Simone Olivero
This is how you should be taking care of your skin -- at every age
- 1/10
In your 20s: It’s hard to imagine having skin complaints in your 20s – someone please transport me back – but, many 20-somethings will argue that this is an age where they’re still dealing with things like acne-prone skin. If that’s the case, Gidon advises using an oil-free product with light texture for exfoliation. If that’s not working, something stronger containing tretinoin (Retin A) can help clear up blemishes.
- 2/10
(photo: Philosophy)
- 3/10
In your 30s: Okay, here’s where things start to get serious. “Fine lines and brown sun spots can start to form, especially with past sun exposure,” Gidon explains. She recommends upgrading to a prescription tretinoin and considering treatments like facials (with extractions, if necessary), gentle exfoliation, light glycolic acid peels or microdermabrasion.
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- 4/10
(photo: SkinCeuticals)
- 5/10
In your 40s: Exciting news! According to Gidon, your 40s are the time when, “lines and wrinkles are starting spider veins, loss of volume, sagging skin and rough sun spots develop.” Great. Here’s what you do: Switch between tretinoin and glycolic acid creams to deal with any sun damage or brown spots and then introduce products with growth factors. “These will help stimulate collagen,” Gidon explains, while a hyaluronic acid serum will help deal with dryness.
- 6/10
(photo: Rodial)
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- 7/10
In your 50s: One change you may notice in your 50s is the appearance of rosacea, Gidon says. If that’s the case, she suggests replacing tretinoin cream with glycolic acid and switching to a creamier cleanser and moisturizer containing glycerin. She also recommends going more often for chemical peels and microdermabrasion. Still not satisfied? Gidon suggests considering a laser treatment like ablative C02 for wrinkles.
- 8/10
(photo: Caudalie)
- 9/10
In your 60s and beyond: Basically, if you’ve been taking care of your skin up until this point, it’s just about maintenance. If you’ve regularly been using a Retin A, Gidon suggests reducing it to three times a week. She also advises keeping up with creams and serums containing antioxidants and hyaluronic acid. If you’re still seeing lines, at this point, you’ve earned them, so you may as well let them show.
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- 10/10
(photo: Pai)
Simone Olivero
I don’t know about you, but my skin freaks out every time there is a seasonal change. Or maybe it’s an age change? It’s hard to say.
Assuming I wasn’t the only one with these questions, I reached out to Dr. Martie Gidon, a Toronto-based cosmetic dermatologist to see what we should be doing at each stage of our lives to take care of our skin. She had a lot to say.
“Essentials for all ages include sunscreen, every day – at least SPF 30 – antioxidants, moisturizer, an anti-aging product such as tretinoin or glycolic acid and exfoliation,” she tells me.
To dig deeper, we decided to break it up into decades. Click through the gallery above to see how you’re doing and share any of your own skincare tips by tweeting @YahooStyleCA.