How to Start an Anti-Aging Routine in Your 20’s
When you’re in your 20’s, starting an anti-aging skincare routine is probably not top of mind. I didn’t even start looking into skincare, let alone develop a skincare routine, until my late 20’s! But the truth is…the best time to begin caring for your skin's future is NOW. Your 20’s are the perfect time to lay the foundation for a lifetime of healthy, radiant skin. And this comprehensive guide will walk you through how to start. We’ll be going over:
Let’s dive right in!
Why Start Anti-Aging in Your 20s?
You might be wondering, "Why should I worry about wrinkles when I don’t even have any?" The answer lies in prevention ⏰. Your 20s are a crucial time for your skin, and there are lots of internal changes and external factors influencing your skin’s health:
Collagen Production Peaks: Your body's collagen production is at its highest in your 20s. After this, it declines by about 1% each year. As such, it’s a good idea to start thinking about how you can support and supplement your skin’s collagen production moving forward.
Cell Turnover is Optimal: Your skin cells renew themselves more quickly, giving you that youthful glow.
Hormonal Changes: Many experience hormonal fluctuations that can cause adult acne or other changes to your skin. Proactively addressing these changes can prevent them from becoming problematic and causing additional undue stress.
Stress Effects: Your 20’s are a time of new career and life changes, and new pressures, which can show on your skin.
Environmental Exposure: UV rays, pollution, and lifestyle choices start to impact your skin's health.
Delayed Effects: The consequences of sun exposure and lifestyle choices in your early years may start to show as well.
Habits Form: The skincare habits you establish now will likely stick with you for life.
These factors could impact how wrinkles and other signs of aging show up on your skin later on down the line. By practicing skincare NOW, you can prudently take advantage of your skin’s youth and give it the tools it needs to age gracefully.
Building Your Anti-Aging Routine: The Essentials
Below are the fundamental skincare steps that can set you up for success. Feel free to start here and tweak your routine depending on what your skin needs.
1. Cleanse
Proper cleansing provides the foundation for healthy skin. Start and end your day with a gentle cleanser. Look for products that:
Remove impurities without stripping your skin
Maintain your skin's natural pH balance
Contain ingredients like glycerin or ceramides for added hydration and skin barrier support
Pro Tip: Double cleansing at night (first with an oil-based cleanser, then with a water-based one) can ensure all makeup and sunscreen are removed.
2. Tone
Toning your skin is often overlooked but can make a significant difference in its health and ability to absorb subsequent products. A good toner will:
Balance your skin's pH
Remove any remaining impurities
Hydrate and prep your skin for the next steps
3. Treat
This is where you can really customize your routine and target your specific skincare concerns. Some ingredients to consider adding to your routine include:
Vitamin C: A powerful antioxidant that brightens skin and protects against free radical damage.
Retinol: Boosts collagen production and cell turnover. (Start with a low concentration and low frequency, ex. 2-3 times a week at night, and work your way up as retinol may cause irritation.)
Niacinamide: Improves skin texture, minimizes pores, and helps with acne.
Hyaluronic Acid: Hydrates and plumps the skin, reducing the appearance of fine lines.
And remember, introduce new active ingredients gradually and monitor your skin’s response as you do, to avoid irritation.
4. Moisturize
Keeping your skin hydrated and moisturized is crucial for preventing premature aging. Choose a moisturizer based on your skin type:
Oily Skin: Look for lightweight, oil-free, and non-comedogenic formulas that won’t feel too heavy on your skin.
For some good options, check out: 5 Best Moisturizers for Oily Skin
Dry Skin: Opt for richer creams with ingredients like ceramides or fatty acids that help strengthen the skin barrier.
Combination Skin: Combination skin can be a bit tricky because you have both dry and oily skin. If this sounds like you, you might need different products for different areas of your face or may need to apply multiple layers of moisturizer to the drier areas of your face.
5. Protect
If there's one step you absolutely cannot skip, it's sunscreen. UV damage is the number one cause of premature aging.
Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30.
For some great sunscreen options, check out: 5 Lightweight Sunscreens for Sensitive Skin
Apply it every morning, rain or shine.
If possible, reapply your sunscreen every 2 hours, especially if you’re outdoors.
Don’t forget your neck and chest areas
Tip: Look for sunscreens with added antioxidants for extra protection against environmental stressors.
If you’re new to skincare and would like the lowdown on the different types of skincare products, check out: Your Guide to Common Types of Skincare Products
Advanced Anti-Aging Strategies
Once you've mastered the basics of your skincare routine, you can consider incorporating the additional strategies below to further enhance your routine. But just remember, sometimes less is more, so only do what works with your skin.
1. Exfoliation
Regular exfoliation can improve skin texture and boost cell turnover. The two types of exfoliants are:
Chemical Exfoliants: AHAs (like glycolic acid) or BHAs (like salicylic acid) can provide gentle, effective exfoliation by using acids or enzymes to break down and remove dead skin cells from the skin's surface without the need for physical scrubbing.
Physical Exfoliants: As the name sounds, these use physical materials to manually remove dead skin cells and debris from the skin's surface. You should use thse cautiously and gently to avoid micro-tears in the skin.
Frequency: Start with once a week and gradually increase based on your skin’s tolerance.
