Ageing is one of life’s unavoidable events, but thanks to an anti-ageing skincare routine, everyone gets a fighting chance. Even if it’s the pesky crow’s feet or the laugh lines you prefer to keep hidden, a good anti-ageing routine can make a big difference. But first, you need to understand the root cause of ageing (beyond the obvious birthday candles) for you to pick skincare products with the right ingredients.
A great skincare routine contains serums, moisturisers, sunscreen, and other formulated ingredients to restore soft skin and protect your skin barrier to maintain healthy-looking skin. In this guide, we’ll advise you on effective ways of battling wrinkles, fine lines, and dullness.
Understanding Skin Concerns and Ageing Factors
It’s obvious that natural ageing slightly varies from one person to another. However, for most people, the first evident ageing signs kick in during their 30s or 40s. During this age bracket, the skin starts losing more of its vital components that maintain moisture levels and elasticity. This eventually paves the way for visible ageing signs. Here are some of the ageing factors that cause your skin to dull as you age.
Natural Skin Ageing
Growing older is inevitable and is the number one cause of reducing skin radiance and elasticity. As you grow older, your skin’s rate of producing collagen and elastin reduces. These are the proteins that give the skin its firm, bouncy look. Add slower cell turnover to this, and you get the recipe for sagging, fine lines, and dullness. It’s nothing to worry much about because it’s all-natural.
While you can’t stop the march of time, understanding this process can help you determine the right anti-ageing skincare routines to replenish what your skin loses gradually.
Environmental Contributors
Mother Nature and modern living can be a bit unkind to our skin. Sun exposure is a top culprit, breaking down collagen and causing pigmentation over time. Pollution isn’t far behind, clogging pores and triggering oxidative stress that accelerates ageing.
Another environmental catalyst of ageing is the weather. Dry air, harsh winds, as well as heating sap moisture off our skins, leaving it dry and looking tired. Again, these factors are beyond your control, but using antioxidants, sunscreen, and adhering to a solid skincare regimen can help protect you against them.
Lifestyle Influences
Although most people don’t pay attention to it, lifestyle greatly contributes to ageing. Lifestyle influences like poor sleep, can for instance lead to dull skin and those feared under-eye bags. What you consume also matters to your skincare routine. If your diet is loaded with sugar and processed foods, it can speed up the breakdown of collagen, and that paves the way for wrinkles.
Stress doesn’t help either, making skin more prone to breakouts. And let’s not even start on smoking and excessive alcohol, both notorious for dehydrating skin and accelerating ageing. But making small changes here and there, such as consuming balanced meals, exercising regularly, staying hydrated, and avoiding alcohol can bring about significant changes in making your skin look youthful and fresh.
Signs of Skin Ageing
As time goes by, the skin starts to leave behind little clues of ageing. Fine lines and wrinkles often appear first, usually around the eyes and mouth. The skin might feel less firm or begin to sag, thanks to a drop in collagen and elastin. Age spots and uneven tone can crop up, courtesy of sun exposure over the years. You might notice dryness or a loss of that youthful glow as cell turnover slows down. While these signs are natural, the right anti-ageing skincare routine can help keep them at bay and your skin looking its brilliant best!
Ultimate Skincare Routine
When creating the ultimate skincare routine, personalised to your skin, you need an approach that works specifically for your skin type and concerns. A dedicated routine ensures your skin stays healthy and protected against damaging influences like air pollution and the sun. Those in their 30s are more concerned with dullness and fine lines, while those in their 40s care more about age spots and wrinkles. As you approach your 50s, your concerns might shift to reduced skin elasticity, among others.
Step 1: Cleanse dirt and impurities
Every skincare routine should always kick off with removing impurities. For this, use an exfoliating cleanser to buff away dead skin cells. This also unblocks the pores to allow other products in your routine to work effectively. Massage the cleanser gently (gel for oily, creamy for dry skin) for a minute and rinse with lukewarm water.
Step 2: Exfoliate
To properly exfoliate the skin, use a chemical exfoliant that contains BHAs or AHAs (like salicylic or glycolic acid) to remove dead skin cells and expose a brighter, smoother complexion. Take caution not to over-exfoliate—just twice a week is more than enough. If you overdo it, you might start experiencing effects like redness and irritation.
Step 3: Apply a Targeted Serum
If you’re the type that likes to bring the big guns to a fight, this is where you do it. Find and use serums that contain ingredients like hyaluronic acid to plump up your skin. Vitamin C in your serum helps fight free radicals and brighten your skin. If you’re battling fine lines, ensure your serum contains peptides or retinol. Apply a few drops, rub it gently and give it time to sink in.
Step 4: Next, Apply Eye Cream
The skin around your eyes is delicate and is often the first to show signs of ageing, so it needs some TLC too. Go for an eye cream that contains caffeine to fight puffiness. Peptide-containing eye cream will help eradicate and smoothen fine lines. Simply pat the cream gently (don’t rub) with your ring finger, the gentlest one of all your fingers.
Step 5: Moisturise
Moisturising is crucial in your anti-ageing skincare routine. Use a broad-spectrum SPF moisturiser of 50, especially in the morning and keep reapplying during the day. Other important ingredients your moisturiser should have include squalane or ceramides to strengthen the skin barrier.
