You and your skin: the journey of a lifetime

How to take care of your skin at every life stage

All your life, you and your skin are in it together. This is why skincare is so important: it’s not just how you present yourself on the outside, it’s what protects you your entire life.

Everyone’s journey in their skin is unique, but women’s journeys can be particularly complicated by hormones. If you’re a woman, you may have experienced acne in adolescence, adult acne, pregnancy acne, or menopause acne. Some have experienced all of the above! That’s why we’ve teamed up with LOLA, the game-changing women’s health brand, to help guide you no matter where you’re at on life’s journey.

The one thing everyone needs on this journey

Preparing for your lifelong journey in this unique skin of yours starts with one simple but essential thing: sunscreen. Preventing sun damage should be priority number one over the course of your lifelong skincare journey. Studies show that damage caused by ultraviolet rays from the sun is responsible for up to 80% of skin aging. Protecting your skin from the sun helps prevent more than just wrinkles, too: sun exposure can make your pores look bigger!

Sunscreen is the most important anti-aging product you can use: it’s essential for wrinkle prevention. You can’t see the effect of sun exposure immediately, but trust us: it’s there. There’s actually a special UV camera that reveals the “invisible” sun damage to your skin.

Start anti-aging skincare in your 20s

Welcome to adulthood, friends. It’s not so bad, really! The first decade beyond the hormonal turmoil of the teen years has its own ups and downs for your skin: hormonal acne is still common amongst 20-somethings (sorry!) and it’s also primetime to start your age-defying skincare routine.

Start off your skincare journey by getting used to using sun protection every. single. day. Don’t forget to reapply throughout the day, too. Here’s a list of face sunscreens for every skin type that we recommend because their ingredients don’t cause acne.

Vitamin C is another great age-defying ally to have on your side, no matter how old you are. A serum with vitamin C such as DRUNK ELEPHANT C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum or SkinCeuticals Vitamin C Serum will help defend your skin against the sun’s harmful rays, and repair existing sun damage.

Next step: Curology. This is your shortcut to many of the ingredients you need to prevent aging and acne, conveniently delivered to your door every month in a personalized bottle. Some of the best “anti-aging” skincare ingredients require a prescription to get — that’s where your own personal dermatology provider comes in. You just send your Curology provider some clear, #nofilter selfies of your skin, and they’ll prescribe you a custom formula designed for your skin’s unique needs.

Of course, there are products you can get without a prescription that may help, but they tend to be less effective. Retinol is a popular choice — learn more about retinoids straight from one of our dermatology providers, here — but, better yet, you can get the prescription-strength version with Curology if your provider thinks it’s right for you.

A brief timeline of the rest of your skin’s life

Typically, your 30s and 40s are when signs of aging begin to become increasingly noticeable. Even if you’ve been diligent with your sunscreen use every. single. day. of your entire life (honestly, who has?), the skin’s natural life cycle will begin to slow down. With that typically begins the appearance of discoloration, wrinkles, sagging, and reduction of collagen production. For most women, estrogen levels also decrease, and androgens then become more dominant, which can cause a resurgence of adult acne.

Your 30s and 40s are a good time to start taking your age-defying skincare journey more seriously. While genetics and the indefatigable forward march of time certainly play a major role in how your skin looks as you get older, you can grab the steering wheel throughout this journey!

In your 50s, all of the aging processes at work in your 40s may become amplified due to menopause and the cumulative sun exposure over the years. The skin might get drier, as lower estrogen levels lead to a reduction your skin’s ability to retain moisture. Other common changes in this decade include sunspots, increased roughness of the skin, and more prominent sagging of the skin on/around your jaw and eyes.

As you advance into your 60s, expect more of the same process that began in your 40s and 50s. The most noticeable new development in this decade is that the skin appears to get thinner on the face, neck, and sun-exposed parts of the chest, hands, and arms.

The differences between the decades

The treatments that Curology’s dermatology providers recommend for anti-aging don’t differ for each decade. Keep using those prescription retinoids, vitamin C, and sunscreen — you just might need to adjust the strength over time, depending on your unique skin’s needs. Over the years, you’ll notice how your skin responds and differs in appearance. As a Curology member, you’ll have our support throughout each and every one of your skin’s life stages.

For our patients dealing with both anti-aging and/or acne concerns, Curology offers comprehensive custom formulas and access to high-quality care in the easiest, most affordable way possible. We’re here for the long haul, whatever stage of your skincare journey you’re at.