Want radiant, healthy skin? According to the skincare experts, it’s time to stop thinking about your age.
Investing in a new skincare routine can be tricky business thanks to the sheer number of skincare options available these days. Picking out a range that’s marketed at your age group might seem like the obvious approach, but if you want to target specific skin concerns, buying skincare that caters for a certain age group isn’t going to guarantee results.
Yesteryear’s one-size-fits-all approach to skincare has well and truly made way for a bespoke approach to skincare explains skin expert Tracy May-Harriott. “Our ‘skin’ age is no longer our ‘chronological’ age,” she explains. Best-selling author and beauty myth-buster Paula Begoun agrees and says that while you can buy effective skincare at any age, age has nothing to do with what products you buy. “That’s because age is not a skin type,” she explains. “The truth is in beauty, is that someone at age 50 or 60 can have the same complexion as someone in their 20s.”
Begoun uses herself as a classic example: at the age of 65, beauty industry standards would traditionally sell her skincare products based on anti-ageing. “But I still struggle with oily skin, clogged pores and the occasional breakouts, plus signs of ageing,” she explains. “Creams and lotions just make it worse,” she says.
Age Really is Just a Number
Thanks to our modern lifestyles, age has just become a number where skincare is concerned. Begoun explains that there’s a whole host of factors that contribute to how healthy and resilient skin is. “Heredity, skin disorders like acne and rosacea, oily skin, dry skin; lifestyle choices such as smoking, eating healthy; how much sun damage someone has accumulated and how someone takes care of their skin, in general, all add up to your skin type and the problems you’ll see (or not),” she says.
Instead of worrying about which products you should be using at a certain age, May-Harriott says the way to go is investing in skincare for your skin type that targets your concerns regardless of your age. If you’re unsure of your skin type or what products to use for certain concerns, May-Harriott suggests visiting a professional for the correct guidance. “They are trained to ask the correct questions during a skin analysis to help you on your way to an ideal routine based upon your individual needs and requirements,” she says.
“Always start slow, go slow with a new skincare routine and don’t do too much too soon to really find products suitable for you,” May-Harriott adds that prevention is always better than treating problems as they arise. “You need to take into consideration that regardless of age the sooner you start to protect and prevent problems, the better,” she says. “Often, we wait until we see problems before we take more care of it. Have a good basic, protective skincare routine from an early age and you will age more gracefully for your years.
Take a look at some of our favourite must-have skincare for all ages in the gallery below.
