By the time you reach your 30s, aging has begun to affect the skin. Wearing sunscreen, using a quality exfoliant, eating a good diet, and taking other vital steps becomes critical. Carlton Ryan explains.
Ageing affects everything. And when you reach your 30s, your body is no longer quite at its 100% best. Small signs of aging will begin to appear, and your skin is no exception to this rule.
Your skin of course, plays a huge role in how good you look. Since the skin is the largest organ in the body, it also plays a more significant role in health than you might think. If you want to counteract the effects of aging on your skin, there are a few things you can add to you daily routine of skincare and inner health.
Here are six essential rules for taking care of your skin in your 30s:
1. Have a skincare routine
If you are like many people, there is a good chance you didn’t pay attention to your skin at all in your 20s. Now that lines, wrinkles, and other ageing signs are making their appearance known, you may understand why skincare matters. While it’s best to start a good skincare routine as early as possible, there’s no point in ‘crying over spilled milk.’ Now is the time to start counteracting the effects of ageing on your skin and prevent more damage.
2. Use a good exfoliant
A high-quality exfoliant becomes important as you enter your 30s. As you get older, your rate of skin cell turnover slows down. This contributes to your skin appearing tired and dull. Exfoliants remove the top layer of dead skin, prompting your body to produce new skin cells, which brings that skin turnover rate back up. It is recommended we use them weekly. Exfoliants also give a good instant fresh look and feel.
3. Use a quality moisturiser
By the time you are in your 30s, the oily skin and acne that may have plagued you before may have now left, but with your 30s has brought another problem; the likely problem instead is now dry skin. Dry skin looks and feels bad, besides speeding up aging. You need to use a good moisturiser every day. Moisturisers help seal moisture into the skin and also act as a protector against the outdoor (wind, cold and sun) elements and indoor (central heating and air con) elements.
4. Wear sunscreen
The intense ultraviolet rays of the sun are not friendly to your skin. First, they contribute a lot to problems of ageing like wrinkles and sunspots. Second, and more importantly, as we all should know nowadays, sunlight can cause skin cancer. Unblocked UV light massively increases your risk of developing skin cancer. If you haven’t been protecting yourself with sunscreen during your 20s, it’s doubly important you start now. Apply sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher each time you are out in the sun for more than a few minutes, and yes that even applies to winter sun.
5. Use a good cleanser
By the time you are in your 30s, the oily and acne-plagued skin that once afflicted you when you were younger is likely gone. That change means you can opt for a gentler, less abrasive cleanser. At any age, a quality cleanser is needed to wash your face free of oil and dirt, which allows your pores to avoid getting clogged. If you don’t like to wash with a cleanser, however, there are also available some excellent quality cream cleansers. There’s also always free advice at beauty counters in stores on which cleanser will likely suit your skin type!
If you are looking for a natural alternative though, there are some easy recipes you can find online with ingredients including honey, milk and oatmeal; items that most of us have in our kitchen!
6. Eat a good diet
Your 30s are when you could start to really suffer ill effects if you don’t eat properly and work out regularly. And your skin can only be healthy if you supply it with nutritious food. Follow the general precepts of healthy eating; prioritise eating vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and lean proteins. Minimise consumption of sweet and processed foods, both of which speed up skin ageing. Drink plenty of water to help your skin stay moisturised and rid toxins.
Eating a good diet is also key to controlling your weight. Aside from other terrible effects, being overweight stretches and damages your skin.
Whether you thrive in maturing or not, your 30s are when ageing starts to truly hit your skin. While there is nothing you can do to stop this inevitable process, you certainly can do all you can to ensure your skin ages gracefully. Adopting the proper skincare routine for your 30s is an essential step to take.