Anti-Ageing Skincare: Keeping Your Skin Youthful

Here at BeautyPro, we create many powerful products that help you to achieve youthful looking skin. In this blog post, we’ll run through how you can create an anti-ageing skincare routine, as well as other good habits that can help you to retain your glow. 

Creating an anti-ageing skincare routine

A gentle face wash

Begin your routine by using a gentle facial cleanser. It’s so important to thoroughly wash away the build up of makeup, oils and grime on your skin before you apply any further formulas. This will give you a clean surface to work with.

By choosing a gentler face wash, you can be kinder to the skin and avoid any breakouts or irritation. Skin tends to become more sensitive as you age so using stronger formulas could cause further issues. You also have to be gentle in your approach, as scrubbing the skin too hard can aggravate it and even cause wrinkles to form.

Exfoliation

Once or twice a week, you should exfoliate. This is because although our skin sheds dead cells regularly and creates a new layer every 28 days, it can still look dull or rough as it gets later into the renewal cycle. By exfoliating, we can kick start this process and remove any build up that has formed. This will ensure our skin looks brighter and more energised.

When choosing an exfoliant, there are 2 choices: physical and chemical. As we age, it’s better to steer clear of harsh physical exfoliants such as sugar scrubs or cleansers with beads as these are tough on the skin and can cause sagging. Instead, we’d recommend you opt for a chemical exfoliant which is suitable for skin of all ages. This will dissolve the bonds between skin cells and help the dead cells to detach. The best exfoliating ingredients for ageing skin are AHAs, glycolic acid and lactic acid.

Serums

Once your skin is clean and clear of dead cells, you can start using more powerful formulas to target your skin concerns. You can do this in the form of serums.

Serums contain high concentrations of active ingredients that can travel deep below the surface of the skin to tackle issues and elevate your skin’s complexion, elasticity and youthfulness.

Different serums will help you to achieve different goals. For example, an anti-ageing Vitamin C serum uses antioxidants to neutralise free radicals to prevent premature skin ageing: brightening dull skin and re-energising it to look younger. Meanwhile, a hydrating hyaluronic acid serum will plump the skin, decreasing the depth of wrinkles and improving the firmness and elasticity of the skin.

As with the cleanser, it’s important we apply these serums gently. Try to pat the formula into the skin rather than rubbing.

Check out our range of plant based anti-ageing serums >>

Retinol

As we get older, our skin begins to lose collagen. This is the protein that keeps it looking firm and smooth. As the levels of collagen in our skin reduces, our skin can crease, sag and wrinkle.

One of the most popular ingredients to use on ageing skin is a derivative of Vitamin A, retinol. It works by sending small molecules deep into the skin to neutralize free radicals, which in turn promotes the production of collagen and elastin, providing a plumping effect to the skin. This helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as shrinking enlarged pores. Fresher, healthier cells are also brought to the surface and the ageing of existing cells slows down.

You can read more about retinol in our blog: “What is Retinol? How to include it into your skin care routine”

Eye Care

One of the first places that can show the signs of ageing are the eyes. This is because the skin in this area is much thinner than the rest of the face and is more prone to developing fine lines and wrinkles. Laugh lines and crow’s feet can be formed, however by ensuring we pay good care to the eyes, we can help minimise their appearance.

To address this, you need to reach for the eye cream and eye masks! Choose an eye cream that contains antioxidants and peptides and dot it beneath your eyes before bedtime. You could also treat yourself to an under eye mask to deeply hydrate and replenish the area to prevent the formation of lines.

The BeautyPro Retinol Under Eye Patch will smooth the texture of under eye skin, as well as targeting dark circles and pigmentation. Learn more >>

Moisturiser

Next it’s time to moisturise. Moisture is so important to your skin to keep it supple and plump. As we age, our oil glands become less active which can cause the skin to become dry and more prone to wrinkling.

Swap to a richer moisturiser, especially at night, as this will help you to lock hydration into the skin and prevent it from drying out. Look for a moisturiser that offers water-binding humectants such as glycerine or hyaluronic acid as these will increase the effectiveness of your hydration.

