Skincare

A fresh face is key to the youthful appearance we’re all striving for. Hundreds of skincare products line drugstore shelves; laser treatments, facial peels, and Botox crowd spa menus; and we’re constantly warned about the effects of sunlight and free radicals. So what really works? We offer some easy ways to preserve younger looking, wrinkle-free skin.

In Your 30s: Skincare »
In Your 40s: Skincare »

In Your 20s

By the time women reach their twenties, most recognize that the skin with which we’re born is the skin we must maintain. No more lying out, soaking up the sun with nothing but baby oil between our skin and harmful ultraviolet rays. And although skin problems of adolescence might be a thing of the past, premature aging gives us something new to worry about.

Charles Crutchfield III, MD, of Crutchfield Dermatology in Eagan, advocates an easy, four-part skincare system that women can start in their twenties—and stick to at any age:

1. Gentle Cleansing: He recommends over-the-counter products, such as Dove bars, Vanicream cleansing bars, or Cetaphil cleansers.
2. Hydration and Moisturization: “This is especially important in climates like Minnesota where for half of the year, the air can be very dry and unfriendly to skin,” Crutchfield says. “Your skin will hydrate itself when you take a bath or shower. The important thing is to seal in the moisture with a good emollient lotion or moisturizer.”
3. Protection from Ultraviolet Radiation and Environmental Toxins: Topical antioxidants, such as Prevage MD, contain an enzyme that soaks up free radicals and other damaging particles. Suncsreen (with SPF 15 or higher) should be applied approximately thirty minutes before sun exposure.
4. Improvement and Correction: When women are young, we have the opportunity to prevent age spots, fine lines, sun damage, and skin cancer before the need for correction. By employing steps one through three, twenty-something women can avoid needing correction until a much later date.

Other simple lifestyle changes can improve the skin we’re given. Dawn Baker, esthetician at Jewel Spa in Minneapolis, advises regular sleep (try for at least seven hours each night) and adequate amounts of water to keep wrinkles and age attributes away.

Like Crutchfield, Baker is adamant about integrating topical antioxidant treatments into women’s skincare routines. “Topical treatments, such as vitamin C, protect skin from free radicals that come from air pollution, smoking, and work environments,” she says. In other words, it reduces the things in our everyday lives that can lead to wrinkles, pigmentation, and inflammation.

+ Back to Your 20s

In Your 30s

Continue with the four-step system Crutchfield recommends for women in their twenties: gentle cleansing, hydration, protection, and improvement and correction. “Over time, the skin loses volume, producing wrinkles and an aged look,” he says. “There are many, many things used to correct the skin.”

Baker suggests microdermabrasion for women who are beginning to notice fine lines. The painless treatment heavily exfoliates skin to treat everything from wrinkles to acne scars to stretch marks. Although at-home kits are available for a more affordable price (try Olay’s Regenerist Microdermabrasion & Peel System, $23.89 at Target), salons and spas offer innovative versions that achieve immediate results—at a higher price, of course. Jewel Spa is one of the few places in town to offer a new, non-invasive microdermabrasion service, which uses high-speed water instead of crystals to cleanse, exfoliate, tone, and hydrate skin. You’ll walk away with minimized pores, diminished fine lines, and a youthful glow—not bad for an hour or two at the spa. The damage on your pocket? One treatment is $125, a series of six is $675, and a series of twelve is $1,275.

+ Back to Your 30s

In Your 40s

If sun protection wasn’t an integral part of your skincare routine in your twenties, you’ll start to notice discoloration, wrinkles, and loss of elasticity as you move through your forties. “Muscles tend to contract over time, producing wrinkles such as frown lines between the eyebrows and crow’s feet on the sides of the lips,” Crutchfield says. “ Also, the lips lose volume, making them look thin and nonyouthful.” He recommends minor correction programs such as the NeoStrata alpha-hydroxy acid program. “This can be incorporated into a daily skin care routine and is very simple,” he says. “It is gentle cleansing and moisturization and also a twice-daily treatment—morning and evening—with an alpha-hydroxy acid lotion, then a very nice in-office treatment twice monthly for six months to gently turn back the hands of time.”

+ Back to Your 40s

+ Aging Gracefully Home