As you head into your 40’s you’re going to notice some changes. Your skin will feel drier, sun damage becomes more evident and you’re probably starting to see those faint lines on your face deepen into straight up wrinkles.
But the good news is that you can instantly improve the texture of your skin by upping its moisture content. Repairing environmental damage and softening wrinkles takes a little longer, but both can be achieved.
And in your 40’s prevention can still make all the difference to how your skin looks in the future.
Read on for a plan of action that will keep your complexion youthful and healthy-looking into your 40’s and beyond…
How your skin changes in your 40’s…
As we get older all skin functions start to slow down, but the things you’ll probably notice first are…
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Your skin doesn’t feel as firm as it used to – this is because the production of collagen starts to decline.
Men's skin generally has about 20-30% more collagen than a woman’s skin. This keeps it smooth and gives it structural support. However, levels drop off rapidly after about 40 years of age and your skin starts to lose its elasticity and firmness.
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Your face feels drier – less oil is being produced now by your sebaceous glands. This is great news if you’ve always suffered from breakouts or acne, but it can mean that your face suddenly feels a lot drier than it ever has before.
Skin also starts to lose the ability to retain moisture like it used to, further compounding the problem.
- Sun damage becomes more evident – By now you’ve probably spent plenty of time in the sun, and the damage from UV rays, along with pollution, may be starting to show up as age spots and making your skin feel rough to the touch.
- Wrinkles – No getting around it, what started as fine lines around your eyes and on your forehead are now deepening into more visible wrinkles.
It’s never too late
But even with all of that going on, it’s OK.
Starting a good skincare routine will improve how healthy and young-looking your skin looks now, as well as making a real difference to how you look in the future.
And if you’ve always taken good care of your skin, you just need to amp it up a bit now to take account of these new changes.
ACTION PLAN: Best skincare routine for your 40’s
Here we’ve listed the simple steps - along with a guide to the ingredients to look out for - that will keep your skin looking smooth and hydrated as you hit your 40’s.
#1: Clean with a hydrating cleanser
Start your morning and evening routine with a hydrating cleanser that will leave your skin feeling fresh but won’t strip out all-important moisture.
As your skin ages, and oil-production reduces, you want to hold on to as much moisture as you can. So even if your skin has been oily in the past and you’ve been fine with an oil-absorbing face wash now is the time to opt for something that is more hydrating. You need a face wash that won’t leave your face feeling tight. Now is not the time to just use a bar of soap – and we explain why here.
For a complete run down on why you should clean your skin every day see - "CLEAN: the best way to keep your skin looking fresh and healthy".
Ingredients to look for: switch up to a face wash that contains Glycerin. This naturally occurring ingredient balances the water levels in your skin to facilitate moisture.
It’s an especially important ingredient when washing your face because it prevents dryness and stops your skin from feeling tight and dehydrated.
Also look for Aloe Vera, another natural ingredient with rich moisturizing and healing properties.
Along with these two ingredients, our Daily Face Wash also includes Black Tea Extract (a natural antioxidant to repair environmental damage), Allantoin to soften your skin, and Tea Tree Oil to purify and reduce any redness.
#2: Exfoliate your skin gently
Skin cell turnover continues to slow down in your 40’s, and exfoliation is the one step in your skincare routine that will really restore your complexion to glowing, good health.
It eliminates dead skin cells, accelerates cell renewal and stimulates your skin’s natural repair mechanism, leading to an instant improvement …
- the texture of your face looks smoother
- your pores appear smaller
- it helps get rid of blackheads
- there’s less chance of ingrown hairs when you shave
- it allows for better absorption of your moisturizer, keeping your skin well hydrated
It also increases blood circulation to your face, bringing nutrients to the skin’s surface. Giving you a healthy, vibrant and glowing complexion.
But…
Avoid using a harsh facial scrub to exfoliate your face! They are too rough for facial skin, damaging the surface and causing your skin to become red and irritated.
Ingredients to look for: It’s much better to exfoliate using a mild, natural chemical exfoliant – an Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) - like Glycolic Acid or Lactic Acid. These will thoroughly get rid of the dead skin cells and rev up cell renewal, but without causing irritation.
You can find them in special exfoliating lotions, but much easier to use a face wash which already includes them.
Our Daily Face Wash contains the mild Alpha Hydroxy Acid, Lactic Acid, so it does double duty - cleans and exfoliates in one step.
And it’s so gentle that you can use it every day.
Exfoliating Face Wash for Glowing Skin
#3: Use a hydrating moisturizer day and night
Keeping your skin hydrated is more important than ever at this age!
A high moisture content is one of the most important properties of healthy, younger-looking skin. So whatever your age, and whatever your skin type, using a moisturizer every day is a must if you want to look good.
Using a moisturizer regularly will not only make your skin look instantly more youthful, it can help it stay that way for years to come.
Ingredients to look for: Hyaluronic Acid is the gold standard of hydrating ingredients! With the ability to bind 1000 times its own weight in water.
So when it’s included in a skincare product it dramatically increases the moisture content of your skin and gives incredible deep and long-term hydration.
It also reduces fine lines and wrinkles and improves the overall texture of your skin, making your face look fresher and smoother.
Hyaluronic Acid is just one of the excellent anti aging ingredients we packed in to our Hydrating Daily Moisturizer to keep your skin looking smooth. We designed it to be extremely light so it absorbs quickly and it leaves your skin looking matt, and not greasy at all.
