No matter how old we are, we all know we should be doing some kind of skin-care regimen. But many of us don't know exactly what we should be doing — or when.
That's why we asked Boca Raton dermatologist Dr. Marta Rendon, a nationally renowned skin-care and hair-loss expert, to share with us what tends to happen to our skin at different stages in our lives — and what we can do ourselves to combat the aesthetic effects of aging.
WOMEN
In your 30s
What happens:
Wrinkles of the lateral eyes begin to appear.
Minimal wrinkling of the glabella and possibly one or two lines on the forehead appears.
The skin begins to get drier.
Some areas of sun-related photo-damage appear around the hairline, forehead and sides of face.
Skin-care tips: Wear sunglasses to prevent habitual squinting, which causes wrinkling. Use sun-protection cream daily; apply pigment lighteners for melasma; begin daily application of facial creams that contain retinoids and antioxidants.
In your 40s
What happens:
Slight thinning and graying of the hair occurs.
Leg veins and spider veins become more apparent.
Hemangiomas, angiomas, and melasma appear.
Skin tags and photo-damage increase.
Wrinkles apparent in the 30s become more accented.
Skin-care tips: Continue skin-care regimen from your 30s and add products that contain alpha hydroxy acids. Also, begin applying eye cream and skin fillers.
In your 50s
What happens:
Thinning of the hair continues.
Nails become brittle.
Adult-onset acne occurs.
Facial structure changes. This occurs due to bone reabsorption and osteoclast breakdown, which modifies soft tissue fat loss. In addition, a decrease in collagen causes less skin elasticity, resulting in fine lines and wrinkling. This is seen especially with eyelid skin and the fat pads of the cheeks.
Skin-care tips: Add usage of products with biotin to combat hair loss, and begin using products with peptides.
In your 60s
What happens:
Loss of volume and downward sagging of the soft tissue occurs.
Hair becomes thin and more brittle from decreased hydration and vitamins.
Eyebrows descend
Upper eyelids begin to sag
Excess skin appears on the upper eyelids and crow's feet become prominent.
Loss of lower lip volume.
Flattening of upper lip due to loss of volume.
Corners of mouth begin to hang
Jowling underneath the jaw
Skin-care tips: Add usage of products with growth factors, increase usage of pigment lighteners if necessary and continue usage of retinoids.
MEN
In your 30s
What happens:
Wrinkling usually starts (causes include: lack of hydration; a breakdown of collagen; loss of subcutaneous fat; sun exposure)
Hair loss usually begins.
At around age 35, the rate of cell renewal slows, making the skin appear dull.
Skin-care tips: Use sun protection daily. Wear sunglasses to prevent habitual squinting, which causes wrinkling. Also, clean, exfoliate, and moisturize daily. Men who shave around the chin and cheeks daily might not see superficial wrinkling until they reach their late 40s or 50s in that region of the face because they are exfoliating daily while shaving.
In your 40s
What happens:
Hair loss increases
40 percent of men begin experience androgenic alopecia (male-pattern baldness) Sun-related photo-damage, rosacea, and wrinkling become apparent (especially in men who are lean and/or particularly muscular) By habitually making the same facial expressions, fine lines eventually imprint on the face and around the eyes. Skin-care tips: Continue with skin-care regimen from your 30s and add usage of products that contain alpha hydrox acids. Also, to combat hair loss, begin topical application of Rogaine to the scalp.