When you are in your teens & 20s, your skin is in its glory days! It is supple, glowing, and youthful. It is probably at its healthiest, most beautiful, and most resilient stage. It seems that everything goes well with 20’s skin. But are you protecting it correctly for the next 10 years? Great 20’s skin care routines means you’re better prepared for your 30’s!
However, it is not invincible. It will not stay as firm or beautiful as it is now if you don’t take the steps necessary to keep it that way. You can’t afford to neglect or take its youthful glow for granted. You have to seriously nurture your skin now for health and suppleness if you want to transition into amazing 30’s skin.
You need to rethink your skincare routine and address potential problems before they grow bigger.
20’s skin is awesome, but is not invincible!
Prevention is necessary from your late teens
Any skin care specialists will tell you that the best way to maintain youthful beautiful skin is prevention – prevention is way better than correction. Which means, even when your skin looks like nothing is wrong with it right now, you need to apply the best morning and nighttime beauty regimens NOW if you want skin that remains healthy, bright, tight, and beautiful as the years progress.
Almost everything works well on younger skin, but you need to level up if you want great skin in your 30’s.
In your teens and 20’s, the best advice is to seek an effective beauty regimen and use the correct skincare products to prevent a downward spiral of your skin. How you care for your skin in your 20s has a direct impact on how your skin feels and looks as you continue to age.
Skin aging begins in your late teens & 20’s
Two of the things working in your skin’s favor right now are the structural proteins that your body is still producing – collagen and elastin. Collagen is the naturally occurring protein that keeps your skin beautifully taut, firm and resilient. Elastin, on the other hand, keeps the skin youthfully supple, bouncy, and flexible.
When the body slows down its production of these proteins (and it will as you reach your mid-20s), the skin over time will show wrinkles and fine lines, lose its plumpness, and begins to sag.
When you are in your teens or younger, your skin’s cycle is amazing, and the turnover of skin cells is quite fast. This slows down as you reach your mid-20s. Dead skin cells accumulate on the surface of the skin causing discoloration, premature age spots, and loss of suppleness. This effect is cumulative, and gradually builds up with age.
Common skin concerns in the late teens & 20’s
ACNE & ACNE SCARRING
Acne is the most common complaint.
In your 20s, hormones tend to fluctuate less than they did in your teens. However, you are likely to still experience some skin breakouts. This happens with both men & women. Acne scars can severely & permanently affect your skin texture.
The acne area may change, meaning that in your teens there may have been more acne on your cheeks and forehead, while in your 20s, these may be more on your jawline, or the side of your cheek were you hold your phone.
UNEVEN SKIN TEXTURE
This can happen with acne, acne scarring large pores, comedones (blackheads & whiteheads), excessive facial hair growth, and razor bumps.
UNEVEN SKIN TONE
This occurs commonly in darker Fitzpatrick skin types 4-6. This can happen because of acne spots, skin irritation from using the wrong products, razor bumps, hyperpigmentation from facial treatments, & ingrown hairs from facial hair.
SKIN INFLAMMATION
If you suffered from inflamed, blotchy skin and acne as a teenager, chances are you may still experience some of these problems through your 20s. These are generally caused by factors like overactive sebaceous glands, stress, hormonal fluctuation, lack of good skincare habits, impaired skin barrier membrane. imbalanced skin microbiome, beauty products that tend to block the skin, or oily skin. If you have enlarged pores, you are also more inclined to experience skin breakouts.
THE BEST SKIN CARE TIPS FOR YOUR 20’s
Let’s look at the best options as determined by our physician medical aesthetic specialists.
EXFOLIATE WITH HYDROXY ACIDS
Exfoliation does not mean superficial scrubs which work on the surface. Superficial scrubs are not capable of truly transforming the skin. Scrubs smell and feel delicious which makes you feel awesome, but they will not protect your skin against premature aging.
Our exfoliation mean deeper medical grade exfoliation which truly promotes collagen renewal. To do this, you need alpha and beta hydroxy acids. When you exfoliate with hydroxy acids, you undergo cell renewal as these break down dead skin cells. As these shed, deeper layers where blackheads, whiteheads, and sebaceous oils reside are lifted away. Skin cells with hyperpigmentation are also lifted away by hydroxy acids.
By undergoing deeper exfoliation, your skin remains in a state of enhanced youthful renewal, and your pores remain clearer, with a fresher, brighter skin complexion.
SEE YOUR MELANOPEEL CLINIC – GET REGULAR MEDICAL FACIALS & PROFESSIONAL PEELS
Melanopeel has created a range of the most sensible medical facials customizable to every cosmetic skin problem & age. These can be done at intervals determined by your clinic aimed at getting you the most effective results. Read here about our many awesome Melanofacials.
REMOVE YOUR MAKEUP AT NIGHT
You can get away with this once in a while, but if done this on a regular basis, blocks pores, and bacterial over growth will become a real problem. Learn about the best makeup removers you can use for unclogging pores for clear skin.
MAINTAIN A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
Too often we hear how skin care and make up can damage your skin and introduce unwanted chemicals into your body. Often we hear incorrectly that almost 100% of your skin care is absorbed by the skin. This misinformation encourages fear-mongering, as this is medically impossible. In fact your skin is virtually impermeable, and absorbs almost nothing of what is placed on it.
Skin care is not damaging your body, but your diet is.
