We all know that different stages of motherhood require different skin care routines and that your skin’s needs also change with age. Over time the skin naturally begins to function less efficiently, and it’s important that your products and treatments evolve to address its specific concerns at a given stage of life. Whether that means preventing those first fine lines, maintaining your youthful radiance, targeting loss of firmness or reversing the effects of hormonal skin aging, here’s a maternity-by-decade guide to the healthiest, most beautiful skin possible.
The Young Mom in Her 20s
What’s happening in the skin: You might not be worried about wrinkles just yet, or you might experience the beginning of fine lines and be noticing increased sensitivity. You might be overlooking some easy skin care basics. But caring for your skin properly in your 20s can pay off in the years to come. Odds are your skin is drier in some spots and oilier in others, and this could be the result of dehydrated skin. Often confused with dry skin, dehydrated skin has a shortage of water, and this can occur regardless of skin type—even if you’re oily or combination. This lack of moisture can cause skin cells to appear deflated, in turn accelerating the formation of fine lines or wrinkles.
How to treat your skin: At this age, maintaining your skin’s youthful, healthy radiance is as easy as using a skin care regimen that delivers long-lasting hydration and locks it in the areas where it’s needed most. All skin types can benefit from a moisturizer with hyaluronic acid to keep skin looking plump, fresh and radiant—and also to smooth any hint of fine lines that may be beginning to show. Products that help calm irritation and contain antioxidants for prevention might be a good choice for young moms as well.
The Working Mom in Her 30s
What’s happening in the skin: There are never enough hours in the day. Between work, your little one(s) and friends, you’re burning the candle at both ends—and your skin is likely starting to show it. Blame it on the slowdown of cellular turnover, reduced oil production and weakened defenses against the effects of stress and environmental damage or on a fast-paced lifestyle filled with bad habits, such as barely sleeping, taking on too many tasks and tanning the sun. From uneven texture and tone to dark circles, fine lines and an overall lackluster appearance, it’s time to improve these visible changes and prevent them from progressing.
How to treat your skin: You can counteract the signs of your stressful lifestyle with a simple skin care routine. Look for ingredients like LR2412 (jasmonic acid) and vitamin B-3 that help protect your skin from the effects of environmental damage, and incorporate gentle exfoliators like lipo-hydroxy acid (or LHA) to restore your youthful glow, refine the appearance of pores and smooth the skin’s surface. Look for multitasking products to take action against future aging.
The Career Mom in Her 40s
What’s happening in the skin: Your children now go to school, so you have more time to focus on your skin care routine. You’re finally comfortable in your own skin, but you’re not quite ready to start looking like your mother. In your 40s, a lifetime of environmental assaults, gravity and the natural aging process lead to the breakdown of collagen and elastin beneath the skin’s surface. This is why you may be seeing an increase in wrinkles and a decrease in skin firmness, but the right skin care products can reduce these signs of aging and restore your radiant glow.
How to treat your skin: Skin care doesn’t have to get more complicated over time, as long as you use formulations geared toward your skin’s needs. Seek ingredients like rhamnose that can help promote the skin’s natural rejuvenation process and keep signs of aging at bay. And continue to make moisture a priority to plump up the skin and smooth those lines and wrinkles.
The Mother and Grandmother 50+
What’s happening in the skin: Menopause can do a number on your skin (among other things), but you want people to see you, not your age. Changes in hormone levels cause a drastic decrease in lipid and collagen production and prompt major skin changes like extreme dryness, deeper wrinkles, loss of volume, sagging and thinning. Stay optimistic, this life stage is a new beginning, so you can spend more time doing what you loves and with your family. You can revitalize your appearance without turning to drastic measures.
How to treat your skin: Look for powerful anti-aging treatments specifically designed for postmenopausal skin to provide intense hydration and help replump the skin from within. Supplementing the skin with the essential omega fatty acids that are lost with age and using volume-boosting ingredients like Pro-Xylane helps to smooth lines, replump deflated-looking skin and revive your glow so you can enjoy smooth, soft, supple skin once again.
