The skin’s ageing process: Top tips for your 20s

It’s never too early to begin a good skincare routine. The ageing process begins when you hit your 20s – which is the best time to start looking after your skin if you haven’t already got a skincare regime in place.

It’s not only the ageing process that leads to tired, wrinkled or sagging skin. Environmental factors such as pollution, exposure to the sun and your diet can also have an impact – affecting the overall look and feel of your skin. Of course, lifestyle factors such as smoking can also deteriorate the quality of skin, increasing the risk of premature aging.

Why does your skin begin to age during your 20s?

As you age the skin cell regeneration within the epidermis decreases. This makes it harder for the skin to repair itself. To do so it needs a little bit of help through the use of specialist skincare products and treatments.

Decreased proteins, such as elastin and collagen, are one thing that commonly leads to the aging of skin. This is where products rich in these elements come in – helping to replace these proteins that the skin is having difficulty to generate itself.

Exposure to the sun can also become more frequent as one moves into their late teens and twenties. We all want that healthy glow – but there certainly is a price to pay for that suntan. UVA rays can begin to have an impact on your skin at a very early age and accounts from 90% of premature aging. Applying a high factor suntan lotion and staying out of the sun where possible will negate these problems.

Your skin at 20

After the age of 20, collagen production begins to decrease – with one percent less being produced each year. This along with elastin fibres becoming thicker and looser, leads to inelasticity of the skin, revealed through wrinkling and sagging.

The onset of wrinkles is not the only thing that occurs in your twenties. The skin’s exfoliation process decreases by 28 percent as well, causing dead skin cells to accumulate and stick together for longer periods of time. Despite this, it’s a good idea to go easy on exfoliation until your thirties as too many products of this type can actually damage the skin’s barrier function and result in irritation. Exfoliating twice a week will be enough for someone of this age range.

The area that’s most likely to show the signs of aging in your twenties is actually the skin around your eyes. Affected from day-to-day facial expressions such as squinting and smiling, it’s important to give these delicate areas some TLC with a lightweight eye cream.

Let AP Skincare look after your skin

To get advice on maintaining your youthful skin with top-of-the-range skincare products, or to discuss problem skin, give us a call today. We’ll be able to book you into our skincare clinic where you’ll be able to get all the knowledge you need from our in-house experts. You’ll also be able to choose from a huge variety of skincare products and treatments that will ensure your skin is always at its best.