to help reveal newer, brighter-looking skin.
Retinoids, like tretinoin, also work to boost collagen and elastin production. Starting at just 25 years old collagen starts to decline. Collagen and elastin are the main structure of our skin and it keeps our skin looking supple and youthful.
*Quickly adds tretinoin to the cart.*
Retinoids, once you’re acclimated to them, can be used every night to help fight off signs of aging.
#2 Become BFFs with vitamin C and sunscreen
One of the biggest culprits of prematurely aging skin is the sun. In the long term, UV rays can take a serious toll on your skin causing it to prematurely age. This is what’s called “photoaging”.
Wrinkling, blotchy skin pigment, rough or uneven skin texture, broken capillaries, redness, and discoloring can all be caused by sun damage.
This is why some say sun protection is the mightiest anti-aging tool at our disposal.
In addition, vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can help keep your skin bright and youthful. But it’s also known for protecting against the damaging effects of UV rays. (Double whammy with this one.)
To keep your skin protected from damaging rays use a physical sunscreen containing zinc oxide and is at least SPF 30. Also, try incorporating vitamin C into your daily routine for its anti-aging effects and sun protection.
#3 Be gentle with your skin
Tugging, scrubbing, and sizzling in the sun are all good ways to irritate your skin -- and irritation accelerates aging.
When you’re washing your face or applying product, be gentle with your skin. Be especially careful around your eyes as this skin is thin and sensitive. Around the eyes, you’ll want to “tap” on the product rather than rubbing it on.
Being gentle also goes for the types of products you choose.
To prioritize anti-aging, opt for a gentle, hydrating cleanser instead of a harsh, drying microbead scrub. Harsher products do have their use cases, such as acne washes, or exfoliating treatments, but they shouldn’t be used every day as they can damage your skin barrier function.
Article summary
Unfortunately, we’re not Benjamin Button and aren’t aging in reverse.
The next best thing is to use nightly retinoids to help stimulate collagen production, sunscreen, and vitamin C to protect from UV rays and choose products that are gentle, and don’t damage the skin barrier function.
Consistently keeping up with these anti-aging habits will certainly help you look your best and stave off signs of aging. Starting sooner rather than later is best as it’s easier to prevent signs of aging than it is to reverse the damage.
