Age-appropriate skincare regimen for 2017

The seemingly infinite array of lotions and potions out there can be overwhelming. Knowing what products work together, how they benefit your skin, and the order in which to use them is incredibly important when selecting the best skincare routine for you.  For an easier skincare regimen, I made some guidelines according to age.

Skin At 20

This is the time to develop good habits to preserve your youthful glow, to up your chances of gorgeous skin in the decades to come.  At this age, the skin usually begins to get oily and zits start to appear, so your tendency is to get products that work against oily skin and pimples.  After using those products, you might start noticing dryness for the first time. Zits also start shifting from the forehead and midface to the jawline, which means it is hormone related.

• Cleanser.  If you have oily skin, it is best to wash your face at least twice daily, but if you can only do it once, do it in the evening,  Never sleep in your makeup.  For very oily skin, use Glycoderm soap. For a combination-type skin, Glycomist soap is best. For dry skin, your choices include ultramoisturizing soap, moisturizing soap, and Skinsoft soap.  If you have acne and are using products which are somewhat drying, then the last three soaps are best for you.  An anti-acne regimen should be incorporated into your daily routine.  This usually includes three topical medicines.  If you have small bumps, the best combination would include an AZA cream (prevents acne while whitening the skin at the same time), acne cream (excellent at preventing inflammation and pus development), and potent acne lotion (flattens pimples fast). But if you have many existing pustules (bumps with pus), Benzoclin cream would be best instead of an acne cream.  If you have cystic acne (large, red, painful pimples) Isoderm gel, instead of a potent acne lotion, will make the cyst disappear faster.  These creams should be applied daily, as tolerated.  If you are constantly exposed outdoors, you will need a water- based sunblock with SPF 60 or less.  If your skin is somewhat tight, flaky, and itchy, you definitely need a lightweight moisturizer that is not very occlusive and that’s Aquaderm lotion (it hydrates and moisturizes skin without that blocking sensation, when your skin seemingly can’t breathe).

If your skin is dry at 20, look for a broad-spectrum sunblock with moisturizer.  In my clinic, I use titanium dioxide or zinc oxide with a built-in moisturizer which is very soothing and calming to the skin.  Its moisturizer is so effective that you can use it the whole day without reapplying.  But that is, if you work indoors and do not sweat a lot, because sweating can wash out anything on top of your skin.

If you have large pores, acne scars, and blemishes, you will need an extra treatment to minimize them.  A gentle skin peel derived from milk can be done once or twice a month, depending on the skin’s tolerance.  This is followed by a whitening and anti-acne cream the next days until the next peel.  Deeper scars would require monthly laser treatments until the desired results are achieved.

At 30

If you’ve been diligent with sunscreen, you most likely haven’t seen a radical change in your skin since your 20s.  Sun-loving people will start seeing an increase in fine lines, dark spots, and loss of skin elasticity.  This is the decade, too, when your complexion may start to look dull because of slower cell turnover, so regular exfoliation should be your top priority at this age.  It is also at this time when one may begin to notice crow’s-feet, dark circles, and sagging of the lower eyelids.

• Cleanser. Protecting one’s skin barrier is important at this stage.  Using a gentle face wash like Skinsoft soap  (a mild, moisturizing soap with an exfoliant) is best at this age to make dull skin more luminous.  This soap increases cell renewal, putting a glow to your skin.

A gentle skin peel would help a lot twice or once a month, combined with an all-whitening cream concoction (such as niacinamide, alpha arbutin, mulberry root extract, etc.).  If dark circles are really a nuisance and cannot be hidden by makeup because these are really glaringly dark, an additional treatment of eyelid injections can really help.  Of course, a sunscreen is needed.  Choose a sunscreen which suits your skin type because you need to apply it daily. You also need to start an anti-aging regimen that would include creams to be applied in the morning and in the evening.  Since the eye is thin and the most mobile part of the face, it usually shows the first signs of aging.  A combination of a cream with anti-redness, anti-inflammatory and collagen-building properties would be really good.  All creams are to be applied daily.

If breakouts occur, then you can add an anti-zit treatment cream or an anti-zit oral supplement to keep pimples at bay as well as antioxidants to maintain a youthful glow.

At 40

Skin firmness starts to change, especially at 40 and above.  In this particular age group, you have to start your tightening treatment to delay obvious skin sagging.  The soltera platform is an assembly or a collection of different handpieces, each of which is indicated to treat different skin concerns.  At 40, one may need to have a nonsurgical mini facelift.  You can do it once a year, then maintain it with the skin regimen I just discussed.  This collection can lift your skin, improve the pores, blemishes, veins, and other pigmentation problems.

At 50

At this time, some would tell you that you deserve the face that you have.  Sounds funny but true.  If you are a very stressful person, it shows on your face at this point in time.  If you are a smoker or an alcoholic, changes in your skin will show this kind of a lifestyle.  So, this is the age when you would really appreciate the benefits of having made wise lifestyle choices, which are more important than genetics in influencing the rate at which you age.  At this age, you will notice your skin getting thinner, which is why it easily bruises or gets cut easily with just the edge of a bond paper.  Skin sagging is even more noticeable around the jaw.  It’s because at this age, bone loss starts to manifest, atrophy of muscles occurs, fats that normally are in place start to go down and disappear eventually, that is why you get the sunken appearance.  Lines and wrinkles deepen and pigmentation increases.  And  skin gets very dry and flaky.  All the previous creams used at age 40 will really help at this time, but one may need additional treatments such as Botox, fillers, thread lifts, laser or surgery, depending on the problem.

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For questions or inquiries, call 09174976261, 09998834802 or 263-4094; email gc_beltran@yahoo.com.