Your exposure to hazardous carcinogenic substances occurs primarily through your your diet consumption and atmospheric inhalation. So, what you eat & what you breathe. To counter this, the rules are simple and already known to you:
- Avoid plastic containers and plasticizers
- Avoid pesticide laden foods
- Avoid inhalation of cigarette smoke
- Reduce alcohol consumption which reduces your liver’s ability to cleanse your blood stream
- Excessive partying can damage your skin
- Avoid skin care with known skin irritants. These can cause surface skin irritation. Note this does not translate into dangerous skin care, as even essential oils can cause irritated skin & dermatitis.
- Drink 2-3 liters of filtered water daily
- Avoid processed foods & meats
- Reduce dairy consumption
- Include fiber-rich and nutritious fruits and vegetables in your meals
- Exercise & sweat daily to help elimination of internal toxins
- Maintain low stress levels & keep a holistic spiritual balance
USE GOOD QUALITY SUNSCREENS
Any skin care specialist or dermatologist will tell you that the one single thing needed to best preserve your beautiful skin for the coming decades is to apply sunscreen religiously. Exposure to the sun’s UV rays is one of the primary causes of premature skin aging. UV rays may even be your skin’s number 1 enemy. What’s great about the Melanopeel sunscreens is that they also protect you from blue light emitted from your devices and indoor fluorescent lighting.
Take precautions even when the day seems cloudy. Concrete, snow, water, sand, and other surfaces easily reflect UV rays. Avoid the damaging effects of incidental sun exposure on a daily basis, regardless of season, by applying a daily SPF product.
DON’T GO OVERBOARD
Remember to be systematic about choosing your regime. 1 or 2 products are not likely to make a big difference in changing how your skin behaves, especially if you want long-term results & benefits. You will need to consult with your Melanopeel clinic for the best recommendations since it is not recommended to over-exfoliate or use excessively harsh skin care. Our clinics are trained on how to work with you in keeping with your goals and your budget. See below for the list of our top recommendations.
YOUR SKIN CARE ESSENTIALS
CLEANSERS
Use Melanopeel cleansers medicated with active age-protective ingredients including – mandelic acid, azelaic acid, antioxidants, niacinamide, salicylic acid, Asian white tea, vitamin C, and botanical anti-inflammatory extracts. These deliver skin-loving actives which encourage your skin to behave in a youthful manner.
TONERS
Melanopeel toners are medicated and deliver active ingredients including – mandelic acid, azelaic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, antioxidants, niacinamide, salicylic acid, Asian white tea, vitamin C, and botanical anti-inflammatory extracts. These start the process of helping your skin remain radiant for the long term.
TREATMENT SERUMS & MICRONEEDLING
Melanopeel carries the widest range of treatment serums. Problems like acne & skin discolorations are best treated on a cellular level. Each person presents with different skin problems, so we can recommend serums for each case, and each problem. Melanopeel also carries the best microneedling treatment serums for your home microneedling regime. Use only as directed by your clinic.
MEDICAL GRADE ACTIVE INGREDIENTS
Remember we said earlier that the skin absorbs very little of anything that’s placed on it? Therefore to get real results, active ingredients are needed at stronger medical grade levels that are truly capable of transforming & protecting your skin. Soap, water, and over-the-counter skin care with low levels of ingredients can indeed temporarily improve the skin. However, with regular use, you will find that they stop working. To get long-term results, your skin needs medical grade cosmeceutical skin care and even home peels that can be placed on a rotational system to ensure that your skin is always responsive. Responsive skin ages better.
Melanopeel carries the strongest & most effective medical grade strengths of safe properly formulated active ingredients like mandelic acid, glycolic acid, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), retinols, benzoyl peroxide, lactic acid, salicylic acid, niacinamide, tranexamic acid, Asian skin lighteners (kojic acid, arbutin), hydroquinone, skin probiotics, azelaic acid, antioxidants, and botanical extracts.
Medical grade cosmeceuticals make your skin age better.
HYDRATORS & ANTIOXIDANTS
Balanced skin care regimes require replenishment of the skin’s barrier membrane protection. Our wide range of humectant hydrators do just that. They do more than make the skin look good – they keep the skin healthy by enhancing its ability to soak up and retain moisture. Our hydrators include a range of skin oils, hyaluronic acid, peptides, ceramide barrier restoring lotions, serums & creams.
Antioxidants supplement our hydrators. These give your skin added protection against free radicals by averting the oxidative damage that UV exposure, stress, grime, and smog are likely to cause. If you already have good skin, you still need these invisible shields!
RETINOLS
Retinols are highly recommended and safe for use in your teens & early twenties. Not only do they help with acne, they help slow down the aging process. As you grow older, your skin loses its inherent capacity for self-repair. Retinols fight signs of aging & delay the aging process. Retinol not only fights pimples, it also lightens dark acne marks, sheds dead cells, normalizes pH, and rebuilds the skin.
SUNSCREENS
DNA skin damage occurs from childhood. This damage accumulates over time, even in your 20’s. Sunscreens are a key part of decreasing this damage and helping to protect your skin, regardless of your skin color. Melanopeel carries the best range of sunscreens, with our tinted mineral sunscreens a patient favorite.
TOP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOUR 20’s SKIN
You will not need all of these! Your Melanopeel clinic will make customized recommendations based on what’s best for your skin type & your budget.