Do you look in the mirror and sometimes wonder who that person is staring back at you? When did she get those fine lines around her eyes? When did those laugh lines become laugh canyons? And how long has that neck wattle been there, I don’t remember seeing it before? (Do you remember the tv series Ally McBeal? Remember Dyan Cannon and her neck wattle? Yeah – I’m talking about that saggy part of your neck.)
With the hormonal changes that occur before, during and after menopause, our skin quickly loses collagen. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, women’s skin loses about 30% of its collagen during the first five years of menopause. After that, we continue to lose collagen, but at a slower rate of about 2% every year for the next 20 years. As collagen disappears, the saggy skin emerges. Laugh lines show up even when you aren’t laughing, and pores become enlarged from lack of elasticity. Over our entire body, the skin begins to thin. You look in the mirror, and wonder who that woman is staring back at you – when did she start looking older?
Oxidative stress is another concern as we age. Over our lifetimes, we’re exposed to free radicals which oxidize our cellular DNA. Those changed lead to instability. The more damage our DNA accumulates over time, the higher our chances are of developing age-related disease and our skin shows signs of accelerated aging. Estrogen provides a protective power against free radicals. As estrogen levels drop, our body’s ability to defend against free radicals results in an accelerated aging of our skin.
The anti-aging cosmetic industry is considered to be one of the most competitive and dynamic markets in the twenty-first century. According to Custom Market Insights (CMI), The Global Anti Aging Cosmetics Market was estimated at $60 billion in 2021 and is anticipated to reach around $120 billion by 2030. Academic research conducted in 2023 on the most popular areas of anti-aging research found that skincare companies are focusing on defending aginst free radicals and oxidative stress, controlling inflammation, photoaging (damage from UV light and tanning beds), and nonenzymatic glycosyl chemistry (reversing signs of aging skin at the molecular level). Collectively, that means there will continue to be cutting-edge advancements, resulting in more effective and targeted products.
What does all of that mean? Ladies, it means we should take advantage of every option available to us in the world of skincare products! The pitfall is becoming overwhelmed with the options and either giving up, or trying too many things at once which upsets the pH balance of your skin. Through research and my own trial and error, I’ve developed a simple-ish routine that I follow daily, weekly and monthly. To help you maximize your skincare routine, I’m sharing my 6-Step Routine that you can follow, including recommendations to the my favorite products.
Before we jump into specific steps, let’s make sure you have a good baseline understanding of skincare. First we must recognize that skincare, like most everything in life, isn’t necessarily one-size fits all. While the symptoms and side effects of hormonal changes are a common list, the exact combination that you are experiencing may be different than your best friend. For example, lighter skin tones are more likely to experience excessive dryness and diminished elasticity. Darker skin tones may experience hyperpigmentation and melasma.
Depending on your combination of symptoms, you should look for products that have as many actives as possible to combat your symptoms. Actives are the specific ingredients added to a product that target a specific concern. Some examples might include hyaluronic acid, retinol, niacinamide, vitamins (A, B, C, E), ceramides, AHAs, BHAs – the list goes on. Read labels carefully and do your research to identify the actives that address your specific needs. Our usual caveat applies here – always consult with your dermatologist!
[I may receive commission for links below.]
6 Simple Steps For A Powerful Anti-Aging Skincare Routine
1. Invest in a good cleanser that addresses your specific skin needs.
Everything you use should do double, triple or even quadruple duty. That’s why actives are so important. In addition to removing your makeup, you’ll likely want some combination of actives that do the following: enhanced hydration; boosted cell renewal; increased firmness and elasticity; pollution protection; SPF; melasma or pigmentation recovery. If you’ve read any of my other skincare posts, you know how much I worship Dr. Barbara Sturm (she’s the coolest female entrepreneur and scientist, I just adore her). Here are my recommendations from her Anti-Aging collection. (Note that I’m not recommending other brands in the cleanser category – because I honestly couldn’t find any that even come close to Dr. Sturm.)
Dr. Sturm Super Anti-Aging Cleansing Cream on Amazon: I keep this on the bath tray and use it on Mom’s Sunday Spa Night (read more about that here).
Dr. Sturm Enzyme Cleanser on Amazon: OMG – I LOVE THIS STUFF! A little goes a long way. I use it every other day, and afterward my skin looks so smooth and firm.
Dr. Sturm’s Foam Cleanser for Darker Skin Tones on Amazon: One of Oprah’s favorites, this mild foaming cleanser is formulated to the precise skin health needs of darker skin tones as it deeply cleanses the skin without disturbing the delicate pH-balance or natural skin barrier function.
2. Make hyaluronic acid as essential to your survival as oxygen.
Trust me on this one. Hyaluronic acid is naturally produced by our bodies, but like estrogen, it decreases over time. It plays an essential role in skin health, wound healing, and bone strength among others. In layman’s terms, it binds to water to help maintain moisture. My fave plus some other top sellers are:
- Dr. Sturm Hyaluronic Serum $325, or save 15% and free shipping with subscription. Ok – don’t freak out on me when you see the price tag. The 30 ML bottle should last you 3 – 4 months with daily use, and that covers your face, neck and decollate. It. Is. Worth. It.
