How to master skincare for mature dry skin

Looking after mature skin is a whole lot different to the easy skincare routine of our salad days. Skincare for mature dry skin involves a closer eye to detail – and a few more products.

Thanks to LiveStrong, here’s a few pointers that might help nudge you in the right direction.

Despite your skin type, dullness, rough texture, fine lines and sagging may be at the forefront of your concerns. The traditional three-step regimen of cleanse, tone and moisturize may not be the best choice for your fifty-something skin. Focus instead on cleanser, treatment and moisturizer targeted for mature skin. With advances in skin care, radiance can be regained by using the right skin-care products.

Gentle Cleansing

Most women over 50 tend to have drier skin than they had in younger years, so use gentle cleansers that do not strip the skin. Opt for cream or lotion formulas that can be rinsed or tissued off, as they leave the natural lipid (oil) layer of the skin intact. Double-duty cleansers that exfoliate with jojoba beads or mild alpha-hydroxy acids are a good bet for occasional use and best used at night.

Treatment Serums

Fine lines, hyperpigmentation (dark spots), loss of elasticity and dullness are all characteristics of skin in its fifties. To efficiently address these skin-care concerns, a more potent skin-care product than a moisturizer is needed. Enter serums — concentrated treatment formulas developed to target individual skin issues. Incorporating a serum into your daily regimen for day and night allows for individualized attention to the skin issues that affect you most.

Effective Ingredients

For fine lines, look for a retinoid (vitamin A), which works to resurface the skin. Best used at night, retinoids also increase cellular activity in the dermis (lower levels of the skin) thereby helping with loss of elasticity. Hyperpigmentation responds well to the chemical hydroquinone, as well as natural ingredients like licorice extract, kojic acid (from fungus) and vitamin C. For improving sagging skin, vitamin C is a good option, as it helps with collagen production. Alpha-hydroxy acids, better known as AHAs exfoliate, resurface and unclog pores, leading to radiant skin and relieving dullness.

More Moisture

Perhaps the most important step in your skin-care regimen is moisturizing. Moisturizer replenishes the lipids (natural oils) on the surface of the skin which typically are diminished in your fifties due to oestrogen loss. Today, moisturizers multi-task with added treatment benefits. Best moisturizers for day include vitamins like C and E as well as other antioxidants like green tea, exfoliants like alpha-hydroxy acids, humectants like hyaluronic acid and SPF. At night look for lotions with retinoids (vitamin A) and alpha-hydroxy acids for their ability to exfoliate and improve skin tone.

Consistent SPF

Last, but certainly not least, wear an SPF anytime you are outside during daylight hours. Your best choice is a broad-spectrum sunscreen which protects skin from UVA (aging rays) and UVB (rays that burn). If you don’t have an SPF included in your moisturizer, use a minimum of SPF 20-30 on a daily basis.