The Secret to Glowing Skin in your 40s: Part 1
Oh to be young forever. Remember when a few too many glasses of wine, burning the midnight oil at work and or over-indulging in deliciously creamy carbs didn’t cause a dent in your the way your skin looked? A spot of moisturiser, an early night and DIY face mask and you’d be right as rain.
Well, as we approach our 40s and beyond, it can be easy to get disheartened when our skin loses a bit of that supple, youthful glow and doesn’t bounce back quite as easily. The quick and easy 20s and 30s routines just don’t seem to work anymore.
So what’s the secret to that sparkling, fresh look in your 40s? Here’s Part 1 of our Glowing Skin for women in their 40s with our key tips on how to create bright, plump skin with just a few simple steps and lifestyle adjustments.
Learn to love serums
Yep, the secret to the kind of to-die-for glowing skin that Meghan Markle rocked on her wedding day is as simple as some solid, clinical grade serums.
I recently travelled to Melbourne to undertake training with a Cosmetic Nurse injector who has over 30 years of experience treating clients with injectables and she made a very interesting observation: having wrinkles doesn’t make you look old. Some 20 years old have crows feet or smile lines and they don’t look old because they have great skin texture.
The key to looking younger is having bright, glowing, plump skin stems from good genes in the first instance but also from using clinical grade serums such as Vitamins A, B and C to give you the kind of baby smooth texture we all crave.
As reported by Dr Sharon Crichlow in the Aesthetics Journal, healthy skin texture should be smooth, evenly pigmented, well hydrated and overlying a well supported dermis.
There’s no quick fix for this unfortunately. It takes commitment to an ongoing skincare regime that is tailored to suit your specific skin needs. The one thing, however, that does really help is becoming a serum devotee. Serums definitely give you that extra radiant edge when it comes to improving the overall appearance and texture of your 40s skin.
Let’s take a look at the benefits of some of my favourite serums:
Vitamin A - The gold standard of age-defying skincare, Vitamin A encourages the production of perfectly healthy skin and increases cell turnover to noticeably diminish the look and feel of fine lines, wrinkles and age spots. It basically thickens and stimulates the dermis – where your collagen, elastin and blood vessels are – which reduces wrinkles and increases blood flow to the surface of the skin. Just remember: not all serums are good for night and day. Vitamin A (also referred to as retinols or retinoids) and AHAs are best applied in the PM.
Vitamin B - This is formulated to enhance the skin’s natural barrier function. In addition to supercharging your other active serums, a good Vitamin B serum also helps to refine your skin tone, brighten your complexion and improve hyperpigmentation. You can use Vitamin B in the AM or PM.
Vitamin C - This is the superhero that dermatologists and beauty bloggers and salon experts rave about. The top dog of ‘glow’ serums and my personal fave, Vitamin C, visibly diminishes the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and age spots without irritation. New York celebrity facialist, Georgia Louise, is a huge fan and says that one of her best secret weapons when her clients' skin need a last minute glow-inducing boost for red carpet events is her Vitamin C peel, which she calls the The Intense C Peel. Vitamin C is an amazing antioxidant and offers protection against environmental aggressors as well as noticeably refining your skin texture, giving it that lovely glimmer and glow.
Popular Australian beauty entrepreneur, Zoe Foster-Blake, is a fan of serum layering to help target different problem areas on your skin such as pigmentation, dryness or large pores and I agree that a layered approach can be a great way to cover a range of skin issues all at once.
Step up your skincare treatment regime
What worked for your in your breezy 20s or 30s is probably not going to fly in your 40s from a skincare perspective. Taking a minimalist approach is fine for youthful and supple skin but your lovely skin definitely needs a bit more TLC as you hit the next decade.
The best way to do this is by investing in some anti-ageing salon treatments which protect, nurture and nourish your skin, providing a smooth and clean base for your moisturisers, serums and makeup.
The best anti-ageing treatments for women in their 40s and 50s are IPL rejuvenation, chemical peels, LED laser treatments, collagen induction therapy (known as skin needling), serums and anti-ageing injectables.
A professional-strength peel is a fantastic rejuvenation tool to remove dead skin cells and to treat unevenness in both texture and tone. The purpose of anti-wrinkle injections is to stop the muscle and skin contracting which, in turn, prevents lines forming and stop the skin folding.
At New Age Skin Care, we love to work on the premise that “less is more” - we don’t want you to look like Stifler’s Mum in American Pie (you need some movement in your face) however we do want to soften the lines a bit and smooth it all out. Actress Robin Wright refers to her use of injectables as a ‘tiny bit sprinkled here and there’. Perfect.
If you use these techniques in combination with one another, it can have a powerful impact on your skin and help you nail that brighter, more youthful look and more even skin tone. You can check out the treatments we offer at New Age Skincare here.
Slather on some sunscreen
This one is a no brainer but the reason we say it a lot because this one simple, daily step packs a punch when it comes to ageing. While we all need a touch of Vitamin D to keep us happy and maintain our natural circadian rhythms, sun damage is the biggest factor contributing to ageing skin. A daily application of a broad spectrum sunscreen is one of the best secret weapons in the anti-ageing game.
Be healthy, embrace ageing and make time for you
It’s not rocket science that making better lifestyle choices helps to create a glowing, youthful look in your 40s. Getting plenty of rest, drinking lots of water, eating well and moving your body are all part of the puzzle when it comes to healthy luminous skin.
Australian media personality, Deborah Hutton, recommends a French-style approach to age and wellness in your 40s. Being confident, owning your sexuality and femininity at any age, taking time out for a bit of pampering and play, walking everywhere are all part of the French mademoiselle’s playbook.
Moderate physical exercise increases blood flow, and replenishes your cells with nutrients. And finally, those tiny creases around your eyes are part of the roadmap of your life. They remind everyone that you love to laugh and they’re part of you.
You may not look exactly like you did in the 20s but hey, you’ve come a long way since and then and learned so much about life, gorgeous woman. Our face, body, heart and mind - they all go through huge transformations throughout our lives.
So, to get that glow, get a hold of some powerful serums, make your beauty expert or salon your best friend, step up your treatment regime and remember to have fun - it’s the best glow-giving antidote to age I know.
WATCH OUT FOR OUR NEXT POST: Part 2 - The Secret to Glowing Skin in your 40s (we’ve got a special discount on our products and treatments to offer you - just sign up to our list on the website and check out our next blog post!)