How to Look Young at Any Age

Though we welcome the wisdom that comes with age, most of us don’t love what those years do to our skin. Here are 22 dermatologist-recommended tips to look young – at any age. Plus, are you skin-care savvy? Test yourself with our quiz…

With each passing birthday, we lose collagen, elastin and facial fat. Add decades of sun worship, which ages skin faster, and you’ll easily look older than your years.

“The changes that happen to your skin each decade – wrinkles, fine lines, sagging and brown spots – are cumulative and they accelerate as you get older,” says Mary Lupo, M.D., clinical professor of dermatology at Tulane University in New Orleans.

“However, the benefits of caring for your skin are also cumulative,” she says. “The earlier you start, the better you look.”

The bottom line? Baby your complexion now and you won’t need a face lift later. Here's our doctor-recommended guide to skin care in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond.

In Your 20s

1. Get in the skin-care habit.
Start good lifetime habits now to keep that glowing complexion well into your "golden years."

Most important: Remove all makeup before you hit the sack each night. Going to bed with a face full of cosmetics – and a days’ worth of dirt and oil – can clog pores and cause acne. (Keep facial wipes by your bed for those nights you really can’t make it to a sink.)

Second: Use a product with antioxidants, such as vitamin C, E, green tea and coffeeberry (the fruit of the coffee).

“Antioxidants improve skin tone and texture while protecting your complexion by fighting off free-radicals that break down collagen,” Lupo says.

2. Battle blemishes.
“In your 20s, adult acne is one of the biggest issues,” says Jeannine Downie, M.D., director of Image Dermatology in Montclair, N.J., and co-author of Beautiful Skin of Color (Diane Publishing).

Fight pimples by using a cleanser and spot treatment with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. If over-the-counter options don’t work, see a dermatologist.

“Whatever you do, don’t pick your zits,” Downie adds. “This causes scarring or dark spots of pigmentation that can take months to fade.”

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3. Say bye-bye to tanning.
Salons may claim that tanning beds are better for you than the sun’s UV (ultraviolet) rays or that they give you a safe base tan. It’s not true, dermatologists agree.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, recently put tanning beds in the highest cancer risk category, calling them carcinogenic to people.

“A tanning bed can actually do more damage than the sun because the [bed's] rays are all intense UVA rays, which penetrate deep into the skin,” Lupo says.

4. Stock up on sunscreen.
Hands down, dermatologists agree that the best thing you can do to keep your youthful complexion is to use a sunscreen with at least 15 SPF (sun protection factor) daily.

“A Food and Drug Administration study found that only 23% of a person’s lifetime sun exposure happens by the age of 20, so you’ve got many years of sun exposure to protect yourself from,” says Katie Rodan, M.D., associate clinical professor of dermatology at Stanford University and author of Write Your Skin a Prescription for Change (Pair O' Docs MD Publishing).

“If you stop sunbathing and use sunscreen, you’ll make an enormous difference in your skin.”

Look for a product with zinc oxide, avobenzone or Mexoryl, ingredients that protect against UVA rays, which cause wrinkles, sagging and brown spots.

“Apply it all over your face, from your hairline to the top of your chest,” Downie says. “And don’t forget to dab some around the eyes, where skin is thin and susceptible to damage."

Many women avoid this area, but if the sunscreen is hypoallergenic [meaning its ingredients are less likely to trigger an allergic reaction], fragrance free and recommended for sensitive areas, it won’t hurt the delicate skin, she says.

5. Slip on some shades.
Wear sunglasses with 100% UV protection every day.

“Over time, the repetitive motion of squinting engraves wrinkles around your eyes, while the sun’s rays break this thin skin down even more,” Rodan says.

Even worse, years of sunlight exposure “can increase your risk of cataracts, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma,” she says.

6. Stop touching your eyes.
“Tugging, rubbing or pulling the gentle area around the eyes causes dark circles and damages skin-causing wrinkles,” Downie says.
If you’re rubbing your peepers because you’re tired, rethink your late nights out. Or you may have allergies, so see an allergist for testing and remedies.

7. Put out your butts for good.
“Kate Moss may look cool smoking now, but she’s not going to look so pretty in her 50s,” Rodan says.

That’s because every puff deposits thousands of toxins into – and onto – the skin.

“This yellows the skin, breaks down collagen and makes you wrinkle much faster than your non-smoking friends.”

In Your 30s

1. Add retinoids to the regimen.
“This is when you start to see your first signs of aging, like fine lines around the eyes, freckles and uneven skin tone,” Rodan says.

So reach for retinoids. The vitamin A-based compounds are “the most studied and proven anti-aging ingredient, which speed up cell turnover, and build and preserve collagen,” she says.

If your skin is sensitive, look for an over-the-counter retinol product.

“Non-prescription retinol will convert to retinoic acid in the skin just like a prescription, but it can be less irritating,” she says.

If your skin doesn’t get irritated easily, see a dermatologist for a stronger, prescription formula, such as Retin-A.

Either way, start slowly: Use a pea-size amount all over your face every other day and work up to daily. Apply these and other active ingredients at night when a boost in skin temperature helps them penetrate better.

2. Brighten up.
Skin looks duller in your late 30s and 40s, thanks to subsurface pigmentation that casts a shadow on the top layer of your skin. This sun damage robs your complexion of that youthful, translucent glow.

