How to Have Healthy Skin at Every Age
Chances are, those angry red zits that caused many a sleepless high school night haven't entirely left the building yet.
"Acne is the most common skin disorder in the U.S., affecting an estimated 45 million people. Eighty-five percent of those people are between the ages of 15 and 24," says Bank.
Keep cleansing gentle, with sensitive-skin washes from a brand like Cetaphil, and look for nonirritating acne-fighting product ingredients like alpha hydroxy acid and glycolic acid.
"Benzoyl peroxide is also a gold-standard ingredient that has been around for a long time. It helps to dry pimples, which are tiny infections in your sebaceous glands," explains Bank.
Don't risk overdoing it by layering too many ingredients; choose just one or two. And if you have oilier skin that can withstand more aggressive treatment, salicylic acid is an excellent choice to unblock pores and quell inflammation -- like that found in DDF's Acne Control Treatment.
Want a natural solution? Try emollient tea-tree-oil soap, which has both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, says Bank.
How to Have Healthy Skin at Every Age
It's in your thirties when the natural reparative intuition of skin begins to change.
"As your skin's cell turnover decreases, your skin may appear duller. First signs of aging include uneven skin tone, blotchiness, dryness and fine lines around the eyes and mouth," says Washington, D.C., dermatologist Dr. Tina Alster.
Adding a mechanical exfoliater like the Clarisonic Skincare Brush combined with a deeper moisturizer like SkinCeuticals AGE Interupter can coax skin back to its youthful replenishing ways, says Alster.
And if you're one of the 30 million Americans who continues to suffer from adult acne, your skin may look better in its 30s.
"The good news is a lot of things good for fighting acne are good for antiaging and sun damage," says Bank.
Retinol creams like those by SkinCeuticals or prescription Atralin that you apply before bed are like an all-in-one punch that can dramatically heal acne, sunspots, fine lines and wrinkles.
Glycolic acid can improve skin's texture by lightening hyperpigmentation caused by acne scarring and sun damage, says Bank.
How to Have Healthy Skin at Every Age
You'll also want to be on the lookout for rosacea -- the inflammatory condition that causes redness and pimples to most commonly congregate on the nose, cheeks and chin, says Bank.
Be wary of self-diagnosing rosacea, as many skin-care products can irritate and inflame the troublesome redness. "One excellent product to reduce the redness and has antiaging properties is Bio-Gel by Neocutis," recommends Bank.
Lasers to treat more severe rosacea cases are also available at the dermatologist's office. And while they're extremely effective at treating the condition, keep in mind that they usually cost in the hundreds per treatment, and are not covered by insurance.
How to Have Healthy Skin at Every Age
You may notice that lips are less plump, the nasolabial folds from nose to chin become more pronounced, and things like sun damage and spider veins may suddenly appear.
"Due to weakening of collagen and elastin fibers, loss of fat and muscles, and coupled with gravitational pull, it's not surprising that you will begin to see signs of sagging eyelids, drooping brows and hollowness under the eyes," says Bank.
But fear not! Exfoliating the dry upper layer with microcrystals like those found in Avon's Anew Clinical Advanced Dermabrasion System, followed by an emollient and glycerin-rich moisturizer like Olay's Total Effects 7-In-1 Moisturizer can cushion skin in vibrant glow, suggests Bank.
This is the age when you'll want to become super-selective about the cleansers and moisturizers you use, as anything that strips the skin of moisture can noticeably age you.
"Aveeno and Olay are good brands to choose from," says Bank, adding that antioxidants like, "vitamins A, C, E, co-Q10, coffeeberry extract, grape-seed extract and green-tea extract," can help protect and possibly even reverse the accumulated free-radical skin damage that begins to pop up in your 40s.
How to Have Healthy Skin at Every Age
And if you're open to dermatology treatments, this is the age when a trip to your local expert can start to produce significant results that are worth your investment.
Bumping up a nighttime regimen from over-the-counter retinol to a more potent prescription-strength retinoid like Renova can bring a fresher, brighter complexion. Injectables like Botox and Dysport will temporarily erase forehead and crow's feet wrinkles for months at a time, while fillers like Juvederm-XC and Restylane-L can plump up bothersome nasolabial and marionette lines around the mouth, advises Bank.
When choosing an expert, be sure to select a board-certified dermatologist who has experience in the procedure you're interested in, with patient before-and-after photos you can look through to judge the quality of his or her work.
How to Have Healthy Skin at Every Age
"Women in their 50s start to have atrophy of the superficial fat in their faces along with reduction in the moisture retention in the skin, which leads to more profound wrinkling," says Bank.
Your best bet is to make the switch to a richer oil-based sunscreen and moisturizer, as concerns about clogging up pores is no longer an issue for those in their 50s, who need the extra hydration.
"Your moisturizer should include aggressive antiaging and collagen-building ingredients like retinoic acid and hydrators like hyaluronic acid developed to keep over-50 skin looking vibrant and feeling strong," advises Alster.
Try cracking open a Philosophy When Hope Is Not Enough fresh hyaluronic acid capsule, and mixing with your favorite comforting moisturizer in the palm of your hand before applying to face.
How to Have Healthy Skin at Every Age
"The good news is that, for the first time since preteen years, your skin is stable rather than subject to the vagaries of hormones. And your face can even benefit from the aging process; if you had a plump, round face for example, you may now have a more defined bone structure and the winged cheekbones you always longed for," says Bank.
The main concern for this age group is extreme dryness, itching and flaking that declining estrogen levels can leave after depleting the skin's natural production of oil. Combat dryness with shea butters and serums that contain phytoestrogens like soy extract, such as Fresh's Soy Face Serum.
Non-ablative lasers like Fraxel can dramatically smooth lines, fade discoloration and firm skin on your face, neck and décolleté with just a couple days of lingering redness downtime. Costs vary by region and depth, but generally range from $800 to $2,000 a treatment, with more than one session sometimes needed for maximum results.
How to Have Healthy Skin at Every Age
Sunspots and sag may have you down -- but changing a couple of simple skin-care regimen habits can help reinvigorate skin.
Stop using soap to cleanse, so that your skin retains all the moisture it can, and wash with a soap-free cleanser like Awake Deep Purity Gel Cream Wash -- or a super-creamy formula like Neutrogena's Fresh Foaming Cleanser if you still want lather, suggests Bank.
Applying a vitamin C serum like Cellex-C High Potency Serum after washing while skin is still damp is vital to improving the discoloration issues so common with this age group -- as serums absorb more quickly and deeply than other products. Finish with a rich moisturizing cream that has UVA/UVB protection.
How to Have Healthy Skin at Every Age
