How to Care for and Renew Aging Skin

More often than not, when we look in the mirror, many of us see rough, dry, uneven skin tone, dullness, red areas, and wrinkles. None of that is welcome, and if we could change some of it (or all of it), most people would love it.

This article shares the steps you can take to renew and reinvigorate your skin’s appearance. With the right products and a commitment to a brilliant anti-aging skincare routine, you can get and keep smoother, hydrated, younger looking skin — really. We’ve seen the results in the mirror ourselves and we want you to see them on your skin as well!

Tip 1: Be Diligent About Sunscreen

Daily sunscreen application with a broad-spectrum moisturizer rated SPF 30 or greater should also be on that list. It’s the crucial first step in your mission to achieve a visibly younger and even skin tone that regains and maintains a youthful complexion that will stay with you for years to come.

Paula’s Choice moisturizing sunscreens are a vital part of our anti-aging skincare routine because unprotected UV exposure is the number one cause of virtually every sign of aging you don’t want to see.

If used as directed with other sun protection measures, this decreases the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging caused by the sun.

We’re frequently asked about how much and how often to apply sunscreen on one’s body (we admit, it can be confusing!); in response, see the following tips:

How Much to Apply?

Check out this article for reliable, research-based advice.

How Often?

SPF ratings are a measurement of the amount of time your skin can be exposed to UV light before it changes colour, which is a visible signal of damage. If your skin changes its colour after 15 minutes of unprotected exposure, a sunscreen rated SPF 30 would protect you for 15 x 30, which is 450 minutes, or 7.5 hours. This does not include the time indoors when your skin isn’t exposed to UV light.

From the example above, applying SPF 30 liberally each morning will keep you protected for a normal workday (indoors) and the drive home.

If you are outdoors all day and in direct sunlight (especially if you’re not wearing protective clothing, a hat, or sunglasses, and not seeking shade), you will have to reapply as indicated on the sunscreen’s label. We can’t do anything about this, sunscreens will still have limitations when skin is continuously exposed to sunlight.

Layer Your Protection

Your moisturizer with sunscreen can be worn under your foundation and your pressed powder or even a primer! Together, these will provide you with extra insurance against the unwanted effects of exposure to UV light.

Tip 2: Use an AHA or BHA Exfoliant

We want to change how you think about exfoliating your skin because we want you to stop aggravating your skin with harsh scrubs that are abrasive and truly have a negative impact on skin. These scrubs are everywhere but most are just too rough on skin. Being gentle is paramount if you want to maintain healthy-looking skin.

That’s where a leave-on, exceptionally gentle AHA or BHA exfoliant comes in, with benefits to help your skin exfoliate imperceptibly and naturally, just like it did when you were young (of course, we’d love for you to consider one of our Paula’s Choice AHA or BHA exfoliants). Exfoliating with a leave-on exfoliant is one of the major anti-aging skincare steps that really can seem to turn back the hands of time, virtually overnight.

Scrubs aren’t terrible for extra cleansing (assuming you use them very gently and they have soft beads as opposed to rough grains, shells, or ground-up nuts), but for exfoliating dead skin naturally, banishing dullness, and improving the look of pores, skin tone, and wrinkles, scrubs can’t hold a candle to the results you can get from a non-abrasive, leave-on exfoliant.

Note: AHA or BHA cleansers have limited ability to exfoliate skin because they are rinsed off before they can really have exfoliating benefits. AHA and BHA exfoliants work their magic when they are left on the skin overnight or during the day.

Find out how to shop for an AHA or BHA exfoliant and find the one that’s perfect for you with this handy guide on AHA & BHA exfoliants!

Tip 3: Use Anti-Aging Ingredients

Be cautious of trendy anti-aging ingredients that lack scientific research demonstrating their benefits on skin.

Instead, recharge and nourish your skin’s appearance by using products loaded with research-proven ingredients that can slow the appearance of older-looking skin. Such ingredients include potent, stable antioxidants (e.g. vitamin C, green tea, grape seed extract, and resveratrol), skin-restoring ingredients (e.g. retinol, peptides, and niacinamide), and skin-replenishing ingredients (e.g. glycerin, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid).

We are proud to say that these are exactly the types of ingredients we add to every Paula’s Choice Skincare toner, serum, moisturizer, and targeted solution, so that those with every skin type and concern have expertly formulated options to help their skin look renewed, younger, and beautifully even, day after day.

Some of our (and our customer’s) favourite skin-renewing products include the RESIST Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum with Vitamin C, BOOST Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster, CLINICAL 1% Retinol Treatment, and CLINICAL Ceramide-Enriched Firming Moisturizer. And of course, our AHA and BHA exfoliants mentioned above also have a key role in visibly renewing aging skin.

Tip 4: Avoid Sensitising Ingredients

So far, we’ve offered tips on what to use to revive skin from the look of advancing years, but this anti-aging list wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t mention what to avoid. Lots of skincare products contain problematic ingredients that research has shown to pose a risk of causing a sensitised reaction.

Surprisingly, fragrance — both natural and synthetic — tops this list. A product that smells nice has strong nose appeal, but what makes your nose happy doesn’t always please your skin!

The same goes for products that contain denatured alcohol, lemon, citrus, eucalyptus, and witch hazel, to name a few. Yes, some people might say that such products are fine if “they don’t bother you,” but the sneaky thing about skin sensitisation is that even if it’s not apparent to you (doesn’t hurt, doesn’t sting, doesn’t cause redness), it is still causing cumulative problems, although silently.

You might even like how these ingredients induce a cool tingling sensation, making you think they’re working, but that sensation is your skin telling you it’s being bothered, not helped (men, we’re talking to you, too). You’ll be shocked at how quickly your skin will rebound once you stop using products that contain these troublesome ingredients!

For more information on how to incorporate Paula’s Choice skincare products into your personal anti-aging skincare routine, you can contact us.

Shop for Paula’s Choice products here.

References for this information

• Annals of Internal Medicine, June 2013, pages 781–790
• Chemical Immunology and Allergy, March 2012, pages 77–80