My Anti-Aging Skincare Routine

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My anti-aging skincare routine evolves just like everything else in the world. I think I’ve gone through three different lines of skincare products in the past couple of years. Having not actually gone to a dermatologist and getting professional recommendations based on my actual skin type and needs (although that appointment is made and happening soon!), I have been relying on lots of online research and of course Tiktok haha! I have found a few things that don’t really work for my skin. A few things that do. And most importantly a few that actually give me the anti-aging results I am seeking. Don’t miss the before and after at the end! So let’s discuss my current routine.

The best anti-aging cream I’ve found…

I have been using anti-wrinkle cream since my 20’s, and really the best anti-aging cream is the one you actually use consistently and preventatively. The best way to get rid of wrinkles is to not get them in the first place! But if you are like me and gravity continues to wreak havoc on your once soft and supple skin, finding the right combination of anti-aging skincare products for your skin is key. Botox and Dysport have single handedly gotten rid of most of my wrinkles the most effectively, but combined with good skincare products my skin has completely turned around in recent years.

I have narrowed it down to three primary products I use. An anti-aging skincare trifecta if you will…

  • Vitamin C Serum
  • Retinol/ Retinoids
  • Sunscreen

Vitamin C Serum for Anti-Aging

Vitamin C serum doesn’t actually do a whole lot for existing wrinkles, but it does work hard on the prevention side of things. It helps cut down on damage from free radicals, stimulates collagen production, and helps even skin tone.

I have been using this one for the past few months and really love the consistency and way it makes my skin feel. I have also used, liked and would recommend this one as a super affordable drugstore option.

Did you know more collagen means thicker skin? And thicker skin wrinkles less easily. Men have thicker skin than women and that is why they tend to age slower!

Retinol and retinoids, the anti-aging powerhouses

You may be wondering what the difference between retinol and retinoids actually is. The shortest answer is that they are essentially the same, in that both are forms of retinoic acid. Retinols have much lower concentration of the active ingredient retinoic acid, and sometimes the acid is converted to ester forms which weakens the effect. Retinols serums and creams are effective, but usually they work on a slower more gradual pace.

Retinoids on the other hand, have a strong concentration of retinoic acid and work quickly to generate cell turnover. Both retinols and retinoids help to produce collagen, reduce and remove wrinkles, even skin tone (goodbye dark age spots!), and improve your skin texture.

While most skin types can handle retinols and retinoids, you have to find the strength you can tolerate. Retinoic acid can cause irritation and skin sensitivity if too high a strength is used, or if it is used too often.

Sunscreen, your best anti-wrinkle cream

This one is probably a no brainer, but also possibly one skincare step you are likely to skip. At least I did for a long time. I wore sunscreen when we were actually in the sun and a bathing suit was present, but otherwise I didn’t think about it. It’s easy to think we aren’t really in the sun in our day-to-day activities, but the reality is it damages our skin more than we realize. It’s recommended to apply sunscreen every single day. And actually recommended to apply it a few times throughout the day. I don’t do so well at that, but I have successfully adopted the habit of applying it via my moisturizer every morning (and of course repeatedly when I am sunbathing).

I love this combination moisturizer and sunscreen. It has 30 SPF, doesn’t leave a white cast on my skin, and it’s affordable and easy to find.

And now what you’ve really been waiting for, the before and after of employing a solid anti-aging skincare routine…

This was me in 2017. I had a beautiful new baby and was of course an exhausted mother of two young girls. But this is the best before photo I have to show the difference now.

Mother holding newborn sleeping baby. Showing the before of using anti-aging skincare

And this is me today. My skin looks fresher and brighter. The 11’s between my brows are gone. My eyes look more open thanks to Dysport brow lifts. It’s hard to see the difference because the before lighting is not great, but my skin’s texture is so much smoother and more dewy.

Woman showing the effects of an anti-aging skincare routine using vitamin c serum, dysport, retinoids, and sunscreen.

And the exciting thing is, with retinoids the change only gets better with time. So I’m excited to see what I will look like five years from now!

You can see my previous skincare routines here and here. I include deeper explanations into exactly how and when I use the products, more before and afters, and links to everything I use!

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