Ten Tips for Beautiful Skin After Age 50
I've never been comfortable with my looks, but I do have one odd gift. Strangers often mistake me for a much younger person. Throughout my 40s, I was often mistaken for a woman in her 20s. Around age 52, my luck ran out. I began to see fine lines around my eyes, especially in the morning. The following products helped plump out those lines and return my skin to its former state!
Get a night treatment that combines retinol and hyaluronic acid
Skin repairs itself at night. Going to bed without applying an anti-aging product is a big mistake. I like TrueSkin facial serum with retinol and hyaluronic acid. The line plumping results were visible after just one treatment.
|
Choose an under-eye concealer that doesn't settle into cracks
Over a three day period, I spent six hours on YouTube watching videos made by older women who tested different brands of concealer and provided closeups of the results. I ended up buying the top two "high end" products and the top two drugstore products recommended by my favorite beauty influencers. Only one product provided decent coverage without settling into cracks. That product is Tarte Tape Creaseless Concealer. I fell in love with the original Tarte Tape concealer a few years ago, but as I crossed the bridge over age 50, my old favorite products began to settle into those fine lines that become more visible with age. The creaseless formula by Tarte is even better than the original.
|
Wear a light, noncomedogenic moisturizer under your makeup
Use an eye shadow primer
Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
By age 18, I stopped attempting to lay out in the sun because my pale skin wouldn't tan evenly. That doesn't mean I stay indoors all the time. It just means that I'm picky about the time of day I choose to sit, swim or walk in the sun. The sun's ray's are strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. I've learned that it's just as fun to visit the beach or sit by the river after 5 p.m.. On rare occasions, when I break these rules, I pay a heavy price. Fourteen years ago, I suffered a mild and non painful sunburn on a camping vacation. It took six weeks to heal the resulting wrinkles and pink patches on my face. It aged my appearance by ten years, and I'm damned lucky I recovered. Even if you have the kind of skin that tans beautifully, the sun's rays are doing more harm than good. Frequent and prolonged sun exposure will catch up to you.
Wear a shade hat when spending time outdoors!
This beach umbrella stays in the back of my SUV all summer long
I keep camp chairs and sport umbrellas in the back of my SUV all summer long! This assures that I never get caught down by the river without sun and rain protection. I love that I can use this umbrella in an upright position or lay it down as shown to provide three-sided protection. Two camp chairs fit easily under the canopy.
|
Choose a lightweight sunscreen that won't clog your pores
Don't sleep on your face
In my late 40s, I woke up with a crease down the side of my face that wouldn't go away. Throughout the day, I kept checking to see if it would fade, and it took many hours. From this incident, I learned that aging skin doesn't "spring back" the way it used to. I knew I had to stop laying on my side with my face against the pillow, but sleep apnea prevented me from resting on my back. The solution was a neck pillow made of memory foam. I can properly elevate my head to keep my airway open when I sleep on my back.
|
Drink more water, and be sure to use a system that wont' run out of cartridges
I've often noticed that my skin looks less tight when I'm dehydrated. Even the skin on my hands will become lose and wrinkled when I don't drink enough water! I try to keep bottled water in stock, but there are always times when I run out. Pitcher filtration systems are cool, but I still get stuck without water when I run out of filter cartridges. A Sawyer Water Filter ensures that I never, ever run out of cartridges to make fresh water. Since the Sawyer system is made for hikers and campers who need to filter nasty lake water, it's far more effective at removing harmful microbes.
|
Don't wear makeup everyday
If you're not doing anything important, skip the makeup and cover your face with retinol and hyaluronic acid. My skin looks so much better when I give it time to repair and breathe. Looking pretty at the grocery store is no longer a priority in my life. I save the makeup routine for jobs, events and social situations.