“It’s like sediment at the bottom of a muddy lake, which makes the clear surface of the water look dark,” Rodan says.

How to get your glow back? Use products with brightening ingredients, such as niacinamide, coffeeberry, ferrulic acid, vitamin C or soy, which lighten pigmentation and fix uneven skin tone.

3. Scrub – gently.
Besides sun damage, your complexion looks duller because the dead, outer layer of skin cells drops off more slowly.

“In your 20s, skin cells shed and renew themselves every 28 days,” Rodan says. In your 30s and every succeeding decade, the renewal takes longer.
So crank up the process by using an exfoliating wash every day or two.

“Just avoid exfoliators made of ground pits or almond husks,” she cautions. “They may be natural, but they can grow bacteria and have angular edges that tear skin.”

Instead, use exfoliators with synthetic beads, which are usually even in size with smooth, uniform edges.

4. Break a sweat.
You may be busy with work, kids and family now, but it’s time to ramp up – or start – a workout routine.

“Exercise is good for circulation and makes skin glow,” says Downie. “You also get a lot of stress relief from exercise, so your worries don’t show up on your face.”

But trade that high-impact workout – running, jumping jacks or jump rope – for less-jarring exercise.

“High-impact exercise is not only bad for your joints, but it also may break down the attachments in your skin and, over time, cause sagging,” Rodan says.

5. Stick with sunscreen.
Sunscreen is just as important in your 30s to ward off sun damage and prevent skin cancer. But it’s especially critical during the baby-making years because the combination of pregnancy hormones and sun can trigger brown patches called melasma. (Birth control pills are also a culprit.)

These unsightly patches may disappear after you give birth. If they don’t, they’re difficult to treat because they take a long time to fade and require a strong lightener, such as hydroquinone.

6. Pamper your pucker.
“Dry, cracked lips can make you look older,” Rodan says. Exfoliate them with a gentle swipe of a washcloth or your toothbrush’s bristles.

“This removes dead skin and brings back that youthful pink color,” she says.
To keep your kisser supple, use a lip product with sunscreen.

In Your 40s

1. Hydrate your skin.
Changing hormone levels cause skin to look and feel drier than ever – which can make wrinkles more noticeable.

Boost hydration by using a richer moisturizer morning and night – creams are better than lightweight lotions – and apply it when skin is damp to seal in moisture.

2. Battle breakouts – again.
Blemishes can return in your 40s because of those same skin-drying hormones.

"Estrogen goes down, but progesterone stays the same, which tips the balance toward more masculine hormones that are responsible for acne,” Rodan says.

Try over-the-counter acne products with salicylic or glycolic acids or see a dermatologist for prescription zit zappers and in-office treatments, such as peels or light-based therapies.

3. Fight the sins of your past.
If bad tanning habits didn’t catch up with you in your 30s, watch out. Sun damage can show up as late as your 40s, in the form of uneven skin tone, pigmentation, broken blood vessels and overall redness.

“The good news is that a lot of these things are reversible if you exfoliate, use a retinol product or try a lightener with hydroquinone,” Rodan says.

4. Shake up your skin-care regimen.
Doing the same workout for months on end isn’t as effective because your body gets used to it. Same goes for your skin. So mix it up with your regimen.

If you were using an over-the-counter retinol in your 30s, see a dermatologist for a stronger, prescription version.

“Or you can add new age-fighters into your regimen, such as peptides, or those that stimulate collagen, firm skin and prevent environmental damage,” Lupo says.

5. Consider the strong stuff.
Retinols, peptides and other age-fighters can tone skin and help smooth fine lines, but deep wrinkles and serious pigmentation require a trip to a dermatologist. Treatments like Botox, fillers, peels and light-based treatments can take years off your appearance.

6. Fight facial hair.
It’s those unbalanced hormone levels again. They also cause facial hair to crop up in embarrassing places. (So maybe it’s a good thing that your eyes are going south at the same time?)

At-home facial hair removal can work temporarily, but for more permanent results, see a dermatologist.
“Laser hair removal takes just a few minutes, but you need to do it when the hair is dark, Rodan says. Because gray hair has no pigment, you can’t zap it with a laser.

In Your 50s and beyond

1. Keep up the good work.
By your 50s, your skin may be thinner and have a crepe-like texture. Plus, all those expressions you’ve made over the years probably have left tracks.

“Skin begins to sag because you’re losing fat volume [and] collagen,” Rodan says.

After your 30s, you begin to lose about 1% of collagen per year, she says. Do the math and it’s worrying: By the time you reach the half-century mark, “you’ve lost a good 20%.”

The fix? Continue using retinols and antioxidant products.

“And make sure that you’re exfoliating, because it improves the absorption of the active ingredients in your skin products,” Lupo says.

2. Quench your skin’s thirst.
“Your skin continues to get drier, thanks to changes in hormone levels,” Rodan says.

So apply a rich moisturizer at night to prevent water evaporation from your skin while you sleep.

3. Filler up.
Though topical products can smooth over some skin issues, others, like loss of fat volume, need a doctor’s touch.

“Every year from the time you’re 30, you lose one teaspoon of volume from your face,” Downie says.

But stop frowning: Dermatologists and plastic surgeons can use injectable fillers or volumizers to restore fullness.