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Taking care of your skin is important at any age, and even if fine lines and wrinkles have already begun to appear on your complexion it’s still vital that you maintain a well rounded skincare routine to prevent further signs of aging. Wrinkles are a natural byproduct of life and as your body begins to produce less collagen, over time your face will lose elasticity, resulting in the fine lines we all work so hard to prevent. However, just because you’re growing older doesn’t mean you have to give in to revealing your age, and there are mistakes you could be making in your skincare routine that may actually expedite the aging process even further. According to dermatologists, if your skin has begun to reveal fine lines and wrinkles, there’s one big thing you could be missing in your routine that’s making things so much worse.
Your skin is incredibly sensitive to outside damage, and wearing daily SPF is one of the best ways to preserve it from premature aging and other skin conditions. Skipping out on sunscreen can actually speed up the aging process as your complexion is damaged time and time again by sun exposure, making your existing fine lines and wrinkles all the more apparent. “Wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen on a daily basis is the most important thing you can do, whether you are going to be in direct sunlight or not. Many consumers are not aware that winter sunlight still contains UVA and UVB exposure, and snow reflection can be almost as damaging to skin as direct sunlight,” explains board certified dermatologist Dr. Adam Mamelak. Regardless of the season or your plans for the day, skimping on sunscreen may expedite the aging process, causing even more damage to your skin and exacerbating wrinkles.
It may feel superfluous to continue to wear sunscreen as you grow older and the damage has seemingly been done, but your complexion can always benefit from added protection against harsh UV rays. Even during the winter months you could be susceptible to skin damage, and a daily SPF application can help to keep melanoma, wrinkles, and other skin conditions at bay. “In addition, reduced melanin during dark winter months can limit the skin’s ability to deal with harmful UV radiation. Maintaining the integrity of the skin and wearing a protective layer of sunscreen consistently is necessary for any of the other benefits of skincare to work its magic,” warns Dr. Mamelak.
Sunscreen is actually one of the most important anti-aging products you could use in your daily routine, according to board-certified dermatologist Sanusi Umar MD. “According to identical twin studies, UV rays are the leading cause of premature skin aging in the form of fine lines, crepiness, sagging, and unwanted brown pigmentation (i.e. age spots). These damaging effects occur slowly and gradually over time. And many of us don’t really consider sunscreen a real priority until it is too late to reverse these signs.” If you’re skipping out on the sunscreen each morning because it doesn’t promise immediate anti-aging results, you could be setting yourself up for older looking skin even despite your best intentions.
When it comes to skincare, the preventative use of products is going to be your best bet for maintaining ageless skin. However, even when you have begun to show signs of aging it’s important to upkeep your skincare routine and sunscreen application in order to limit worsening wrinkles and sun damage which will further expedite the aging process. During the winter months and even on days when you don’t plan on getting sun exposure it’s still good practice to continue using sunscreen in order to keep further aging at bay, maintaining the complexion you have while relying on your other skincare products to turn back the clock. You may feel like it’s too late if you already have begun to show wrinkles, but it’s never a bad time to integrate sunscreen into your daily routine to slow down the aging process and protect your complexion.