2. Face Masks
I’m sure you’ve seen face masks all over social media.. and for good reason. Face masks can provide an extra dose of nutrients and hydration on top of your regular skincare products. While you should pick the mask based on what your skin needs, some good ingredients to look for include:
Clay: To detoxify and clarify
Hyaluronic Acid: For intense hydration
Antioxidants: To fight free radical damage (ex. vitamin C)
Frequency: Shoot for adding a face mask once a week. If this schedule is not possible, feel free to add one in whenever you feel like your skin needs an extra boost of TLC.
3. Eye Cream
The skin around your eyes is thin and prone to early signs of aging. An eye cream can:
Hydrate and plump to minimize fine lines
Reduce puffiness and dark circles
Protect this delicate area from environmental damage
Frequency: While not a necessity for your skincare routine, you can incorporate an eye cream daily morning and/or night.
4. Facial Oils: Nourish and Protect
Facial oils can benefit your skin even if you have oily skin. The right facial oil can:
Provide deep nourishment
Balance oil production
Strengthen your skin barrier
If you want to avoid potentially clogging your pores, look for non-comedogenic oils like jojoba, rosehip, or squalane.
Frequency: Facial oils are typically incorporated at night and whenever your skin needs some extra moisture (ex. during colder winter months). While there isn’t any harm using a facial oil in the morning, it may leave your skin shiny, which most people don’t want during the day.
Lifestyle Factors: Beyond Skincare Products
While your skincare routine is important, it's not all that matters when it comes to your skin. Below are some lifestyle factors that play a crucial role in how your skin ages, and how you can optimize them for better skin health.
1. Diet: Nourish Yourself from Within
What you put in your body is just as important as what you put on your skin. Focus on:
Antioxidant-Rich Foods: Berries, leafy greens, and colorful vegetables
Healthy Fats: Avocados, nuts, and fatty fish for skin hydration
Protein: Essential for collagen production
Hydration: Key for keeping your skin supple and functioning properly
2. Sleep: Beauty Rest is Real
As you sleep, your body and skin repair and regenerate themselves.
Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night.
Set a calming nighttime routine to prep yourself to fall asleep more easily and sleep well.
Consider using a silk pillowcase to prevent sleep lines and reduce friction on your skin as you sleep.
3. Stress Management: Your Skin's Silent Enemy
Chronic stress can accelerate aging. Incorporate stress-reduction techniques like:
Meditation or mindfulness practices
Regular exercise
Yoga or stretching
Hobbies that bring you joy and focus your attention away from your stressful situation
4. Additional Harmful Habits
The habits below can also significantly impact how your skin ages. While it may not be possible to avoid them completely, limiting them as much as possible will have beneficial effects on your skin (and overall health).
Smoking: Accelerates collagen breakdown and restricts blood flow to the skin
Excessive Alcohol: Dehydrates the skin and can lead to inflammation
Inconsistent Skincare: Skipping your routine, even occasionally, can impact your skin and lead to bad habits long-term
Picking or Touching Your Face: Can lead to scarring and introduce bacteria to your skin
Common Skincare Mistakes to Avoid
As you embark on your anti-aging journey, beware of these common pitfalls that can actually make your skin worse and age you:
Overdoing It: More is not always better when it comes to skincare. While it may be tempting to pile on a bunch of different ingredients in the hopes of reaping all their benefits, using too many active ingredients at once can irritate your skin. Try starting with 1-2 actives and then working your way (if needed) depending on how your skin tolerates it.
Neglecting Your Neck and Chest: While most people only focus on the face for skincare, your neck and chest areas show signs of aging too. That’s why it’s important to extend your skincare down to your décolletage. That way, these areas also get cared for, and there won’t be a stark difference between the skin on your face and the skin in these areas.
Ignoring Your Hands: Your hands can betray your age. Despite being some of the most-used and visible parts of your body, they often don’t get the care they deserve, especially in terms of skincare. Make it a habit to apply sunscreen and moisturizer to them daily to help stave off signs of wear and aging.
Pro-tip: Take any leftover skincare product you have left over from your face and apply it to your hands. That way, you won’t waste anything, and your hands can experience some of that anti-aging magic!
Switching Products Too Often: Though we’d all love immediate results, most skincare products take time and consistent use to start showing their effects. For example, retinol can take up to 6 weeks or more to show noticeable improvements! Give products time to work before moving on to the next trendy item, and your skin will be sure to thank you.
Skipping Sunscreen on Cloudy Days: Though it may seem like your skin is safe from the sun on gray, cloudy days, UV rays penetrate clouds and can still reach your skin. It’s important to make sunscreen a daily habit, regardless of weather, to make sure it’s always protected.
And that’s a wrap! Starting an anti-aging routine in your 20s is one of the best gifts you can give your future self. Remember, at this stage of life it's not necessarily about looking younger… it's about keeping your skin healthy, resilient, and radiant for years to come! By establishing good habits now, i.e., protecting your skin from environmental damage, and giving it the nutrients it needs, you're setting the stage for graceful aging. Plus, your skin at this age is more resilient, so you can be more bold in experimenting with ingredients and products to find what works best for you.
I hope you embrace this journey of self-care and remember that the best anti-aging strategy is a consistent, thoughtful approach to skin health. And if you’ve discovered any anti-aging tips or products that have worked well for you, I’d love to hear them! 💜