Taking care of mature skin naturally

Mature skin lacks in firmness, radiance and hydration, accentuating the signs of ageing in the face. Skin ageing, whether natural or induced, leads to the appearance of wrinkles and skin spots.

You should choose your wrinkle cream based on your age and the needs of your skin. Increasing the water and lipids in your skin will restore its protection against external aggressors.

Stimulating cellular activity kick-starts the production of hyaluronic acid and collagen, which are deficient in mature skin.

What is mature skin?

Mature skin shows the visible signs of ageing: wrinkles, fine lines and dark spots.

Cellular activity slows with age. This natural phenomenon leads to water, hyaluronic acid and collagen deficiencies in the dermis and epidermis. The firmness and radiance of the face and body fade.

There are two types of skin ageing: natural and induced.

Characteristics of mature skin

Mature skin suffers substantial losses in terms of:

⦁ water and lipids, leading to dry skin
⦁ hyaluronic acid and collagen, causing the skin to sag
⦁ vitamins A and C, resulting in wrinkles and discolorations.

Natural skin ageing

With age, the skin’s cells are replaced less frequently. The ageing of the skin on a cellular level is natural when its causes are intrinsic.

Three major factors lead to the natural phenomenon of cellular ageing (Source: CNRS – French National Centre for Scientific Research):
• oxidative stress
• unstable genetic material
• shortened telomeres.

Menopause can also be added to this list, as it accelerates skin ageing due to hormonal deficiencies.

Induced skin ageing

Over and above natural, biological causes, there are external factors that lead to premature skin ageing.

These extrinsic phenomena are linked to your environment and lifestyle.

Your skin will age prematurely as a result of two main outside factors (Source: T. Passeron & J.-P. Ortonne, 2003, Presse Med 32:1474-82):

• active and passive smoking, which asphyxiate the epidermis
• exposure to the sun’s UVA and UVB rays, causing elastosis in the skin.

Taking care of your skin after 50

With menopause, the skin’s texture changes due to a shortage of oestrogen. The hair starts to grey, and the body begins to sag.

What wrinkle cream should you use over 50 ? Hyaluronic acid and collagen deficits induce dryness, thinness and irritability in the skin.

Wrinkles are intensified around the eyes and lips. Dark spots – lentigo – appear on the face.

To repair your skin, you should use a combination of anti-ageing serum and cream.

Select treatments formulated with vitamins A and C as their active antioxidant agents.

This will have the dual effect of fighting wrinkles and discolorations.

Extend the application of your creams and oils to the skin on your neck and chest.

Taking care of your skin after 60

After the age of 60, the hair whitens, and deep wrinkles take hold.

What wrinkle cream should you use over 60 ? After the age of 60, your skin becomes thinner and dehydrated even more quickly. As a result, your skin needs intensive moisturising and regenerative treatment.

Use anti-ageing beauty product lines that are specific to those skin types.

Apply targeted treatments to the eyes and mouth. These areas of skin become more fragile and irritable over the age of 60.

You can counter these undesirable effects of skin ageing with intensive moisturising serums and creams.

Hydration for mature skin

How do you hydrate mature skin ? You should cleanse your skin, morning and night, even if you do not use make-up. Wash your skin with enriched soap, every morning and evening.

Exfoliate your skin and apply a moisturising face mask once a week. If possible, use a three-in-one exfoliating, moisturising and plumping mask. This will improve your skin’s texture while restoring its natural radiance.

Don’t deprive your mature skin of your favourite make-up products. Use a moisturising serum or cream on your face before applying your make-up.

Opt for a moisturising oil to remove make-up from your face and eyes. Make sure to remove all make-up to prevent the oxidation of your epidermis.

Why should you use night treatments on your face?

Cell renewal in your skin speeds up at night. Applying a night treatment to your face gives your cellular regeneration a turbo boost.

What night cream should you use for mature skin ? The best natural active ingredients for night-time skin regeneration are:
⦁ hyaluronic acid, with its strong moisturising properties and ability to retain water in the epidermis
⦁ pink algae of Camargue, or Dunaliella salina, which offers powerful antioxidant, anti-ageing protection
⦁ vitamin C and anti-ageing peptides, that revive the production of hyaluronic acid and collagen
⦁ retinol, whose beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant.

You can find these natural ingredients in night serums, creams and oils.

Beauty tips for taking care of mature skin naturally

Aside from anti-ageing creams and moisturising masks, how can you naturally care for your mature skin? Protect it from the sun and practice face yoga.

No unprotected exposure to the sun

If you are going to be in the sun, be sure to use a sunscreen oil, cream or spray with the highest possible SPF.

This recommendation is more than just a beauty tip. Whatever your colouring, mature skin is extremely sensitive to the sun’s rays.

Opt for moisturising sun protection made with natural ingredients like retinol. This will give you quadruple protection: moisturising, antioxidant, anti-ageing and anti-UV.

Note that make-up can also protect your skin from damage caused by ultraviolet rays.

Face yoga reinforces the effects of anti-wrinkle products

Working your facial muscles can reduce wrinkles and supplement the action of your anti-ageing treatments.

Simple facial exercises will boost the firmness of the skin on your face and neck. Do them to lessen wrinkles like frown lines, bitterness folds at the lips, and nasolabial folds.

The circular massaging you do when applying your anti-ageing treatments have also proved to be effective.

Naturally caring for your mature skin does not just involve applying serums, creams and oils. Adopting a healthy lifestyle helps to prevent the appearance of the signs of ageing and damage to the skin.

Using natural anti-ageing treatments in no way impedes you from establishing your own beauty canons.

Are you interested in anti-ageing beauty treatment advice? Read our topics devoted to treatment products and techniques which can slow the skin’s ageing process: