Skin Care, What I Wish I Knew in my 30’s

So……..I turned 46 years old this year….ugh and ouch. Not sure why this last birthday stung so much but it did. Perhaps it is because I am really starting to see signs of aging – Fine line, wrinkles and dark spots…oh my! I am not in Kansas anymore! (Actually, I live in Florida, by the beach; drove through Kansas once- It was awful, won’t go back). Seriously though, I have a love/hate relationship with the sun.

While I was blowing through Kansas, I wish I could have asked the Wizard to rewind the time clock to when I was 30 years old with the Skin Care knowledge I have now about anti-aging, of course. If I only knew then what I know now….as I sing “I would while away the hours, conferrin’ with the flowers……if I only had a brain!” Let me be your Wizard of Oz my little pretties (Wicked Witch of the West reference here) and impart the knowledge….as Glinda the Good Witch would say “You have had the power all along”. (Ok, I am done with the Wizard of Oz references….so many nuggets of wisdom but I will get to the point).

If I could be 30 years old again I would commit to a skin care regimen like it was my religion. Prevent, prevent, prevent! I can’t say it enough.

Every Day Causes

Every time you step outside your skin, your body’s largest organ and your absolute first defense against all the nasty things floating in the air, is being attacked, assaulted even! We live in Florida –  it’s too hot to wear a ski mask all day, every day so your face is inevitably exposed to free radicals (these little jerks cause cancer), germs, bacteria and pollution.

Pollution will collect in your pores. Ew. Blackheads, literally, the black stuff, is oil and dirt that your pores collect daily and guess what – not only will it make your pores appear larger, over time…without proper skin care, it will cause larger pores.  Your skin, especially your face, as it is exposed every day, is your body’s main filter against the environments little aging missals. What happens to a filter when it gets clogged?…it gets really dirty and it starts to break down. Your skin can only take so much….it becomes a matter of WHEN, not IF, you get age spots, wrinkles or even skin cancer.

The Sun

Hopefully, when you were a kid, your parents slathered you with sunblock but let’s face it, more than likely you have had a few summertime burns. I know I am guilty, but they didn’t make sunscreen like they do now, so I am dealing with age spots like a Dalmatian dog these days.

In your 20’s your skin is about as perfect as it is ever going to be. You are finally done with puberty and your hormones are as level as they are ever going to be – enjoy while it lasts. However, by the time you are in your 30’s and now you have to seriously adult it is time to face the fact that you have got to start taking care of your skin. Typically, exercise and diet become typical words in your everyday vernacular. Preventative skin care should also become part of your everyday vocabulary and you putting it into action is a must.

If you are in your 30’s it is time to get ahead of the aging 8 ball. If you wait until the lines, dark spots and crinkly skin and/or weird texture starts showing…well it’s too late to prevent it. Now you need corrective treatments. Corrective treatments cost more…why? Because it takes medical grade services such as Chemical Peels and Microneedling to undo damage. It takes a lot more work. It can be done to a certain extent, thank goodness, but I am going to be honest – some damage just can’t be undone. Diminished, always, yes! Completely undone, sorry.

Summary

Here is why I say you have the power now….if I could go back to 30 years old, I would get regular facials. I would to go my esthetician like I go to the gym right now….once a month. Ha! Seriously though, once a month facials, I would use a good cleanser and wash the party off every night.

I would have skin care products customized by my esthetician, making sure it included a hydrating moisturizer specified to my skin type and age, an anti-oxidant to fight photo-aging, skin cancer and age spots and an all-natural, total block spf, again to ward off skin cancer and I would use these products like I drink water…a lot! Doing these simple, low cost things are going to put off those really expensive treatments later on and most definitely help prevent, prevent, prevent.

There! I think I said it enough.

Thanks for Reading, LOVE THE SKIN YOU’RE IN

Stephanie Barnes