Welcome to your 40s!
When it comes to skincare in your 40s, it is very important to realize that your age is not a skin type.
Somebody in their 40s who has been out and about in the sun is going to look very different from somebody in their 40s who has protected their skin from the sun their whole life. Therefore, you can’t have blanketed general notions about skin care in your 40s. That being said, the biggest takeaway and one truth for 99.9% of people is that there is a rapid decline of collagen and elasticity in your 40s.
What happens to your skin in your 40s?
Occurring around perimenopause and menopause, we lose the firmness and the thickness that holds on to our skin. According to a study by the AAD, we lose approximately 30 percent of our collagen within the first five years of menopause.
Given that age isn’t a skin type and we know we're going to lose collagen and elasticity over time, this is how we can help ourselves:
The biggest thing with the loss of elasticity and collagen comes a loss of ability to hold on to moisture. This means we are going to be slightly more dehydrated and as we go through hormonal shifts, we are going to experience episodes of flushing in which we can get red faster or the redness can linger longer.
IN A NUTSHELL:[ Loss of elasticity and collagen → Loss of ability to hold on to moisture → Dehydration → Redness ]
What does this mean for your skincare routine?
Watch this video where Dr. Shereene Idriss breaks down the right products to use to target your skin concerns in order of your skin care routine.
