There are fine lines between looking like a silver fox and looking like an old man, and how you deal with those fine lines will pretty much determine which you will become. Aging is natural, beautiful, and desirable, but sometimes lack of good skin care (and probably lack of sleep) causes us to look tired, dull, and older than we actually are.
It isn’t that we don’t want to look our age, it’s that we don’t want to look older than our age. Fine lines around the mouth, creases in the forehead and between the eyebrows, and hollow skin under the eyes can make anyone look five to ten years older. There’s no shame in wanting to slow the hands of time, and doing so is pretty easy.
Dealing with fine lines and wrinkles starts with some decent lifestyle habits. Once you’ve locked in a good routine to keep your body in peak performance, you can hone in on the target areas to eliminate fine lines and wrinkles from forming, and lessen the appearance of the ones that are already taking up residence on your face.
Think you’re the only guy who’s concerned about aging? Guess again. In fact, men are more motivated than ever to look great at any age. The percentage of guys who turn to wrinkle-reducing facial injections increased by over 300% between 2018 and 2020, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
If injections aren’t for you (or even if they are) you can still fight aging with great skin care. Disco fills the gap in the skin care industry where dudes are concerned. Our products are specifically formulated to work with the optimal pH balance of men’s skin. No more borrowing products from your female friends and family members.
Let’s talk about how to fight fine lines at any age, what products you should be using right now, and how you can customize your skin care to fit your age-specific needs.
In Your 20’s
All night study sessions, weekend socialization, and a diet that’s probably less than perfect are rights of passage for guys in their twenties, but don’t assume you’re going to come through it all unscathed.
You can only sustain sleeping 2-4 hours per night for so long before your body starts to crash and you begin to feel and look fatigued, stressed, and older. In your twenties, it’s most important to take care of yourself. Your mom was right; you really do need to sleep and drink more water.
Getting eight hours of sleep and 64 ounces of water might seem out of the question, but research shows that just these two simple changes can keep you looking younger, longer.
What else can you do?
- Start wearing sunscreen STAT. You need sunscreen at every age, but the sooner you begin wearing it daily, the less your skin will be damaged by harmful UV rays, which account for up to 80% of the visible signs of aging.
- Start using good skin care. It’s time to grow up your skin care routine (or get one if you don’t have one). Keep it simple with this complete starter set. Wash and moisturize every day, and exfoliate a few times a week to keep your skin looking fresh.
In Your 30’s
Started at the bottom now you’re climbing to the top. While you’re building your career and making major life changes, your skin is undergoing changes too.
In your thirties, you’ll begin to experience fat loss in your skin, decreased elasticity (skin sagging) and a slow down in the production of collagen. Collagen is the stuff that keeps your skin looking plump and youthful.
In your thirties you’ll begin to notice:
- Less volume under your eyes. Your eyes may look hollow and/or the skin underneath may begin to look paper thin.
- Your skin isn’t as tight as it was before. Skin around the eyes, jawline, and neck may begin to feel stretchier or more elastic.
It’s important to start being seriously proactive about fine lines and wrinkles in your thirties, as this is the decade they really begin to form. If you aren’t already using a three-step skin care system like the one mentioned above, now’s definitely the time to get on it.
In addition to washing, exfoliating twice a week, and using a moisturizer that contains proven wrinkle fighters, step up your skin care game with a few heavy hitters.
- A weekly mask. You might be surprised to notice blemishes in your 30’s, but stress and hormonal changes can result in skin that is still breaking out. A charcoal-based mask will help draw out impurities, rejuvenate your skin, and keep you looking fresh.
- Eye care. One of the first places you are most likely to notice fine lines and wrinkles is around your eyes. Hit them head on with a high-powered eye treatment loaded with antioxidants and powerful B3 vitamins to help knock out fine lines and wrinkles before they start.
40's and Beyond
In your 40’s and beyond you’re likely fine-tuning your lifestyle, getting nice and comfortable in your career, and (hopefully) appreciating some of the fruits of your labor. However, if life really begins at 40, your skin didn’t get the memo.
The forties and beyond sees the heaviest and fastest decline in skin elasticity and collagen. The fat pads in your skin diminish, leaving your face looking hollow and causing your skin to sag. Elastin and collagen production slow significantly, and cell turnover is much slower.
Additionally, damage from decades of free radical exposure (UV light, smoking, pollution, etc.) show up more dramatically-fine lines begin to form deep wrinkles, and your skin may appear to have an overall dull appearance.
The good news is, you can combat the effects of fine lines and aging in your forties, fifties, sixties and beyond with just a few simple changes to your skin care routine.
Here’s what you need on your bathroom counter to keep the lines off your face:
- A daily cleanser. Bar soap and water can strip your skin of vital moisture, leaving your skin feeling dry and looking dehydrated. Make sure your cleanser has a natural source of alpha hydroxy acid to help with skin cell turnover, which helps your skin renew faster and look younger.
- A weekly exfoliator. Trigger your skin cells to turn over even more rapidly by exfoliating at least twice a week. This helps remove dead skin cells that can make your face look dull, and causes skin cells to turnover more quickly, making new skin. New skin = younger-looking skin.
- A weekly face mask. If you’re still battling blemishes, that’s normal. A face mask is a heavy hitter combatting blemishes and fine lines at the same time. Look for ingredients that help deep clean the pores, like charcoal and clay.
- A heavy-hitting moisturizer. As we get older, our skin’s moisture levels tank. No matter how much water you’re chugging per day, your skin won’t stay as hydrated as it once did. Keep your skin hydrated and target fine lines and wrinkles with an antioxidant-rich moisturizer designed to keep your skin comfortable and work to erase fine lines at the same time.
- Targeted eye treatment. The eyes have it, and when it comes to determining a person’s age, they’re usually a tell-tale sign. Using a targeted eye treatment to hone in on the fine lines forming around your eyes is essential in helping reduce their appearance and preventing new ones from forming.
In addition to making sure your skin care is on point post-forties, it’s definitely time to make lifestyle adjustments if you haven’t already.
Stay out of the sun if you don’t have on sunscreen, stop smoking, and don’t drink excessively. All of these factors play a major role in aging your skin appear older than it should.
Great Skin at Every Age
Making sure your skin looks great at any age is easy if you make sure to keep your lifestyle balanced. We’re all about a good time and squeezing the most out of every moment of life, but if you want to look good while you’re doing it, you’ve got to invest in some self care.
Trust Disco to deliver the goods. Not only do we offer skin care products that help fight the signs of aging at any age, we also make it easy to get the products you need when you need them. Our three-month subscription option lets you set it and forget it.
Less stress means less wrinkles. It’s a win-win.
Sources:
https://www.plasticsurgery.org/documents/News/Statistics/2018/cosmetic-procedures-men-2018.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5706759/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4344124/
https://www.usdermatologypartners.com/blog/how-skin-care-needs-change-as-you-age/
