Your skin care routine evolves with every stage of life and you should take notice of how it changes at each stage. Read on to see how this 20-something takes on the challenge of looking her best.
Skin care means a lot to me, and if you’re reading this I’m sure it means a lot to you too. The minute I hit my early 20s and began my career as a beauty editor, I became the ultimate skin care fanatic, and boy, am I glad I did. For the first time ever I was experiencing hormonal breakouts, discoloration, and uneven texture, so I had to educate myself and keep things under control.
As I’ve learned what works for me and what doesn’t, I’ve also learned that each year something changes, and as I’m approaching my late 20s, I guess I can say everything has changed. I know that change is uncomfortable and the thought of aging can be too, but embracing these shifts with the right products is the way to go. So, as I approach the end of my 20s, I wanted to share some of the most significant changes I’ve made to keep my skin looking and feeling great at all times.
Chemical Exfoliation Over Physical Exfoliation
What keeps our skin looking youthful, radiant, and supplement is none other than collagen. Naturally, collagen depletion happens as we get older (fun, I know!), and it’s up to us to boost collagen production through our products and lifestyle. Chemical exfoliants whisk away dead skin and help continue collagen production. These get well beneath the surface and help target breakouts, improve the skin’s texture, unclog pores, and increase cell turnover. Some chemical exfoliants include alpha hydroxy acids, lactic acid, beta hydroxy acids, glycolic acid, and enzymes. You can find chemical exfoliants in peels, pads like Neogen’s Bio-Peel Gauze Peeling Wine, and leave-on treatments.
Double Cleansing in the Evenings
You’ll never get the most out of your skin care routine if your cleansing isn’t right. We’re all too familiar with the following scenario—you wash your face at night in hopes of getting your makeup off, and in the morning you notice there are still streaks of product left in some spots. That in itself is why double cleansing is so important, especially as your skin matures. As we age, our skin becomes so much more vulnerable to just about anything, and this includes getting rid of any buildup and grime lingering on the surface. I like to double cleanse with a balm like Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm followed by a hydrating cleanser, but some good old micellar water works as a first step too.
Vitamin C in the morning, Retinol in the evening
Spots and aging easily become two of our biggest skin concerns in our late 20s. Dullness is also top of mind, but thankfully vitamin C products can target that along with any pigmentation. Retinol, on the other hand, is a powerful anti-ager targeting fine lines and wrinkles, but it makes the skin more sensitive. That said, vitamin C and retinol shouldn’t ever be combined in your skin care routine and are safer to use at different times. Vitamin C is ideal for a daytime routine because it works very well with sunscreen as it inhibits the production of pigment. Either way, to get the most out of vitamin C and retinol, they should absolutely be used alone.
SPF, ALWAYS! (even indoors)
Yes, you read that right—indoors. If you thought that working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic saved you from having to wear SPF, think again. The sun is easily one of the most damaging things our skin could ever encounter, and it could still do some damage while sitting indoors. How, you ask? Well, standard glass windows don’t actually protect you from harmful UV rays, they block out UVB instead. This doesn’t mean that you should shun out the sunlight from hitting your home, though. Just wear sunscreen, while enjoying the natural light—daily of course.
Invest in Eye Cream
Surprisingly, some folks still don’t see the need for an eye cream. Yes, you can moisturizer underneath your eyes with your traditional moisturizer, but will you get the results you really want? Probably not. The skin underneath our eyes is incredibly sensitive, and it only gets worse with time—think creases, dryness, and heightened sensitivity. So yes, I’d say that a rich eye cream like Acwell’s Licorice pH Balancing Intensive Eye Cream, is very important. Consider this a preventative measure for when things can go really south in the future. Save this step for last!