The Properties Of Skin As We Age & How To Retain Ageless Beauty

Throughout Our Lives, Our Skin Evolves

Your first grey hair or wrinkle is always a bit of a shock. You find yourself reminiscing about the good old days, when you had no worries in life and baby soft skin.

Unfortunately, aging is inevitable. And, in general, the collagen and elastin fibers in our skin become thicker and looser as we age causing skin to lose elasticity – eventually causing wrinkles and sagging skin.

But, there is no need for despair. There are simple steps we can take to slow down the effects of aging on skin and maintain ageless beauty. An understanding of the biology of skin and the cosmetic products available is helpful to know how to properly combat the aging process throughout each stage of life. And, remember, caring for your skin early in your life will payoff tremendously over time.

Understanding Aging Skin: In Our 20's

If you dealt with that stubborn teenage acne, by now your skin should have cleared up. Your skin at this point is probably supple and wrinkle-free as there is still a lot of collagen production.

However, it’s not all peaches and roses. From spending a lot of time in the sun to squinting at the computer all day, women and men in their twenties tend to notice the very first signs of aging such as “motor wrinkles”, lines around the eyes, and melasma (aka skin discoloration).

In fact, once we hit the age of 20, the dermis layer of the skin produces 1 percent less collagen each following year. Wow. This is what will eventually lead to thinner, more fragile skin, and the eventual formation of wrinkles.

Combat Aging Skin: In Our 20's

On the bright side, when you’re in your 20’s, there is a lot you can do to combat aging skin to help maintain your youthful radiance into the future.

1. It doesn’t get any better than sun protection / broad spectrum sunscreen. Dermatologists agree that “what you do in your 20s will reflect how you look in your 40s, 50s, and beyond — and wearing sunscreen is key.”

2. Begin to incorporate Vitamin C creams or serums into your skincare routine.

3. If you really want to stay ahead of the aging curve, you can introduce inhibitor peptides (like we have in Stråla One) into your skincare routine. Read about them in our article on anti-aging with peptides.

4. Begin to moisturize regularly.

5. Develop lifestyle habits that will support healthy skin into your future. For more information, check out our article on Swedish lifestyle habits that promote healthy skin.

Enjoying Our Skincare Articles?

Join the Stråla newsletter to receive our latest insights

We believe in privacy. Your e-mail will only be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy

Understanding Aging Skin: In Our 30's

At this point, collagen and elastin begin to degrade resulting in more visible and pronounced wrinkles. Unfortunately, cell renewal and turnover decline, affecting skin tone and leading to a duller appearance of the skin.

Skin moisture is also impacted at this stage in life. The transfer of moisture from the dermis (middle layer of the skin) to the epidermis (skin surface) is slowed, causing fat cells to shrink and leading the skin to appear more dull and thin.

In your 30’s, you may also begin to really notice crow’s feet around your eyes and the accumulation of any sun damage may increase the appearance of small brown spots (or sun spots). The dreaded “11’s” lines between eyebrows may begin to appear and lines between your nose and corners of your mouth develop.

Combat Aging Skin: In Our 30's

However, there is plenty that can be done to help fight aging skin and provide a further foundation for the future.

1. This is a good time to start using retinol products, a couple times per week. They can be a bit harsh but you can use milder forms of retinol such as retinyl palmitate and hydroxypinacolone retinoate (HPR). You can learn more about retinol in our article on the various forms of retinoids.

2. Now, it is really important to moisturize. If the moisturizer you used previously was oil free, begin to introduce some oil because it helps skin retain moisture and radiance.

3. Continue to use sunscreen to protect your skin from damage when outside.

4. Start to directly target lines and wrinkles on your face to keep them at bay. Implement products with inhibitor peptides to prevent ‘motor’ wrinkles. Learn more about how to use the various forms of peptides for anti-aging in our ingredient deep dive on peptides.

5. Start using products that stimulate collagen production.

6. Use products with hyaluronic acid to retain moisture and fight drying skin.

Important Notes for 40's and beyond: Changes to Skin Structure

We will continue to discuss impacts of aging skin throughout your 40’s, 50’s, 60’s+ in the sections below. But, first it is important to note that at this point, the structure of skin is also beginning to change in your 40’s and will gradually continue to change for the next few decades.

Epidermis

Less cells for the epidermis are formed. Existing cells shrink in size. Top layers become thinner. Overall, this leads to a disorganized and more fragile state for the epidermis over time.

Dermis

In the middle layer of skin, there is a gradual decrease in micro-circulation causing nutrients to not be transported to the epidermis. This leads to a lack of nourishment for both the dermis and epidermis and the eventual thinning and flattening of both of these layers of skin. These connective tissues also lose their fibrous structure and water-binding ability and start to degenerate.

Subcutis

There is a gradual reduction of fatty tissue in this lower layer of skin and it also becomes less resilient to pressure.

