Another trip around the sun is a gift, but it often comes with an unsolicited upgrade — fine lines and wrinkles. If you’re of the mind that your numerical age doesn’t bother you but the visual indicator does, have hope.
Easily accessible anti-aging treatments can help you tack on the years with grace. Plus, incorporating them into your usual skincare routine may be easier than you’d think. Soon, you’ll be blowing out those candles while everyone ponders how you manage to look so great doing so.
#1. High-Powered, Multi-Faceted Topicals
There may be no such thing as a magic cream, but high-powered prescriptions like tretinoin get pretty close. This topically-applied retinoid increases collagen production and speeds up cell turnover. When regularly used, you can see a reduction in fine lines, faster healing, and an overall more youthful appearance.
Available with a prescription from online and traditional providers, this highly-concentrated vitamin A cream has broad benefits. For those suffering from acne, it can reduce breakouts and calm inflamed complexions. And since it can be prescribed in varying concentrations, you can start slow and see how your skin responds.
Some over-the-counter retinoids are available, but they don’t pack the punch of a prescription. Sample some to test your skin’s sensitivity in an inconspicuous place. Once you’re ready to upgrade to a prescription-level cream, you can contact your favorite online provider and get it delivered.
#2. Skin-Renewing Exfoliants
Just like you wouldn’t start painting a cabinet without first sanding and de-glossing, you wouldn’t go without exfoliating your skin. Removing old skin cells, lingering makeup, grime, and even peach fuzz can give your face a fresh look. But exfoliants have come a long way since the apricot scrub you obsessed over in junior high.
Your exfoliant standbys as an adult should include both physical and chemical-based varieties. Physical exfoliants have an abrasive quality that lifts dirt, oil, and dry skin through manual application. Using small circles in an upward and out motion, apply to clean skin and rinse gently. Stay away from sensitive areas and openings at the eyes and nose, which can result in pain and unwelcome damage.
Unlike physical exfoliants, chemical options use acid or enzymes to break down dead skin cells. Kate Sommerville’s Exfoli-Kate is an excellent mid-price option that also includes chemical exfoliant alpha hydroxy acid or AHA. For chemical-only AHAs, consider a pre-soaked pad option like those from Dr. Dennis Gross. Perfectly portioned with an accompanying neutralizing pad, this easy-to-use option keeps you from accidental over-application and skin irritation.
#3. Holistic Remedies and Routines
Eastern medicine’s skincare solutions are legendary and for good reason — hundreds of years of superb skin show proof. Incorporate holistic remedies and routines alongside your prescription and over-the-counter solutions for major benefits. Doing so can also reduce stress, which can reduce the speed at which you age and release long-held tension.
Facial massage can help relieve tension from daily stressors, sinus pain, or tech overload. But beyond making you more comfortable, this routine can release sticky fascia from beneath brow furrows. Using upward motions and light pressure, disrupt stagnation with well-oiled and clean hands.
Facial oils and tools make this easy, so choose one that’s anti-comedogenic and provides much-needed slip. Consider adding gua sha, facial cupping, and even pressure point therapy to move wrinkles along. With consistent use, you can increase blood flow to your face, reduce fluid build-up, and plump hollows from aging.
#4. Futuristic Therapies From the Pros
Some of today’s wildest-looking therapies may have you twisting your recently-released brow furrow, but don’t write them off. When administered by a professional, they can give your anti-aging endeavors a big boost. Before you sign up for a new treatment, confirm that your provider is state licensed to provide the services they’re boasting.
Red light therapy has been used by estheticians for years but has more recently become available through skincare retailers. Often sold as a hard plastic mask, these LED fixtures emit red light that is said to increase skin-firming proteins. If the price point is feasible, this skincare add-on can enhance your other practices. Just do your research first. Some photosensitizing medications can respond negatively to red light.
Another exciting advancement in professionally administered anti-aging treatments is plasma fibroblast. This minimally invasive procedure delivers a bolt of energy to your skin through a small wand. Expertly arranged in a skin-lifting grid pattern, this procedure lightly damages the skin to encourage new, strong connections below the surface. Over time, your skin loses elasticity and plasma fibroblast can provide lift to delicate eye areas and sagging bellies alike.
Caring for Your Maturing Skin as it Transforms With Time
The skin’s natural progression over time can make it feel like youthful skin is a moving target that you’re constantly chasing. While you’re grateful to have your teenage acne days behind you, the onset of wrinkles and fine lines can be frustrating.
As you navigate your maturing skin, remember that evidence of time, experience, and joy isn’t bad. Smile lines reveal years of happiness, as do the tiny fissures beside your eyes. Focus on building an anti-aging skincare regimen that helps you look and feel your best while honoring your life well-lived.
