Love the skin you’re in? We celebrate the body with skin-saving solutions for your 20s, 30s and beyond. Get tips on how to maintain healthy glowing skin with beauty tips from your favorite stars.
By Qianna Smith
More than one million skin cancers are diagnosed in the United States every year. What are you doing to protect your precious skin?
“Always use a great skin moisturizer,” says Beyoncé, 28, who’s skin care obsession is Carol’s Daughter moisturizers. No matter what your age is, it’s important to keep your skin moisturized and hydrated because it helps the skin retain water, preventing it from appearing rough and dull.
Nothing ages hands faster than sun exposure, so start protecting your hands in your 20s. Try ZO Skin Health Oraser Daily Hand Repair SPF 20 ($65, Nordstrom stores) to protect from UV damage, lock in moisture, even skin tone and reduce the appearance of dark spots.
Jergens® skin care team has partnered with The Skin Cancer Foundation to raise awareness about getting a glow without the sun. Brighten up your brown skin the safe way with Jergens® natural glow Healthy Complexion Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 20 ($8.49, drug stores) that will give your complexion a beautiful bronzy tone.
“Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and is the second most common cancer affecting women ages 20 to 29,” says Robert Weiss, M.D., president of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.
If you don’t look a day over 29, keep it that way with 29 and Holding Sunscreen Lotion SPF 29, ($12,bathandbodyworks.com). It’s both water and sweat resistant, which is perfect for the active beach baby.
Over time sun exposure takes a toll. “Our skin shows its age first through patchy pigmentation,” says Jeanine Downie, M.D., a dermatologist in Montclair, New Jersey, and coauthor of “Beautiful Skin of Color” (Collins). We also get sunburned, even if we don’t turn red.
“My aesthetician, Jamie Yee at Kate Sommerville Skin Health Experts in Los Angeles, turned me on to her skin care weapon, the Clarisonic brush,” says Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson, 38, on her go-to skin prep tool (available at Sephora stores).
For a dewy radiant glow with added SPF 30 protection, try Josie Maran Tinted Moisturizer ($38, sephora.com). Apply moisturizer to the face by blending outward to hairline and downward to neckline. This is a great buy for women in their 30s because it works to replenish and repair skin cells.
Reapply sunscreen every two hours, especially when you’re at the beach or pool. And try to avoid the sun between 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M., when rays are strongest.
Enjoying some fun in the sun does not have to be a stressful event for your skin. After sun exposure, try using AHAVA After Sun Rehydrating Balm ($25, ahavaus.com) that instantly restores skin’s moisture balance, eliminates irritation and fights against premature aging. You’ll want to apply the balm on both the body and face after sun exposure or whenever skin needs soothing replenishment.
To get brighter more beautiful skin in your 30s try Avon’s liiv botanicals Vital Day Cream with SPF 20 and Night Moisturizer (both $15, avon.com). The day cream is formulated with natural plant extracts to protect the skin from harmful UV rays, stress and the environment. Rejuvenate the skin in the evening with their powerful night potion, which works to recharge the skin while you get your beauty rest.
“I ride the subway a lot, so my skin gets grimy. I go to Glow Skin Spa in New York once a month and have an oxygen facial to get that gunk out. At home I use Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins skin care products (origins.com) on my sensitive skin,” says 42-year-old cohost of “The View” Sherri Shepherd.
In your forties, weather and hormones play an important role in maintaining the skin’s healthy tone and texture.
Heal and nourish very dry and dehydrated skin with Korres Watercress Potent Moisturizer SPF 6 ($29.50, sephora.com). After cleansing, apply to the face and neck and within days notice softer, more supple skin.
The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery has introduced the first at-home skin cancer exam kit so women can properly monitor and measure suspicious moles and other lesions and visit a doctor if something doesn’t look right.
For more details on this free skin cancer exam kit, click here. »
“Constant exposure to pollution, sun, and the stress of modern living can result in dull, damaged and prematurely aged skin,” explains Dr. Patricia Wexler. We love Dr. Wexler’s Daily Defense Anti-Oxidant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 in Tint 3–Deep ($29.50, bathandbodyworks.com) which visibly repairs the skin from signs of aging while providing sheer radiant coverage.
Whether your skin is light and freckled or dark and even toned, Dr. Downie advises wearing sunscreen every day. About a shot glass full of lotion will cover your entire body.
Protect your pout this summer with Lavanila’s Natural Lip Proection ($16, sephora.com). This balm will soften and shield your lips with all-natural SPF 15 and has a mouth-watering scent of vanilla-infused fragrance.
Don’t expose yourself to sunlight if there is a dramatic change to the skin, according to the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. Skin discoloration, a changing mole and a rough red patch are all early signs of skin cancer. If you notice any of these, you should visit a dermatologic physician who is uniquely qualified to diagnose and treat skin cancer.
“Aside from fabulous genes, I have to attribute my complexion to my dermatologist of ten years, Patricia Wexler. She’s obsessive about daily sun protection, regardless of your skin color, and now I’m an SPF fanatic. Like my mother always said, the skin you take care of in your 20s is the skin you’ll inherit in your 50s,” says Iman, who defies age at 53.
In your 50s, protect the delicate skin around your neck with Goblet Goop by Miss OOPS with SPF 30 ($24, missoops.com) that helps skin retain moisture while enhancing firmness and promoting collagen.
“Refresh your complexion and boost your skin’s radiance by exfoliating with an at-home scrub or peel once a week or more, depending on the product,” says ESSENCE magazine beauty editor Pamela Edwards. At-home picks: Aveeno Skin Brightening Daily Scrub ($7.49, drugstores) or Philosophy The Microdelivery Peel ($65, sephora.com).
Engulf your body in Carita Protecting Sun Milk for Body SPF 20 ($98, caritadirect.com) if you’re planning a beach vacation this Memorial Day. Carefully apply the cream over the entire body before sun exposure to fight the effects of both UVA and UVB rays on mature skin.
Some habits are hard to kick, especially smoking, but did you know that smoking speeds up the aging process and increases wrinkles? You may not see the aging signs now, but they typically appear in young adults after ten years of smoking.
