Anti-Aging Tips: Your 30’s

They say your 30’s are the best decade; the most ideal combination of youthful vigor and time-tested wisdom. Your career starts to hit its stride, and life has more meaning. You’re young enough to be young, and old enough to be wise. This is it, baby.

Try telling that to your skin. The 30’s are when gravity begins to rear its ugly head, and you’re guaranteed to see wrinkles no matter how well you protect your skin.

The good news is that if you’ve been good to your skin up to this point, your signs of aging will be far less noticeable than your prune-faced peers. The bad news is that if you abused your skin in your 20’s by sun-bathing or living under tanning beds, this is the decade where you’ll see the results of your sunny sins.

If you fall into the latter category, all hope is not lost. You still have a chance to prevent further damage, and yes, there are products that can help reduce the signs of aging you have (or will have very soon).

Technology and time are somewhat on your side. The 30’s are still your younger years, and new products are coming on the market every week. Best of all, there is tons of research going on all around the world in the field of anti-aging. Why? Because if something actually works, billions of dollars can be made. Let their greedy motivations be your peace of mind.

Your strategy at this point is to prevent further damage and begin correcting the damage that has already been done. That will take some work, because there are scores of skin products to choose from, but after reading this, you will have a clearer plan of attack. That’s why we’re here, to review products and educate you on your way to your ageless face.

In order of importance, here are the steps you need to take right now to ensure a more youthful face for as long as gravity will let you.

The first 6 steps listed here are the same as the steps listed for the article on your 20’s. That’s not because we’re lazy, but because your core strategy will stay the same for the rest of your life… with one exception: you’ll need to add more steps as you get older.

1. Wear sun block. I repeat, wear sun block. Unfortunately, not all sun blocks are the same. In fact, some mainstream sunblocks will do nothing for you.

#1, it must block both UVA rays (the ones that age you) and UVB rays (the ones that burn you). But this is tricky, because even bottles that say they block both rays sometimes don’t do so. They mostly block UVB rays, which means the UVA rays will still come through.

Make sure the bottle you is a “broad spectrum” UVA/UVB blocker. Ingredients to look for are zinc oxide, titanium oxide, avobenzone, Mexoryl, or Helioplex. Our favorite is La Roche Posay Anthelios SX Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15 3.4oz. It doubles as a moisturizer and is one of the few products on the market to truly block UVA rays, making it particularly attractive.

#2, it must have an SPF (sun protection factor) of 15 or higher. I personally use the highest SPF I can find, which right now is about 55. You probably don’t need to go that high, but aim for above 15. Remember, SPF refers to UVB protection, so a high SPF means nothing unless the sunscreen blocks UVA rays.

#3, wear it all the time. Just because you are in the shade, or indoors, does not mean you are safe from the sun. Rays deflect, and that umbrella you use to shield the sun is only partially effective. When you’re indoors, the windows allow UVA rays to come in the house and age you when you least expect it. Cover up at all times, and re-apply a few times a day if you’re going to be outdoors a lot.

#4, the weather doesn’t matter. Clouds block some UVB rays, but UVA rays still come through. No matter the weather, wear sunscreen. Besides, wind also damages your skin, so you need as much protection as possible at all times.

#5, don’t just protect your face. Don’t forget your ears, hands, arms, legs, shoulders, etc. Even your lips need protection (from an SPF lip balm, not sunscreen).

#6, apply sun block correctly. This is extremely important. Sun block does you no good unless there is absolutely nothing between your skin and the sun block cream. That is, sun block must be the first thing you apply after washing your face in the morning. You must then wait at least 10 minutes before applying anything else or going outside, since the sun block needs time to sink in.

2. Stop smoking and drinking. Even if you don’t smoke, you might be around someone who does. Both smoke and second-hand smoke badly damage your skin. Smoking can also kill you in other ways, so the benefits go far beyond skin care.

My aunt has smoked for years, and I could stick nickels in the deep wrinkles all around her mouth and face. Smoking has made her look 20 years older than she is. Stop smoking now, and don’t hang out with people who do, because they’re badly aging your skin for you.

3. Hands off the face! Try not to let anything, whether it’s your hands or rough towels, touch your face.

Whenever you rest your face on your hand, you’re wrinkling your skin. If you rub towels over your face in rough fashion, you’re wrinkling your skin. And when you sleep face down on a pillow, you’re wrinkling your skin all night long.

Hands off the face, for one. Secondly, never scrub your face with anything. Instead of drying your face with a towel, pat it down gently. And when you sleep, lie on your back. The effects of gravity will be minimized, and you won’t be pressing your face into a pillow for 8 consecutive hours. Speaking of 8 hours…

4. Get some sleep. Lack of sleep is one of the #1 causes of premature aging, and not just for your skin. Aim for at least 7 hours, and ideally 8 or 9. “Beauty sleep” really is beauty sleep. So hit the sack.

