Beauty Musings: Skin Secrets for Your 20s

antioxidants great skin secrets spf anti-aging

I recently read that beauty experts generally agree that signs of skin aging typically begin at 29. Since I’m less than a week from my 29th (sob!), I’ve been thinking more about this and the preventative routine I maintained in my 20’s.

I’ve always been very interested in skincare, health, wellness and beauty, but I remember the exact day that I became more conscious about the cumulative affects of protecting my skin. I was in my early 20’s and a gorgeous, female friend and co-worker shared that she was a few years older (much to my surprise, since she looked so young). She impressed upon me the need to use eye cream NOW, not at 25-26 when she’d started.

my preferred eye cream: Patricia Wexler 3-in-1

I started to live by the mantra: It’s easier to prevent than erase. I remember taking vitamins like Fish Oil, B12, Alpha Lipoic Acid, and CoQ₁₀and using broad spectrum sunblock every day on my face, neck, chest and hands. I avoided the sun between 10 and 2 PM and always wore sunglasses (and a hat, if I was going to be in full-sun for long periods of time). It killed me to give up my killer tan every summer, but I became an expert self-tanner in no time. I exfoliated with AHAs, used retinol at night, used antioxidant serums and applied eye cream religiously.

obscene amounts of matcha green tea happen over here

But I’ve always believed in an holistic approach to health and beauty thanks to my family and always believed that what happens IN your body matters more than what you put on your skin. My grandmother always advised that the best thing I can do for my skin is to drink LOTS of water but I was also lucky to have parents who grew a lot of our food, cooked meals at home, and made sure my siblings and I developed really diverse, nutrient-rich palates. Beets, brocolli, swiss chard — they were on all on the menu. Today, it’s a breeze to get those skin-saving antioxidants via green tea, berries and leafy greens.

All in all, I feel really lucky to have taken such a pro-active approach to my skincare and health from an age when many may take it for granted. I feel like my skin is in pretty good shape thanks to faithfully following and tweaking a solid skin care routine for so many years. Although I’ve only dabbled in chemical-free, natural product alternatives up until now, that’s another area I’m going to really start to think about as I look ahead to my 30’s.

But first, bring it on, 29!