In this article:
Why isn't age a skin type?
What about skin changes due to menopause?
The best skin care tip (other than wearing sunscreen every day!) we can give anyone in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond is to re-think what they may have read about how to approach skin care as they age.
The reason? Simply put, age is NOT a skin type.
Why isn’t age a skin type?
What we mean when we say age isn’t a skin type is that your default skin type – normal, oily, combination, or dry – largely remains the same, regardless of age (1). The ingredients you’ve used with success throughout your life will still yield results as you age. They don’t automatically stop working just because you’ve hit a certain ageing milestone.
Age isn’t a skin type because people of all ages can have the same or different skin types throughout their life. It’s not as simple as saying everyone over age 50 has dry skin and everyone younger than that has combination to oily skin. Skin type can and often does change as we age (see menopause, discussed below) but the truth is the same ingredients that benefit your skin when you’re young will be just as good for your skin when you’re older.
Expanding on the info above, people of all ages can have dry, dull, rough, uneven, and blotchy skin. Others have oily skin with clogged pores and white bumps or have redness-prone skin. By the time you’re 20, your skin has already been greatly impacted by environmental assault. How to combat the effects of environmental assault is the same, no matter how many candles are on your birthday cake.
If you’re using preventive skin care loaded with antioxidants, skin-replenishing ingredients such as peptides, active ingredients such as retinol, vitamin C, niacinamide, and AHA or BHA (alpha hydroxy acid or beta hydroxy acid), these will still work on your skin in the same way they did when you were younger. However, there are a few special considerations to make when tackling skin care as you get older.
What about skin changes due to menopause?
It’s just a fact: the loss of estrogen that results from the process of menopause, as well as certain medical procedures, does have an impact on skin health and appearance. This phenomenon, known as estrogen deficient skin, results in accelerated visible signs of ageing, including wrinkles, crepey skin, and sagging.
The solution if you’re experiencing estrogen deficient skin isn’t to throw out your existing skin care products; rather, you can supplement your routine with products designed to address this specific skin concern. More and more research indicates that treatment with topical phytoestrogens can help make a meaningful impact on the appearance of skin that’s been affected by estrogen loss (2).
References for this information:
- Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, March 2022, pages 444-452
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences, October 2021, pages 1-26