Understanding Aging Skin: In Our 40's

In your 40’s, skin gets thinner because the naturally protective lipid layers are weakened. If you’re prone to a lot of stress or haven’t been regularly using sunscreen, this is also when it truly begins to tell on your face.

Production of collagen nears a halt. The existing collagen and elastin fibers break, stiffen, and eventually lose their elasticity. The result is the appearance of aging lines and wrinkles, especially around your upper lip (and, if you smoke, they’ll appear earlier and be more pronounced). This also leads to more wrinkles on your forehead and crow’s feet around your eyes plus a deepening of the smile lines.

Skin becomes increasingly rough and dry and more prone to develop areas of hyperpigmentation (age spots).

Combat Aging Skin: In Our 40's

We will cover some of the anti-aging tips to implement into your skincare routine below. But, also keep in mind that both your lifestyle and your diet have significant impacts on the health of your skin. For more information, read our articles on Swedish Anti-Aging Diet Tips and Swedish Anti-Aging Lifestyle Tips.

1. Now, you need to get more serious about using retinoids. Continue using retinol-based creams, but increase the frequency. Learn more about retinoids and how we use gentle, yet potent forms in Stråla One in our article on Anti-Aging with Retinoids.

2. Continue to use hyaluronic acid to retain skin moisture.

3. You need more heavy-duty moisturizers – richer and thicker.

4. If you are not already, definitely add a night cream into your anti-aging skincare regimen.

5. This is also the decade when you may benefit most from using an antioxidant skin care product.

6. There are professional treatments that you can begin to implement, such as chemical peels, laser treatments, or even LED light therapy.

7. Don’t forget to continue applying sunscreen when exposed to UV rays.

These steps will help you retain your ageless beauty into the future. As the steps in your skincare routine begin to increase and become more complex, this is where all-in-one and comprehensive anti-aging products can really start to shine. Take a look at our article on how we think about ingredient formulations and synergies.

Understanding Aging Skin: In Our 50's, 60's, and Beyond

It’s probably official at this point that your skin is showing signs of aging. If you followed all the tips above and used sunscreen (minimized sun exposure) in your earlier years, then you probably have a good head start on maintaining healthy, beautiful skin.

In your 50’s, skin is drier as a result of the decreased sebaceous glands and bruises more easily. The cumulative effects of sun damage and aging show with the deepening of lines and wrinkles, and the accelerating breakdown of collagen and elastin fibers. Also, age spots will continue to appear and those that went untreated in the past will become more prominent.

For women, there is also the issue of hormones to deal with. As menopause reduces estrogen levels, which causes skin to sag, especially around the neck, cheeks, and jawline. Decreased estrogen levels also leave the skin dryer, thinner, and less toned.

In your 60’s, you continue to lose fat beneath the skin which contributes to a loss of structure as well as making skin thinner and more translucent. This can cause blood vessels just below the surface to look more prominent and skin to appear discolored.

From the late 70’s onwards, the skin has a weakened immune and protection function, making it more susceptible to infection.

Combat Aging Skin: In Our 50's, 60's, and Beyond

You can reduce the effects of aging skin by continuing with a great skincare routine.

This is where all-in-one anti-aging products like Stråla One really shine, since it combines nutrients, retinoids, smoothing, tightening, plumping, hydration, inhibitor peptides, and collagen stimulation into a single cream for simple morning and evening use.

1. Continue utilizing retinol regularly to fight deep wrinkles and lines.

2. Continue using hyaluronic acid to retain moisture and make up for the loss of natural hyaluronic acid production in the skin.

3. Continue utilizing a rich, thick moisturizer to combat dry and rough skin.

4. If you’re not using peptides in your anti-aging skincare routine, add them now to increase the production of collagen in your skin.

5. If you’ve been using soap-and-water to wash your face, stop immediately and start using a gentle non-drying cleanser.

6. Continue using antioxidants to fend off wrinkles and loose skin.

7. Continue using a night cream.

8. Continue to apply sunscreen when exposed to UV rays as skin is now more sensitive to sunlight and skin is prone to develop age spots.

Continue to Radiate and Age Beautifully

Remember, aging is a natural process and, even though we cannot reverse aging, there are many ways we can help slow down the effects of aging on the appearance of skin. The implementation of a proper skincare routine early on can make all the difference in later years. Our anti-aging product Stråla One: Swedish Rapid Rejuvenation Luxury Cream is a powerful all-in-one solution that delivers results and simplifies a complex anti-aging skincare routine. Read about the skin benefits of Stråla One.

But, skincare is only one factor that can help ease the aging process. Don’t forget that lifestyle habits and diet also play significant factors in skin health and aging. For more information, read our articles about Swedish Anti-Aging Lifestyle Habits and Swedish Anti-Aging Diet Tips.

Enjoy your youth and enjoy your later years. Just do both with great skin and a smile on your face – no skincare routine can beat that!