Step 6: Protect Against the Sun
Whether it’s sunny or cloudy, always finish your morning skincare routine with a sunscreen of a broad-spectrum SPF 50 . This will protect your skin against the sun’s UV radiation, slowing down pigmentation and premature ageing. If you spend a lot of time outdoors, don’t forget to reapply your sunscreen after a couple of hours.
Step 7: Night-Time Boost with Retinol
At daybreak, add retinol into your routine after cleansing and before moisturising. Retinol is a powerful skincare ingredient that smooths wrinkles, boosts collagen production, and evens the skin tone. Do it at least twice a week.
Step 8: Hydrate In and Out
Drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated at all times and if indoor heating is draining moisture from your skin, consider using a humidifier.
Popular Anti-Ageing Ingredients to Know
From the ultimate anti-ageing skincare routine we’ve discussed above, you must have noted several key ingredients. Wherever you seek skincare advice, you won’t fail to notice them being mentioned severally. Here’s a list of the popular anti-ageing ingredients to help you familiarise yourself.
- Retinol: Boosts collagen production, smooths fine lines and evens skin tone. It’s suitable for tackling wrinkles and texture issues.
- Hyaluronic Acid: It plumps the skin by locking in moisture to keep your skin supple and reduce fine lines.
- Vitamin C: Powerful ingredient for fighting free radicals, brightening complexion, and fading dark spots to leave you with an even, radiating look.
- Peptides: These are tiny proteins that strengthen the skin by boosting the production of collagen and elastin. It improves firmness and elasticity with time.
- Niacinamide: It’s effective in calming redness, minimising pores, and enhancing overall texture. Niacinamide is also important in supporting a stronger skin barrier.
Effective Anti-Ageing Treatments and Solutions
Sometimes, anti-ageing skincare alone may not give the results we admire. That’s when professional treatments step in to provide quickly noticeable results. If you’re thinking about going for a professional anti-ageing treatment, there’s a wide range to consider, from non-surgical to surgical, each offering its own benefits.
Non-Invasive Treatments
If you’re not keen on going under the knife, consider non-surgical options such as laser skin resurfacing and microneedling. These treatments are popular because they smooth wrinkles by stimulating collagen production to enhance skin texture. You may also consider injectables like dermal fillers and anti wrinkle injections to reduce the appearance of fine lines. They offer quick results with minimal to no downtime.
Another non-invasive treatment worth considering is Cernova Aesthetics’ Anti-Ageing RF Facial. It’s a bespoke treatment that uses radiofrequency technology to tighten and smoothen the skin for a more vibrant youthful complexion.
Surgical Treatments
For those who want dramatic results, invasive options such as facelift or eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) are effective at addressing sagging skin, wrinkles, and loss of facial structure. Even though surgical methods have longer downtimes, they often produce longer-lasting improvements.
Before deciding which method is suitable for you, consult with a skincare practitioner to find out for sure. Cernova aesthetics skincare experts can help you through a personalised assessment.
When to Start Anti-Ageing Routines
The ageing process is gradual and that’s why there’s no specific age for which you should start an anti-ageing skincare routine. However, it doesn’t hurt to begin early. Most skincare professionals recommend getting started with a preventive care routine during the mid-20s. This is the time your collagen levels start shrinking.
If you start at this age, focus mainly on staying hydrated, applying sunscreen, and using antioxidants such as vitamin C to keep your skin protected and nourished. As you get into your 30s, add retinol and peptides to your routine to tackle early ageing signs.
Even if you haven’t started on a skincare routine, it’s never too early or late to get started. Whether in your 20s, 40s, or 60s, developing a consistent routine personalised to your needs can go a long way in restoring youthful radiant skin over time.
Post-Treatment and Daily Skincare for Longevity
Aftercare treatment in your anti-ageing skincare routine is equally important as it ensures the results obtained last longer. Start your morning with a gentle cleanser to remove dirt and unclog the pores without causing irritation. Always go for a broad-spectrum SPF so you can protect your skin from UV light.
Include hydrating products such as hyaluronic acid to moisturise and soothe the skin. Gradually introduce retinol and antioxidants such as vitamin C to keep your skin supple and radiant. Whatever you do in your daily skincare routine, don’t forget to be consistent. Don’t skip basic steps like cleansing, moisturising and applying sunscreen.
More importantly, go for regular follow-ups with your skincare expert so you can update your regimen and make it relevant to your skin with time.
Conclusion
With a proper anti-ageing skincare routine, you can maintain a youthful glowing skin. But first understanding the factors that cause ageing is important in building a powerful routine. This comprehensive guide highlights these factors, offers an ultimate skincare routine, and discusses key ingredients like peptides, retinol, and professional treatment.
And if you feel you’re not ready for a skincare routine, no worries. Consider alternative professional anti-ageing treatments such as Cernova’s Anti-Ageing RF Facial. Feeling overwhelmed by the details? Feel free to book a session with a skincare expert at Cernova Aesthetics and discover the right anti-ageing regimen or treatment that works for you.
To look good is AMAZING, but to feel good is PRICELESS.