5. Keep a poker face. People with straight, emotionless facial expressions are considered to be boring. But they also age well. Here’s why.

Excessive facial expressions such as laughing, smiling, frowning, and other silly clown faces, wrinkle your face. They bend, twist, and churn your skin into a wrinkled mess. There’s a reason clowns wear make-up.

I don’t suggest you give up laughing, because that’s impossible unless you watch the lifeless sit-coms on network TV these days. I do suggest you minimize the width of your smiles and laughs, and frowning is absolutely out of the question. Also, get a good pair of UV-protecting sunglasses. They’ll cut down on your squinting in the sun, and squinting causes that annoying wrinkle in your furrow.

Your face is not an Etch-a-Sketch, so treat it well. And crack a smile (but just a little).

6. Eat right. You know you need to eat right, but many of you don’t. And when you do, it’s usually a fad diet like Atkins, South Beach, or the Zone.

Bottom line: eating right is simple. The hard part is having the discipline to do it, but since you are interested in aging well, you’re going to learn discipline.

1) Drink lots of water. Water is good for every organ in your body, including your skin.

2) Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. They are filled with nothing but goodness, including the vitamins and nutrients your body (and skin) needs.

3) Minimize your portions. Find out what a serving size is, and eat just that. You’d be surprised what a serving size of meat really is (about the size of a deck of cards).

4) Eat lean protein. Fish, lean beef and poultry, egg whites, low-fat dairy products, beans, lentils, and nuts are all good sources of protein.

5) Choose your carbs. Forget about simple carbs like white bread, white pasta, and baked goods and desserts. Your carbs need to come from whole grain sources like flourless (or 100% whole wheat) bread, high-fiber cereal, wheat pasta, brown rice, quinoa, bulgur wheat, fruits, and vegetables.

7. Identify your flaws. This is the hard part, because it requires taking a long, hard, honest look at yourself in the mirror. In your 30’s, these are some of the flaws you might see:

-Lines around the eyes

-Drooping furrow

-Lines around the mouth

-Adult acne

-Excessively dry or oily skin

Since there are so many skin products on the market, identifying your most noticeable flaws will help you narrow down your search considerably. Be your worst critic, and check all flaws that apply. And then rank your flaws from most noticeable to least.

8. Consider your alternatives. The fact that you’re at this website shows that you’re willing to do something about your aging. That’s the good news, because some people just don’t care. If you’re content with aging and wrinkling, that’s your choice. But for those who want to enjoy looking young as long as possible, be prepared to do what it takes.

Prevention is great, but at your age, that’s just half the battle. The other half is turning back the clock the old fashioned way. And for that, you’ve got only 3 options:

-Botox, or some other cosmetic procedure (Restalyne, etc)

-Topical anti-aging skin products

-Cover up with makeup

Botox and other similar outpatient treatments aren’t discussed here. Some of them are very effective, but also very expensive and invasive. At your age, you’ll probably respond very well to Botox because Botox attacks fine lines and wrinkles before they develop into permanent, deep wrinkles. If you want to do Botox, check the ads in your local newspaper and pay a visit for a free consultation.

You’re probably well skilled at covering up with makeup, and I encourage you to continue doing that. But this is the decade where you’ll realize that makeup isn’t enough anymore.

Your most affordable alternative is to use topical anti-aging skin products. This is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that there are more than enough products on the market to choose from. The curse is that there are so many products, how can you possibly choose the best ones? That brings us to….

9. Select the best product(s) for you. Let us be frank with you: the skin care industry is not regulated, and thus you are peddled countless of worthless products that are NOT proven to work. You need to avoid these or else you will waste a lot of money and lose confidence in yourself and your potential to look your best.

This website is dedicated to not ripping you off. We’re comfortable telling you that there are only a handful of skin care ingredients that are scientifically proven to work. Do not be fooled by any ads, before/after photos, or testimonials.

Check out our ingredient guide, and experiment with some creams that contain the ingredients you feel might work best. They may work, and they may not work. This is normal. Try a product for a few months before deciding if it has made a difference. If so, great. If not, try a different product with different ingredients.

The secret is knowing which ingredients work. Visit the ingredient guide, check out the reviews, and make your decision today.

Summary. A lifetime of these habits will ensure youthful skin for as long as it is able to do so. Everyone ages, and wrinkles are inevitable… BUT you can delay those wrinkles for a long time by following the strategy outlined above. Look good, feel good, and lay the foundation for a lifetime of healthy aging.