The Ultimate Guide On How To Take Good Care Of Your Skin In Your 20s

A step–by–step guide to help you build a skincare routine in your 20s.

In your 20s, your body goes through a lot of physical changes, so does your skin. The skin renewal process in your 20s takes up to 28–35 days as opposed to 40–45 days in your 30s.

In your twenties, three major things will happen to your skin:

1. Collagen production starts to slows down about 1 percent every year.
2. Gradual loss of elasticity.
3. Increase in fine lines and wrinkles due to collagen and elastin breakdown.

These factors are the reason why your twenties is the perfect time to build and maintain a simple but effective skincare routine.

In your 20s, emphasis should be placed greatly on prevention and maintenance because believe it or not, your skin in your 30s, 40s, 50s is greatly influenced by what you do in your 20s.

In this step–by–step article, you’ll learn how to take care of your skin in your 20s, what exactly to look for in a skin care product for your skin type, along with some skincare tips.

1. Adopt a healthy lifestyle in your 20s
Your 20s are very crucial as they are the most important and defining decade of your life.

You need to beware of bad habits that could negatively impact your skin’s health like cigarette smoking, not drinking enough glasses of water a day, tanning, eating tons of sugar or junk food, picking at your pimples, partying all night, sleeping for less than seven hours, and going to sleep with your makeup on.

Adopting a healthy lifestyle early in your 20s should include but not limited to — taking care of your mental health, eating a healthy balanced diet, consistent exercise, practicing self-care, and getting lots of rest.

2. Your diet matters–A LOT
Your bones are at a maximum capacity and strength in your 20s, therefore eating a healthy balanced diet that consists of whole foods rich in vitamin D, A, Calcium and Omega–3 fatty acids will be beneficial for your health.

Your diet should include foods like salmon, mackerel, walnuts, sweet potatoes, cod liver oil, tomatoes, avocados, spinach, kiwis, yogurt, liver, egg yolks, and multivitamins along with plenty of fruits and vegetables.

3. Cleansing is a MUST
Washing your face with a gentle cleanser helps to remove any trace of dirt, dead skin cells, excess sebum, sweat and makeup that can clog pores and causes pimples.

The right cleanser should bring balance, cleanse your skin properly without stripping its natural oils, and allow for the penetration of other skincare products.

4. Exfoliate BUT Dont Overexfoliate
Exfoliating once or twice weekly maximum can make the overall appearance of your skin look brighter. Exfoliating is great for anti–aging, unclogs pores, helps skincare products penetrate even deeper making skin tone look more rejuvenated.

When you’re exfoliating it is important to be gentle with your skin as tugging on your skin can cause the skin to lose elasticity.

Tips:

• Exfoliate for about 30 seconds using small circular motions and rinse off using lukewarm water.
• For dry/sensitive skin, AHA’s like mandelic and lactic acid are much more effective.
• For oily/acne-prone skin, glycolic acid and BHA’s like salicylic acid is perfect due to their ability to unclog pores thereby preventing breakouts.
• For highly sensitive skin, PHA’s like gluconolactone and azelaic acid are much more ideal as they can be less irritating to the skin and are more suitable for people with rosacea and eczema.
• For combination skin, BHAs like salicylic acid is perfect for your T–zone area while it is more suitable to use AHAs like lactic acid for the rest of your face.

5. Use a serum
Serums supply a high concentration of specific active ingredients to the skin. They are usually clear, gel–based, or in liquid form and are much less thicker than moisturizers. They are applied before moisturizers as they tend to be lightweight and are selected depending on whatever skin concerns you might be struggling with.

Types Of Serums

• Anti–aging serums help turn back the hands of time by slowing down the aging process and combat fine lines and wrinkles. For example, Retinol, Ceramides, Vitamin C, AHAs and BHAs. Anti–aging serums are suitable for all skin types and dermatologists recommend that women in their early to late 20s start using anti–aging serums.
• Antioxidant serums protect your skin from free radicals and other environmental stressors. They contain active ingredients such as Niacinamide, Resveratrol, Ferulic acid, Green tea, Vitamin C, A and E.
• Hydrating serums help boost your skin’s hydration, prevent it from drying out and improves moisture retention. Hydrating serums contain lipid–replenishing ingredients, meant to deeply nourish the skin such as hyaluronic acid, glycerin, ceramides, and urea. They are also best suited for dry skin, safe for acne–prone skin, and a great option for dehydrated skin because of their hydrating properties.
• Colour correcting serums perform an array of functions and target skin issues like hyperpigmentation and discoloration. They are best suited for women who would like to even out their skin tones. For example: Arbutin, kojic acid, Licorice root extract and tranexaminc acid.

6. Use an eye cream
Although eye creams are not necessary in your skincare routine, they are mini–moisturizers targeted to help with dark circles under eyes, puffy eyes, fine lines and diminish wrinkles.

The best eye creams contain ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, caffeine, niacinamide, glycerin, retinol, A and E. Another great way to take care of your eyes us by using under eye-sheet masks.

Just be careful with the skin around your eye area as are much more sensitive than the skin on your face. Make sure you don’t rub your eye area very harshly because that could make you age faster.

7. Always moisturize
Usually, most people skip one or two steps in their skincare routine however you must not skip applying a moisturizer because they keep your skin youthful and in good condition.

Moisturizers are good because they protect and lubricate the skin. Moisturizers create a protective barrier over your skin after you exfoliate with acids.

Leaving moisturizers out of your skincare routine in your 20s could result in your skin becoming dull and dehydrated. Breakouts could get much worse, fine lines and wrinkles could become more prominent.

Tips On How To Find A Moisturizer For Your Skin Type

• For oily skin, opt for moisturizers that are light–weight, water–based, oil–free, and non–greasy.
• For normal/dry skin, opt for cream moisturizers as they are thick, packed with hyaluronic acid and ceramides for ultimate hydration.
• For acne–prone skin, opt for oil–free, non–comedogenic, fragrance–free, and non–irritating moisturizers.
• For sensitive skin, opt for fragrance-free moisturizers to reduce the risk of irritation. Always go for gentle cream moisturizers that contain natural ingredients as they won’t irritate the skin.
• For combination skin, opt for a moisturizer that is non-greasy yet rich and hydrating.

8. Sunscreen Should Be Your BF

"Nothing looks as good in your 50s than sunscreen in your 20s” — Jennifer Garner

Sun exposure is responsible for 90 percent of visible skin aging. Ultra–violet rays from the sun penetrate into the skin and damage skin cells causing wrinkles to form and develop.

A lot of young women in their 20s don’t wear sunscreen simply because they feel like they don’t need it, however doing that can cause long-term problems for your skin like age spots, skin discoloration, skin cancer, fine lines and wrinkles.

Make sure you the sunscreen you’re applying is a mineral–based broad–spectrum SPF 30–50 and reapply it every two hours — don’t forget your neck.

Final Takeaway

Your 20s is the perfect time to start a skincare routine and the earlier you take care of your skin in your 20s the easier it will be to keep it in healthy and prevent the signs of aging as you get older.

Trust me, you don’t want to wait till your 40s, 50s and 60s before you start taking care of your skin. It will be late by then.

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