I’m a dermatologist – here’s 6 cheap skincare swaps to prevent ageing in your 30s
IF you’re about to enter your 30s, you might not think much will change with your skin over the next few years.
But according to a dermatologist, this decade in your life can bring many new and wonderful skin particularities, from dullness and volume loss to acne and rosacea.
“That’s right – there are a lot of things that happen in your 30s that start to show up on your face,” dermatologist and skincare enthusiast Andrea Suarez – known as Dr Dray – warned.
According to Andrea, in your 20s you can pretty much get away with using three cheap products – you still don’t have to break the bank when you’re older, but some new concerns might rear their head.
In a video uploaded to her YouTube channel, she detailed “all the things you need to look out for in your 30s” concerning your skin and how to deal with them.
1. Use exfoliating acid
One of the first things you might begin to notice once you exit your 20s is that you loose some the radiance in your complexion.
Your skin starts to look a little more dull because the rate of our skin cell turnover slows down, Andrea said.
“When you’re a child your skin turns over in 14 days and by the time you get to your 30s it takes around 28 days,” she explained – so the skin cells build up on the surface of your face, making it duller.
You can combat this by incorporating an exfoliating acid into your routine, the dermatologist suggested.
If you have dry skin, you can try using an alpha hydroxy acid moisturiser a few nights a week – Andrea recommended the DERMA E Overnight Peel, which costs £20 on Amazon.
If you’re looking for a more affordable option, grab the The Ordinary’s AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution at Boots for £8.40.
You might want to chose a polyhydroxy acid if you have sensitive skin – these are gentle enough to use daily.
For oily skin, opt a salicylic acid in leave-on or face wash form, Andrea advised. Use this as frequently as you need, but ‘back off’ if your skin is looking a little dry.
You can nab the CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser for rough and bumpy cream for £9.50 on Amazon, or its Smoothing Cream for £15 at Boots.
The Ordinary’s Salicylic Acid 2% Masque is another option at Boots for £11.80. The same brand’s Salicylic Acid 2% Solution will cost you just £5.80.
2. Use moisturiser consistently
You might also start noticing that your skin is a lot dryer when you enter your 30s. Andrea explained that the delay in skin cell turnover is partly to blame, making the skin not as able to hold hydration.
But as we get older, we stop making as much hyaluronic acid, which is responsible for retaining water in the skin and making it look plump and youthful.
Andrea noted that overuse of the exfoliating acids she mentioned previously can make the dryness worse.
Though you might get away with not using moisturiser in your 20s, Andrea recommended you start doing so in your 30s to address age related changes.
“It really can change the look of your skin,” she emphasised.
“Whenever you cleanse your skin, when the skin is still damp that’s when you want to put moisturiser on,” Andrea continued.
She recommended the CeraVe Moisturising Cream, which retails for £7.99 on Amazon.
3. Make lifestyle a priority
You might notice some volume loss in your skin in your 30s, as it loses collagen and elastin a lot more readily, according to Andrea.
You could also be juggling multiple demands in this period of your life, perhaps leading you to neglect yourself.
“We might start gravitating towards more convenience foods, cutting out more hours of sleep to get more stuff crunched into a day, we’re super stressed out and short tempered. All those things can show up on your skin and accelerate the rate of not only skin aging but of total body aging.”
To combat that, now is the time to start exercising regularly, swearing off smoking, getting good quality sleep for your skin to heal.
Andrea said: “The lifestyle factors go so far and in your 30s really make them a priority.”
Sun protection will also help with age-related volume loss and sagging, as well as topical vitamin A – these are retinoids and retinols.
4. Clean up your diet to combat acne
Acne and cystic acne is increasingly becoming more common for women in their 30s, Andrea said.
Hormones and lifestyle factors can be big drivers behind this – stopping and starting certain oral contraceptive pills, pregnancy, lactation, stress and diet.
She recommended you stay away from processed and sugary foods that spike your blood sugar in order to keep acne at bay. Instead, opt for fruit and veg, whole grains and foods rich in antioxidants.
Andrea said a lot of people might panic if they get cystic acne, buy lots of different products and cycle through them without giving them time to work.
She encouraged viewers to see dermatologist to treat it.
5. Wash your face in the evening
Your skin can feel more irritated as you get older.
Though cleansing a couple times a day might have worked for you before, Andrea suggested dialing that back to once a day if you’re noticing that your skin isn’t responding to it well.
This will ideally be in the evening: “Throughout the day we’re exposed to environmental factors like pollution that can cause a lot of free radical damage, so good cleansing at night time is important to remove all that, along with any cosmetics.”
Consider also switching to a gentle cleanser, the dermatologist added.
CeraVe is a dermatologist-approved favourite in the skincare world and you can get their Hydrating Cleanser for £11.50.
6. Wear sun cream
“The next fun thing that can happen on your face in your 30s is you’re more prone to redness and flushing,” Andrea went on.
You could find yourself developing rosacea, a common inflammatory skin condition characterised by hypersensitivity, which flares with spicy foods, hot liquids, irritating skincare products and the sun.
You should see a dermatologist to treat rosacea and stick to products with minimal ingredients.
But protecting your skin from the sun is a must with rosacea, Andrea emphasised. “UV – including UV that comes through window glass – will flare the rosacea.”
Hyperpigmentation might also become a source of frustration in your 30s, especially is you have a medium to deep skin tone.
This can take the form of sunspots on your face from sun exposure, or you might find that any acne you have heals with a dark mark which takes longer to go away that when you were younger.
Again, sun cream is very important for improving hyperpigmentation – look especially for mineral sun creams with zinc and/or iron oxides.
You can try the Holland & Barrett Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 150ml for £4.49.
A retinoid will also help lessen these dark spots – and it will combat acne and collagen loss.
Nab The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane 30ml for £7.90 at Boots.