Healthy Skincare
How many skincare products do you need to buy to find the one that works just for you? There’s a plethora of lotions, toners, potions, tinctures, serums, creams, masks, scrubs, and more that saturate the walls of our favorite cosmetic stores, health food stores, and online shops. Perimenopause changes a woman’s skin texture and volume, including acne, eczema, psoriasis, sun spots, wrinkles, and rosacea. These alterations in skin health bring a wave of emotions that range from feeling embarrassed and old to feeling hopeless. Women want beautiful, smooth, glowing, and youthful skin no matter what stage in life we are at.
It’s estimated that by 2025, the global skincare market will be worth 190 billion dollars. Price ranges fall between $10 to 350 dollars for over-the-counter skincare products, while doctors are now creating their signature lines found only in their online stores that can cost well above that. Are the more expensive products that much more effective and better for our skin health? How do we know which skincare products to buy, which treatments to use, and how to spend our dollars wisely?
The first place to start is honing in on your daily skincare routine and personal goals. Skin starts losing collagen and elastin at age 21. Starting early to create a healthy skin routine is key, but it’s never too late to start new healthy habits. Bars of soap are out and layering on specific types of products is in. Think about your morning skincare routine as protection from environmental elements (pollution, sun) and your evening routine as restorative (hydration, vitamins and minerals, building collagen). Not everyone requires the same routines, but there are some basic trends to should follow.
Healthy Morning Skincare Routine
1. Upon waking in the morning, cleansing your face is essential. Some people skip the cleansing part and go straight to the next step. Just using water to cleanse your face to rinse off the evening products and start fresh each day is helpful and doesn’t take long. If using a cleanser for oily skin, use a foaming product that will help control the oil. If using a cleanser for sensitive, dry, or combination skin, start with a mild, hydrating cleanser. Using a product that contains glycolic acid is helpful, setting the stage for your skin to absorb the next layer.
2. After cleansing, using a toner will help re-establish your skin’s pH balance. You could skip this step if you are looking to simplify your routine. However, some face cleansers may have a drying effect on our skin, and restoring our skin to its healthy acidic pH of 5.5 can make a difference before applying the rest of your products. A simple organic rose water toner is an option. Stay clear of toners that contain alcohol or astringents that will strip your skin of its natural oils and will kill the skin’s beneficial bacteria we need to create long-lasting healthy skin. Our skin is another microbiome and we need to maintain its integrity.
3. Using an effective antioxidant next will protect your skin against free radicals and the oxidation process which ages our skin more quickly. Look for products with both vitamin E and vitamin C combined. If you cannot find that combination, opt for a high-quality vitamin C serum. Be sure to purchase this product that’s sold in a dark, glass bottle that will protect the ingredients from oxidizing.
4. Applying sunscreen next will help protect your skin from harmful UV rays that age our skin and leave many of us with sunspots. The Academy of Dermatology recommends using sunscreen with at least an SPF of 30. Look for a mineral-based product that contains zinc oxide and titanium dioxide (a mineral found in the earth’s crust that helps to refract light). Mineral-based sunscreens also help refract light from computer screens, cell phones, TV screens, and more. Avoid sunscreens that contain oxybenzone, octinoxate, and avobenzone – all have been shown to disrupt our endocrine system. Use a chemical-based sunscreen during more physical activity, making sure to allow for it to be properly absorbed in the derma layer (about 30 minutes). Mineral-based can get easily wiped off leaving you without proper sun protection during physical activity.
6. Now you are set to apply make-up. Just as you are looking for the cleanest ingredients in your face products, use that same diligence in choosing make-up.
With all the misleading marketing and advertising of skin care products out there, it’s a good idea to download a helpful app that may show you the safety and cleanliness of a particular product. Marketers use words such as cruelty-free, vegan, clean, natural, organic, and green as ways to attract customers. The words “clean” and “natural” are not regulated by the FDA and should not be used to describe the efficacy of a product, for example. Various third-party certifying agencies can help the consumer choose more wisely.
During the evening, your routine can add in a retinol, or other serum, as well as a moisturizer. If retinol doesn’t work for you, try using bakuchiol, a plant-derived retinol.
Top Healthy Skincare Certifying Agencies
USDA Organic
Certifies that the ingredients used are 95–100 percent organic, meaning they are organically farmed without pesticides or herbicides.
Ecocert
Certifies that the ingredients used are environmentally friendly, come from renewable resources, do not contain GMOs, parabens, nanoparticles, silicon, PEG, synthetic dyes or perfumes, or animal products (except honey), and that they are packaged in a way that is safe for our planet
EWG Verified
The Environmental Working Group makes sure products are “green” and in sync with their Skin Deep database classifications, meaning the product must be free of any ingredient on the EWG’s “unacceptable” list for health or eco-toxicity concerns. All ingredients must also be listed on the package.
