Skincare Tips for Older Adults

As you grow older, your skin naturally ages with you. With age, collagen and elastin production decreases, resulting in a loss of suppleness in your skin. As the skin thins and becomes more brittle, glands lose their capacity to hydrate it adequately, so dry skin becomes a more frequent problem. Aside from these natural aging effects, the environment can play a huge role in your skin aging even more drastically. That’s why, as you get older, it’s essential you keep taking care of your skin. To help you with that, we compiled a list of the best skincare tips for older adults.

Tip #1 Always Moisturize Your Skin

As we already mentioned, dry skin is very common in older adults. Sometimes, the reasons for that can be diseases such as kidney problems or diabetes. Other times, older adults simply aren’t drinking enough water to stay properly hydrated. To keep your skin from feeling too dry, use a moisturizer every day to help prevent cracking and itchiness. Don’t just put on moisturizer every morning; make it a part of your nightly skincare routine too.

Seniors who care about their skin can also try different serums, retinol creams, or antioxidant creams to further hydrate their skin. These items can help to level out skin tone and remove dark spots.

 

 

Tip #2 Be Gentle When You Wash Your Face

When washing, use warm water rather than hot, and don’t take too many hot baths or showers. Instead of harsh soaps and alcohol-based products, use light cleansers. And, while exfoliation is an important step in the skincare routines of seniorsthat shouldn’t be skipped, avoid hard scrubs at all costs. Don’t use anything that will damage your skin or cause micro-tears on your face.

Tip #3 Protect Your Skin From The Sun

You may worry whether you still need to protect your skin from the sun if you’re noticing more wrinkles, age spots, bruises, and areas of discolored skin. The answer is yes! Sun protection is beneficial and essential at this point in your life. Moreover, it also lowers your chances of getting skin cancer.

So, one of the most important skincare tips for older adults is to wear SPF. Use a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. Sunscreen should be applied 15 to 30 minutes before going out, and you should reapply it every two hours. Moreover, you should also look for shade whenever you’re outside. This is especially true when the sun’s rays are highest, which is between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Finally, protect your skin from the sun by wearing sun-protective apparel. Choose garments with an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) number on the label for better protection.

Tip #4 Be Consistent

It’s not enough to only do your skincare on some days. You should aim to do it every day, even when you’re traveling. Make sure to pack your skincare products properly every time you travel, so you don’t forget any of them at home. It might be hard to find and buy the exact moisturizer or SPF you use once you reach your destination. One of the best ways to have everything on hand and pack in no time as a senior is to make a list of all the products you use and put them in the same makeup bag.

Tip #5 Give Up Smoking

Though we may not think of our skin as an organ affected by smoking – it is. Not only does smoking have an aesthetic impact on our skin, causing faster aging and wrinkles, but it also affects skin elasticity, which, as previously said, occurs naturally as we age. Smoking also raises the risk of skin cancer. So, if you want to take better care of your skin and your health in general – give up smoking.  Really this is really hard to do.  I understand it is so addictive, but it really is important.  I wish you well on your journey!

Tip #6 Protect Your Hands

Seniors should wear gloves while using chemical cleaners, immersing their hands in hot water, or undertaking hobbies like gardening where tools or thorns might prick their skin. Gloves protect the skin against damage, irritation, dryness, and overexposure to the sun, all of which can harm it. Because the skin on our hands is frequently handled more harshly than the skin on other areas of our bodies, it’s critical to preserve it whenever possible.

Tip #7 Eat Healthy

While it may not seem that food can make its way to a list of skincare tips for older adults, it’s actually very important. Eating healthy, balanced meals is very beneficial to your skin.  I know this from experience.  I am sure you heard the saying “you are what you eat”. It is very true.  I have seen my skin texture and appearance change resulting from eating well.  It is more supple, clearer, less brown spots and more.   

Omega-3 fatty acids, according to dermatologists, aid in the maintenance of skin hydration. Walnuts and flax seeds can be included in seniors’ meals to deliver these nutrients. Another common piece of advice is to consume veggies, which we all know are excellent for our bodies, in a variety of ways. Moreover, to further take care of your skin, you consider adding vitamin supplements too. Vitamins B, K, C, E, and selenium can really help improve your skin elasticity, among other benefits.

Tip #8 Minimize Stress

As you probably know, when you’re stressed, your body releases hormones that have a bad influence on your skin. As a result, a stressed person is more prone to have skin problems, flare-ups, itchy rashes, dullness and dryness of the skin, and other unpleasant symptoms. This is especially true for older adults.  When you are stressed, get sick or don’t get enough sleep, it shows up in your face.  But no worries.  It is temporary.  As soon as you are able to regain your health, your skin will bounce back.  Our bodies are amazing that way.

I run across ladies in their 70’s and say often to me, it is too late.  I understand what they are saying.  You can not expect to look like you did in your 30’s or 40’s but you can slow down the process and have the best skin possible.  So, to avoid this as an older adult, make sure you’re not over-thinking or under too much stress. Take time out of each day to meditate, journal and do something fun.  Do what you LOVE.  You deserve it!  This should help you ease your mind and release some tension.

Final Thoughts

Skincare is important no matter your age. It’s an essential component of keeping your appearance beautiful and healthy. As you get older, it might seem like skincare is more demanding, but if you stick to our list of skincare tips for older adults, you’ll get the best results possible. So, the next time you’re tempted to buy an expensive treatment, try out these natural skincare tips and tactics and see how you like the results. They’re not demanding, and they’re very easy to stick to. We believe you’ll be glad you tried it!  And above all else, love what you see.  Every wrinkle or imperfection just means you have lived.  Energetically when you love you, it will show up in your face and body.