SPF

The more time you spend in the sun’s UV rays, the older your skin will look. This is because the rays break down collagen and damage elastin, which thins the skin and causes wrinkles. They also cause uneven pigmented areas to develop.

To keep your skin toned, even and bright, ensure you are protecting your skin against the sun every day - even when it’s rainy! Use an SPF every morning with sun protection of 30 or higher to keep your skin in good health and prevent dark spots.

When choosing an SPF, stick to something that offers more moisturising qualities such as a cream or lotion, as opposed to a spray or gel that contains alcohol as this will dry the skin out.

Other anti-ageing techniques

Aside from your skincare routine, there are also plenty of other things you can do to ensure your skin stays looking youthful…

Applying makeup tactically

As fine lines and wrinkles begin to appear, you may notice that wearing makeup can make them seem more visible. Here are a few tips for youthful make up:

• Applying a primer before your makeup to smooth the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and large pores by filling them in.
• Use a light touch and a sponge applicator to apply a thin layer of sheer coverage foundation to the face. Layering it on too thickly will often exaggerate age lines as it sinks into them.
• Brighten the inner corners of your eyes with concealer for a refreshed and well rested look.
• Avoid using a powder as this can make the skin look dry and accentuate fine lines. Embrace the shine as this will give you a youthful glow.
• Opt for lighter and softer shades of eyeshadow as these will provide a clean look and won’t bleed as easily as darker colours. Use an eyeshadow primer to keep the colour in place to prevent it looking creased.
• Curl your eyelashes for a bigger and brighter look. As we age our lashes flatten so we need to curl them to keep them flicking upwards.
• Choose a brown eye liner over a black one. This will give the same effects but in a more subtle and sophisticated way. Draw along the upper lash line and flick the liner up at the outer corners to create little wings to really open up the eyes.

Eat for the skin

As with a lot of things, your skin is affected by what you eat. It’s important to eat things that will nourish and elevate the skin rather than damage or dehydrate. Here are some important tips for enhancing your skin through your meals:

• Food that is high in sugar or carbs may actually age you faster as they break down glucose. Instead opt for proteins such as fish, lean meats and beans to help build stronger collagen rather than weaken it.
• Too much salt, especially before you go to bed, can cause fluid retention. Reduce your salt intake and sleep with an extra pillow to elevate your head and prevent fluid from building up in the skin.
• Eat a diet rich in antioxidants including fresh fruit and vegetables. The more different coloured veg you can consume, the better! The vitamins and antioxidants provided by them will protect the skin and leave you glowing.
• Eating fatty fish such as salmon, tuna or mackerel can help to get healthy omega-3 fatty acids into the skin. These are anti-inflammatory and allow the skin to stay plump and therefore smooth. You can also ingest these through supplements, such a s fish oil. These will keep your skin supple and replenish your natural oils.

Sleep

We all know we need sleep for our bodies to be able to function effectively. However, are there ways we can sleep better to really level up our beauty Zzz’s?

• Some studies state that pressing your face against a pillow while you sleep can cause wrinkles to form over long periods of time. If you’re willing to switch position, laying on your back is a better option. If you sleep on your side, try to switch sides each night to minimise the effects on the skin.
• However if the only way you can sleep is with your face on the pillow, opt for a gentler pillowcase made of silk or sateen as these are less abrasive and reduce inflammation.
• If you suffer from dry skin, using a humidifier in your bedroom at night can help your skin to stay hydrated and supple. When the air is dry, it can sap the moisture from your skin - a humidifier will add moisture to the air and keep your skin hydrated.
• Beauty sleep is real! Research published in 2015 showed that women who slept between 7-9 hours per night had younger looking, more hydrated skin and were happier with their appearance than women who slept only 5 hours. While another piece of research showed that women who were sleep deprived showed twice the amount of signs of ageing, such as wrinkles, dark spots and sagging, compared to those who had had enough sleep. So make sure you get enough kip each night to keep your skin glowing.

Pay special attention to the hands and lips

We can pay a lot of attention to our faces when it comes to anti-ageing, however it’s important to look at all of your skin to see how you can ensure it stays in good condition. Moisturise your hands (and lips!) before bed. It can be difficult to keep moisturizer here during the days when you’re constantly using them. Applying it before bed will help you to replenish the skin with no interruption.