You won’t feel as though there is anything on your face, but you will notice a huge improvement in how your face feels.
Our Hydrating Daily Moisturizer is so effective at hydrating your skin that in independent tests it was found to have a significant immediate moisturizing effect, but also continued to get better two and four hours after application.
There was an increase in skin hydration level of 63% after 2 hours and 71% after 4 hours. Meaning that it carries on improving the moisture levels of your skin all day long.
#4: Treat signs of aging
As well as a moisturiser that hydrates your skin you need to find one that:
- reduces the early signs of aging, especially the fine lines around your eyes, and
- prevents those wrinkles from becoming deeper.
Ingredients to look for: Search for scientifically proven anti aging ingredients like peptides - which increase collagen production and cell turnover - and antioxidants like Vitamin E - which help slow the degradation of collagen and repair damage.
Our Hydrating Daily Moisturizer is a high-performance anti aging hydrator that includes peptides and Vitamin E – along with D-Panthenol, Jojoba Oil and Aloe Vera - to boost cell renewal and target those early wrinkles.
It helps to regenerate your skin, promote collagen production and minimise the look of lines and wrinkles as well as large pores, so that you end up with clearer, more youthful, looking skin.
Pay special attention to the eye area
The delicate skin around your eyes has virtually no oil glands and is the first to show signs of aging, so it’s essential to keep the skin here well hydrated.
The best solution: you don’t need to buy a separate eye cream. Our Hydrating Daily Moisturizer is so light that it is perfect for the delicate eye area as well.
It will hydrate and soften the skin and diminish the look of any wrinkles. And with anti aging peptides it improves circulation, stimulates collagen and protects the delicate under eye skin from free radical damage, reducing the bags under your eyes and any dark circles.
Hydrating Moisturizer for smooth, firm skin
#5 Protect your skin from UV rays
In your 40’s prevention – not just correction – should still be your goal.
And the number one cause of premature aging is UV rays from the sun. So wearing sunscreen every day to protect your skin is one of the best things you can do in your 40’s, or at any age for that matter.
Even on cloudy days the UV rays can cause damage, so don’t let your guard drop.
And it’s never too late to start. Even if you’ve never bothered with sunscreen up to now, starting to apply it regularly can make a huge improvement in your skin, halting further damage and improving skin texture.
You might also like:
- "Your Anti Aging Shaving Routine"
Along with a good skincare routine, here are some lifelong self-care habits to ensure a healthy complexion for years to come …
Self-Care tips for every age
Get your beauty sleep. Night-time is when your skin has a chance to regenerate and repair. And a good night's sleep gets rid of dark circles and under-eye bags too. So try to catch as much as you can.
If you're having problems getting to sleep we've got some great tips here – “Why you need your Beauty Sleep: and 14 ways to Sleep Better".
Stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water will keep your skin properly hydrated and looking smooth.
Eat healthily. The quality of the food you put into your body shows up in how healthy your skin looks. Try to eat plenty of fresh foods full of vitamins, minerals, Omega-3 fatty acids, protein, fibre and antioxidants. These are the building blocks of healthy, younger looking skin.
You can find more on the best foods for your skin and hair here:
And stay away from refined carbohydrates and sugar which can speed up the ageing process.
We’ve listed an ” A-Z of the 27 best anti aging superfoods" to guide you.
Prioritize exercise. Staying in good shape is one of the keys to looking younger. Working out will build muscles, reduce body fat and improve your posture.
(We've got a great ab workout here: "Defined Abs at Every Age").
Remember to wash your face post-workout to get rid of excess oil and any build up of sweat, both of which can have an ageing effect on your face.
Always wear sunscreen. Even in winter, and even on cloudy days, UV rays are present, and damaging your skin. So always protect your skin from the sun. (Sorry I know we said this before, but you really need to do it!)
And most importantly…
Take good care of yourself. Healthy self-care is not only essential for your mental health, it’s also going to reflect well in how healthy you look.
And in these unusually stressful times it’s more important than ever to take really good care of yourself.
Whether it’s meditation, reading or just going for a walk – try to schedule some self-care regularly into your day.
The Takeaway
Once you hit your 40’s, oil production decreases, skin cell turnover slows down, and dryness and wrinkles start to appear.
But it’s never too late! A good skincare routine will make a noticeable improvement in how your skin looks, and reverse any existing damage.
Now’s the time to switch up to products that are more hydrating. Our Daily Face Wash, contains glycerin to stop your skin feeling dry, and our Hydrating Daily Moisturiser is a deeply hydrating lightweight formula, packed with anti aging ingredients.
Action plan
- Clean with a hydrating cleanser to leave your skin feeling fresh but without stripping away all-important moisture.
- Exfoliate your face gently to rev up cell renewal, eliminate dead skin cells and leave your complexion glowing and healthy.
- Use a hydrating moisturizer day and night to make your skin look instantly more youthful, and help it stay that way for years to come
- Treat signs of aging by using a moisturizer with anti aging ingredients to stimulate collagen production, improve the appearance of wrinkles and even out your skin tone. And pay special attention to the skin around your eyes.
- Protect your skin from UV rays – even on cloudy days.
We want you to be one of those enviable men that continues to improve with age so we’ve got more great advice here: "12 Ways to Look Younger INSTANTLY".
All you need to stay looking handsome.
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PRESTIGE SKINCARE FOR MEN.
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