- Vichy Mineral 89 Hyaluronic Acid $39
- Isdenceutics Hyaluronic Serum $98
3. I cannot stress enough – moisturizer, moisturizer, moisturizer!
Moisturizer was never really a priority for me until a few years ago. I falsely believed that moisturizer would make my face oily and causes breakouts. Silly me. I’ve always had dry skin, even before mid-life changes. I really have no idea why I didn’t care more about moisturizing my face back then. What’s super ironic is that I have always religiously slathered moisturizer on the rest of my body every single day. I know – it makes no sense. The good news is that I’ve come a long way in a few short years, LOL. Now I slather moisturizer on my face – TWICE daily! I use a combination of products targeted to each area, since the skin under your eyes is very different than the skin on your neck, etc. And yes, Dr. Sturm is my fave but I also use a drugstore moisturizer in my daily line-up too. 
- Dr. Sturm Super Anti-Aging Eye Cream $225. One jar can last you 9 months – 1 year. It just takes the tiniest bit, which I apply with a fresh q-tip so that I don’t transfer skin oils into the jar. I have sensitive skin and allergies, so there are a lot of under-eye products that I just can’t tolerate. It makes finding moisturizer, mascara, concealer and eyeliners a real pain in the butt. I swear by Dr. Sturm’s eye cream.
- Cetaphil Daily Oil-Free Hydrating Lotion for Face with Hyaluronic Acid $14. For a drugstore moisturizer, this will be the best $14 you’ve ever spent. I don’t like thick, greasy products on my face. It’s a sensory thing, I can’t stand the way it feels sitting on top of my skin, and I don’t like the way it feels if I brush my hand against my face. This lotion is super lightweight. I use it on my entire face, and Dr. Sturm’s eye cream for the under-eye area. Two pumps generously covers my face, neck and decollate. I use it every morning and every night after cleansing my face, whether I plan to wear make-up or not.
- Dr. Sturm Super Anti-Aging Neck & Decollete Cream $255. Like the eye cream, this stuff lasts a long time – you should be able to get 6 months out of it and that’s using it generously, every day. It’s thicker than the eye cream and the Cetaphil moisturizer. I apply it to my neck and decollete. Ladies, promise me you won’t forget your neck and decollete in your daily routine. PROMISE me!
4. Targeted Serums: You can add in specialty serums as needed to treat specific issues.
These don’t have to be part of your daily routine, per se. There are countless options in this category. I use Dr. Sturm’s vitamin C, Better B, and Glow Drops. They tend to be a little heavier than hyaluronic serum – more like a light moisturizer texture. Due to my OCDness about greasy skin, I only use these once in a while for a special event. Choose the best option for your areas of concern (links to Amazon).
- Dr. Sturm Better B Niacinamide Serum is ultra hydrating and soothes the skin while protecting against environmental hyperpigmentation
- Dr. Sturm Good Vitamin C Serum contains Zinc which helps to activate and transport three different types of Vitamin C into the skin. This serum also counteracts the new formation of age spots and helps to reduce the appearance of pigmentation.
- Dr. Sturm Calming Serum calms and rebalances irritated skin
5. Routine exfoliation is your friend, but be careful about overdoing it and drying out your skin.
During COVID, from sheer boredom but also because I was in the height of the shift from perimenopause to menopause, I went a bit overboard on exfoliation. My hormones went crazy all at the same time, both from COVID lockdown stress and the final transition into menopause. My face was covered in acne, when I have never really had a problem with acne ever in my life before that
(other than the occasional period pimple on my chin). I over-reacted, and tried lots of different products, many of which were really harsh exfoliators. My sensitive skin just couldn’t take it, and I ended up making it worse until I found the right products and the right frequency. What works for me now is a once per week deep exfoliation with either an enzyme mask like the Hannacure Mask or the Goop Microderm Instant Glow Exfoliator. I alternate, using the Enzyme Mask 2 – 3 consecutive weeks and rotating in the Exfoliator every 4th week or so. If either of those is too harsh, I also like the Cetaphil Extra Gentle Daily Scrub. It’s cheap, and gentle as scrubs go and can be used daily.
6. Consistency is key!
This was the hardest part of establishing a skincare routine for me, after spending most of my life not caring about skincare all that much. Night time is especially the trickiest, when I’m most tempted to skip my routine and just go to bed because I’m so exhausted, but then I remember that my routine has worked really well for me for the past two years – in large part because I’ve stuck to it. I never go to bed without washing my face and adding a light moisturizer. I always wash my face in the mornings. If I have to wear make-up, I do the full series of serums and moisturizers. If I don’t have to wear make-up then I’ll just do hyaluronic acid and the light moisturizer. I rotate my enzyme wash, cleanser and light face scrub throughout the week, and I do a heavier exfoliation on Sunday nights. Sticking to this routine every single day has made all the difference in the world in my skin.
Start Small, Pick One Step And Go One Day At A Time. If you can’t fathom the idea of a multi-step routine, that’s ok. If you start anywhere, start with a clean face before bed with light moisturizer, and a clean face to start the day with light moisturizer. Once that becomes second-nature, consider adding a serum, or an exfoliator once a week. You can build from there. I like to tackle the special treatments during my “Mom’s Sunday Spa Night” – more on that here: 5 Tips For Creating A Regular Spa Night At Home.
A quick note on washing your face again in the morning even though you washed it before bed. Our bodies do most of their detox while we’re asleep. Detox happens through your skin, as well as through your adrenals. Imagine all the toxins and oils that seep out of your skin and into your pillow every night. When you wake up in the morning, after a night of smearing your face into your pillow, it’s incredibly important to remove the buildup from your overnight detox. Get rid of that bacteria, toxins and oils and start the day with a fresh face!
Cheers, lovelies!
