The best facial skin care routines for every age, broken down decade-by-decade

The best skin care routine for your 30s

Jump to:

• Introduction
• “Skin care in your childhood, teens, and throughout your life…”
• “The best skin care routine for your 20s…”
• “The best skin care routine for your 40s…”
• “The best skin care routine for your 50s, 60s and beyond…”

Congratulations, you’ve reached a new decade! At this point you won’t necessarily stop the skin care routine you used in your 20s. That will remain your foundation. However, you will start to notice new issues, which will require alterations to your product ingredients, plus some added measures.

By the 30s, little laugh lines and crow’s feet begin to appear around the mouth and eyes. These will be mostly dynamic wrinkles from repeated facial expressions. This is due to the loss of collagen and elastin. In addition, sebaceous glands may be producing less oil, causing the skin to feel dryer. Even if you still have hormonal, adult acne, you might notice that you are less oily overall.

See more on our blog: How to treat adult acne (plus learn what causes it to begin with)

If you are especially sensitive to melanin production, or spend a lot of time in the sun, you may start to notice melasma, freckles and brown spots. Sometimes, pregnancy can cause melasma, so it is coined, ‘the mask of pregnancy.’ However, this issue is not secluded to women! It is called hyperpigmentation, and it can happen to anyone.

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Addressing fine lines in your 30s

To keep your newly-formed laugh lines under control, keep using the AHAs noted above. And, definitely don’t disregard your sunscreen. That will be your number 1 shield against wrinkles! If you were not big on sun protection in your early years, now is when you should become obsessed with it.

To help remove damaged skin cells causing fine lines, antioxidants should be added to our skin care arsenal. Go with ingredients like vitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene. These fight off free radical damage. Be sure to reserve your topical vitamin serums and creams for evening use. This will keep them from destabilizing in sunlight.

Continue hydrating, moisturizing and exfoliating, to increase circulation in the skin. Also, you may start moving towards heavier occlusives to address dryness. Or, you can introduce different creams for different parts of your face. For example, an oilier product for the eyes, and an oil-fighter for the rest of your face.

If you think you’re ready for it, consider Botox® injections. At this stage, it can not only help to smooth out wrinkles, but may prevent them from getting worse, too. This is because it can limit the repetitive facial expressions that cause your wrinkles and lines to begin with.

Learn more about wrinkle formation and treatments, here.

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Addressing puffy eyebags and dark under eye circles in your 30s

As your career takes off and perhaps children enter your life, sleep can become scarce. You may notice a change in your eye appearance. The look of fatigue can set in, and be draining to see in the mirror. If you exercise regularly, the loss of fat pads in your face can also give it a ‘sunken’ appearance. This will make the eye circles appear darker.

To address puffy eyebags, use anti-inflammatory ingredients like caffeine in that area. For dark eye circles, try vitamin K, niacinamide (vitamin B3), and other skin brighteners noted below. Keeping the area hydrated and boosted with collagen (such as from peptides), will go a long way in ‘lifting’ the area, too.

If you have the budget for it, go for a dermal filler injection to lift eye circles (performed by a doctor only, though).

Of course, get good sleep, eat healthy and exercise! Alcohol and cigarettes will not help your beauty goals by the way!

Learn more about treating puffy and dark eye circles, here.

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Addressing hyperpigmentation and skin tone changes in your 30s

Fight hyperpigmentation with ingredients like niacinamide (vitamin B3), retinol (vitamin A), azelaic acid, tranexamic acid, kojic acid, licorice variations and vitamin C combined with vitamin E, among others. While slightly controversial, the stronger ingredients to fight browning of the skin would be hydroquinone and arbutin. However, you may notice they are more effective.

These types of ingredients should be used at night, when you are not exposed to any sunlight. The issue is not just with degradation. These ingredients can make your skin even more sensitive to sun damage. That said, during the day, wearing sunscreen and reapplying it every 2 hours will be non-negotiable if you want to clear up your brown spots, and prevent new ones.

If your hyperpigmentation is causing great concern, now is the time to seek professional treatment for it. It may only get worse with time, if it is not addressed early.

Learn more about skin pigmentation treatments, here.

Learn more about melasma treatments, here.

Learn more about freckles and brown spot treatments, here.

Keep reading to “The best skin care routine for your 40s…”

Jump to:

• Introduction
• “Skin care in your childhood, teens, and throughout your life…”
• “The best skin care routine for your 20s…”
• “The best skin care routine for your 40s…”
• “The best skin care routine for your 50s, 60s and beyond…”

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