Skin Care in Your 20s - Prevent Future Damage
The 20’s should be the time when you become more aware of the necessity of skin care. Developing good skin care habits during the twenties will preserve skin beauty and delay signs of aging later on.
In your 20’s your main goal is preventing future damage. In addition, this age group is still susceptible to break outs and occasional acne problems.
Prevent Premature Aging:
Wear sunscreen to prevent the effects of photoaging such as wrinkles and age spots. Block UVAS and UVB rays. According to extensive research sun damage is responsible for 80-90 percent of skin aging.
Do not limit using sun blocking creams only to your facial skin, especially in the summer. In fact your hands, neck and chest skin also need protection. Surprisingly few recommendations are made for applying sunscreen on hands, neck and décolleté area even though it is a fact that these areas tend to be first to show signs of aging. Because hands are more exposed to life’s hazards than face and décolleté skin has very little fatty tissue and less sebaceous glands than the rest of the body, skin in these areas shows aging sooner. To prevent it we recommend using UV protection on your hands and in summer on any exposed skin area.
Moisturizing is essential as well. Start to moisturize your skin in your early twenties. In the mid-twenties it becomes especially important as, even though you might not notice it, your skin is starting to loose its ability to retain moisture. Choose a moisturizer with antioxidants that will keep your skin hydrated and will fight free radicals. Free radicals contained in detergents and released by sun, smoke, pollutants etc. destroy collagen and cause fine lines. Don’t limit yourself to using only topical antioxidants, make sure you eat fresh fruits and vegetables, avoid too much processed food and alcohol in your diet and take vitamin supplement.
Use light moisturizer for the eye area. Skin around the eye is much thinner than the rest of facial skin and is especially susceptible to developing premature signs of aging. Use eye gel or cream marked "prevent/against first signs of aging". As soon as you start noticing any signs of ligns move to something stronger. For the summer you can choose a moisturizer with SPF protection to better protect this sensitive area.
To remove clogged pores, get rid of the dead cells and brighten up your skin, Jessica Alba’s facialist Ole Henriksen recommends to exfoliate 2-3 times a week. (However if you have normal-to-dry or dry skin limit yourself to one time per week) Look for beta hydroxy acids that “loosen dead skin” making room for regrowth of new skin cells, as well as glucosamine that “speeds cell turnover”. Regular exfoliation will be especially beneficial starting from your late-twenties and in your thirties when the skin’s natural process of exfoliation slows down and your skin starts to loose ability to “renew” as quickly as before. Note: it is not recommended to use mechanical scrubs/exfoliators with irregular shaped granules (i.e. made apricot kernel/nut shell) for acne, fragile, sensitive skin. Choose either exfoliators with micro-round beads/poly spheres or non-mechanical type of exfoliation i.e. enzyme or chemical based exfoliating products. If you are in your early 20s, use some light exfoliators – possibilities include natural exfoliators like a mask from papaya pulp that has amazing exfoliating abilities.
And remember: making skin care a regular daily routine in you 20s will be the best investment you can make into prolonging your youthful appearance! Read about skin care basics you should know to prevent premature aging and keep your skin beautiful. Or scroll down to see more related articles.
Related Articles:
Anti-Aging Skin Care Products
Protect your skin from the first signs of aging early on!
Skin Care by Skin Type
Type does matter!
Skin Care in your 30s
Learn what to expect and make the best of your skin care strategies!