Non-GMO Project Verified
This certifies that products do not include GMOs, which could be any plant, animal, or microorganism that’s been altered by using recombinant DNA technologies, such as gene splicing, which means that a new organism is created that is not found in nature.
These are just examples of some, but other certifying agencies also test for using animals for testing, as well as if I product is vegan. Now, let’s look at some helpful phone apps.
Best Skincare Apps to Use
Think Dirty
I love using this app. It’s free and easy to use. The only downfall is that the very high-end products you may find in your dermatologist’s office will not be listed and those often contain chemicals.
EWG Healthy Living
This app is part of the Environmental Working Group and is an excellent resource.
Detox Me
Another free app that helps consumers choose beauty and household cleaning products that eliminate toxins.
Chemical Maze
I love this app because it helps translate those hard-to-pronounce ingredients in my skincare products that sound harmful but aren’t.
Healthy Evening Skincare Routine
1. Cleansing your face after a full day is essential. Just like in the morning, use a cleanser that supports your skin type. If using a cleanser for oily skin, use a foaming product that will help control the oil. If using a cleanser for sensitive, dry, or combination skin, start with a mild, hydrating cleanser. For both options, opt for natural and organic ingredients.
2. After cleansing, you can use a toner to help re-establish your skin’s pH balance. See step 2 above for the same deets.
3. Next you want to apply a quality retinol, growth factor, or peptide-based serum. Retinol is vitamin A and helps reduce signs of aging skin, promotes collagen production, thickens skin, minimizes fine lines and wrinkles, and moisturizes at the same time. It’s the “gold standard” in anti-aging skincare. There are many retinol products on the market and if you’ve never used one before start with the lowest concentration. Growth factor-based skincare contains large proteins derived from human cells that target cell turnover, promoting the increase of collagen and elastin production. There are also animal and plant growth factors used in products, but science is showing that human growth factors stimulate the skin cells the most. These products are quite expensive- if budget is not an issue for you, this is your best option. Peptide-based skincare products are effective for reversing aging and are more affordable, although not cheap by any means. These days you can find peptides in mascara, lip moisturizer, hand cream, eye cream, and even in your make-up. Peptides are chains of amino acids, the building blocks of protein, that support collagen and elastin fiber production. Those are what help maintain supple, youthful-looking skin. If retinol is not a product that you can use, try bakuchiol which is a plant-derived retinol.
4. Next up is eye cream. Look for a retinol-based product that both tightens and moisturizes the thin skin around your eyes.
5. And finally, apply moisturizer. Use one that makes your skin feel hydrated, not too oily, and not too dry.
Supporting a healthy skincare routine with healthy lifestyle habits is key. Why spend the money, time, and energy on your skin if you’re not supporting your skin with healthy, whole-food nutrition, exercise, sound sleep, and drinking lots of water? Drinking excess alcohol, staying up too late at night watching TV, too much exposure to the sun, living a sedentary life, and eating processed junk food are all detrimental to youthful, bright, glowing skin.
Top Foods to Eat for Healthy Skin
1. Animal-based proteins are by far the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. All of the nutrients are already packaged in the bioavailable form needed for your body to break down, absorb, and use. Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, help promote the production of collagen and elastin (also proteins), which create the foundation of supple, youthful skin. They also contain higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids which hydrate our skin. Grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish and shellfish, pasture-raised eggs, and poultry are all delicious choices.
2. Healthy Fats are crucial for healthy skin. Foods full of Omega-3 fatty acids keep your skin looking firm and dewy, regenerate damaged skin cells, and reduce redness and inflammation. Avocados, olives, fattier cuts of animal proteins, coconut, and macadamia nuts all fit the bill.
3. Dark berries, especially if you can find wild-grown ones, provide antioxidants that fight free radicals and mitigate oxidative stress, which leads to more wrinkles, less collagen and elastin production, and drier skin.
You are now on your way to healthy, youthful, beautiful skin. Read those labels, use the apps, and find what works for your unique skin equation. And, remember, always talk with your doctor or dermatologist before starting any new healthy lifestyle routine to make sure it’s right for you.
For inspiration on healthy, easy-to-make recipes, check out my growing collection here.
Check out my podcast with Dr. Lady Dy, MD about midlife women’s skin health and treatments here.
This blog is not to be used as medical advice or for making any lifestyle changes to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others. Consult your physician for any medical issues that you may be having.