Aging is inevitable but taking care of your – that’s pretty much in your hands. What you eat, your lifestyle, the skincare products, and how well you sleep – all of this reflects on your skin. The plump and flawless skin in your twenties starts to show signs of aging like fine lines, dullness, and pigmentation without religious skincare.

Aging in your thirties is contributed by many factors – oxidative damage from the sun, lifestyle choices like smoking or drinking, stress, lack of proper sleep, hormonal changes, and poor skincare routine. The decline in collagen reduces the skin firmness and results in the appearance of fine lines. Too much sunbathing in your twenties and didn’t bother to apply sunscreen – pigmentation now is making its entry.

Looking for early signs of aging – This is often what happens to your skin in your 30s.

• Slow down cell turnover and accumulation of dead skin cells. This makes your skin appear dull.
• Reduced production of collagen reduces the elasticity of skin meaning fine lines and the appearance of wrinkles.
• The appearance of dark spots and pigments due to sun exposure stimulates the melanin-producing cells. This in turn over produces melanin and causes pigmentation.
• Hormonal change during the 30s is common and one of the dominant contributions is the appearance of jawline acne.
• Skin sensitivity is quite common as sebum and oil production slows down. This particularly impacts dry skin as it might cause allergic reactions.

How to take care of your skin as your hit your 30s:

With the slowdown of collagen products and hormonal stress, the skin won’t repair on its own but demands conscious efforts. From forgetting to wear sunscreen to sleeping with makeup on, when you are younger you do make mistakes. Can’t undo the mistake but sure you can make changes. Here’s how you can start taking care of your skin in your 30s:

Upgrade Your Skincare Routine

As you hit your 30s, it is time to add ingredients that will help you fight early signs of aging and forgive yourself for the mistakes you did in your twenties. Here are some ingredients that you must fancy including in various formulations:

• Retinol – Anti-aging and retinol are tied together with the latter being an effective ingredient for treating fine lines, wrinkles, and dullness. Retinol is known to increase cell turnover and regeneration which tightens skin and reduces smooth lines. You can start with 0.1 to 0.2% retinol in serum or face moisturizer form. As a beginner, start using retinol once or twice a week.
• Ceramides – These are natural lipids that act as the skin’s natural defense and protect against premature aging and slow down skin aging. However, its concentration starts to deplete with age and hence slathering ceramide-rich serum or face cream helps in protecting the skin.
• Peptides – These are short chains of amino acids that help in building proteins like collagen and elastin. The proteins have firm and plump skin. The peptides in skin products penetrate the skin easily and act as building blocks for proteins.  
• Vitamin-C – As a powerful antioxidant, it helps in fighting free radicals and prevents the breakdown of collagen and elastin in the skin. The use of a Vitamin-C-enriched serum makes your skin brighter and firmer.

Our recommendation: VC20 Intense Boost Face Serum 

Hydrate and moisturize skin

Hydration means you drink enough water as well as using skincare products that give your skin a daily dose of hydration. Dehydrated skin is prone to dullness, dryness, and fine lines. Regular moisturization improves skin hydration and maintains a healthy skin barrier. Using products rich in hyaluronic acid, argan oil, Ectoin natural etc. locks moisture and keeps skin supple & smooth.

Our recommendation: Hydration Booster Face Moisturizer 

Make sunscreen your staple 

It’s one thing to forget sunscreen in your 20s but it’s a skincare sin if you miss using sunscreen in your 30s. During the day, skin is exposed to UV rays and a range of environmental stressors. The sunscreen acts as a shield and protects your skin from damage. It keeps off UV rays and other stressors from impacting your skin. Apply sunscreen even when indoors during the day. Reapply sunscreen every 2 to 3 hours when outdoors.

Exfoliation is the key

As the skin ages, its ability to regenerate reduces and it starts accumulating dead skin cells. This layer of dead skin cells contributes to dullness. Exfoliating helps in sloughing off dead skin cells and helps the regeneration of new skin cells. Instead of using the physical granule-based scrubs, try chemical exfoliants enriched with skin-friendly ingredients like AHA, BHA, lactic acid etc. The best way to incorporate a chemical exfoliant is through a serum.

Adopt a healthy lifestyle  

A healthy and non-sedentary lifestyle is the key to glowing, beautiful, and radiant skin. Although most people know this but fail to follow. Eat healthily and include a lot of greens, fruits, and veggies in your diet. Make sure to sleep well for at least 7 to 8 hours as lack of sleep often results in puffy eyes, dark circles, and dullness. Exercise is beneficial to keep your skin glowing and stay fit. Drink a lot of water and stay away from alcohol, smoking, and other stressors.

Now that we have listed how to start taking care of your skin in your 30s, it’s time you include the same and practice wholesome skincare. Aging is unavoidable but taking care of your skin and health starts from within.