Best Skin Care for Women Over 50, According to Dermatologists
The best skin care for women over 50 might not be able to stop the hands of time and gravity from leaving their marks, but they can be helpful for any reassessing their approach to addressing signs of agingâthink deep wrinkles, sun spots, crepe-y texture, and loss of volume, which present themselves most often mid-life onward. Ahead, we tap skin care pros to share their best tips, tools, and strategies for building an arsenal for an ageless complexion.
Vogueâs Top Picks for the Best Skin Care for Women Over 50The Face Moisturizer: Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream, $185The Vitamin C: SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic, $182The Gentle Cleanser: Tatcha The Rice Wash, $40The pH-Balancing Toner: SkinCeuticals Equalizing Toner, $38The Sunscreen: La Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra Light Fluid Facial Sunscreen SPF 60, $33The Gentle Exfoliant: Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser, $88The Facial Massager: Joanna Czech Facial Massager, $189The Face Mask: La Prairie Cellular Hydralift Firming Mask, $215In this Article:Cleansers and Toners for Mature SkinExfoliators for Women over 50Face Massagers to Boost CollagenRestore Volume Loss with Face MoisturizersProtect Skin with Vitamin C and SPFConsider Retinol at NightFace Masks for Aging SkinWhat is the best skincare routine for a 50-year-old?Skin Care Ingredients for Women Over 50Meet the ExpertsCleanse & Tone
The best skin care for women over 50 begins with daily face-washing. Mature skin should be treated with a mild, non-irritating cleanser that wonât strip the skin of its natural oils or irritate dry and sensitive types. For those on the dryer side, New York dermatologist Dr. Patricia Wexler cautions that because itâs usually sensitive, itâs best to use a face wash that provides good barrier protection with ingredients like ceramides. âAfter an initial oil cleanser to remove my makeup, I use a cream cleanser, then use a lukewarm water to rinse, and pat my skin dry with a soft cloth,â Wexler explains.
To help maintain the pH balance of the skin after cleansing, celebrity facialist Joanna Czech recommends using a pH-controlling toner, which can also supply an extra layer of moisture and âact as carrierâ for the skin care steps that come next. The new class of hydrating toners are also worth considering.
SkinCeuticals
Equalizing Toner
This toner exfoliates skin to gently remove debris and dead skin cells, while rosemary, aloe, and chamomile extracts soften and soothe skin.
Joanna Czech
The Toner
Hyaluronic acid, plant sugars, and fruit extract come together to create the productâs signature Triple-Hydration Complex, leaving the skin barrier in optimal state.
Tatcha
The Rice Wash
This creamy cleanser gently washes the day away with an amino acid base, while Okinawa algae and hyaluronic acid deeply nourish skin and replenish its water reserve.
Dior
La Mousse Off/On Foaming Face Cleanser
A lightweight, cream-to-foam cleanser enriched with water lily from the Dior gardens that removes makeup, dirt, and oil while soothing the skin.
ExfoliateâBut Donât Overdo It
In terms of exfoliation, both physical (scrubs) and chemical (AHAs and BHAs) may be used on mature skinâbut proceed with caution. âYes, exfoliation is necessary, but donât overdo it,â Czech instructs. âWith women over 50, the outer layer of skin becomes thinner and more delicate.â To avoid aggravation, Czech recommends taking a minimal approach to physical exfoliation, which can cause micro-tears on the epidermis if you get carried away.
Regenerating Cleanser
To buff away dead skin cells safely, Wexler recommends using a gentle scrub, such as Tata Harperâs Regenerating Exfoliating Cleanser with its apricot microspheres, no more than three times a week, and following it up with a calming elixir with soothing ingredients such as ceramide and chamomile.
Eminence
Monoi Age Corrective Exfoliating Cleanser
Get rid of debris in one step, thanks to the formulaâs ground olive seeds, botanical enzymes, and AHAs.
M-61
PowerGlow Peel
For mild chemical exfoliation, try M-61âs Powerglow Peel squares, which are presoaked with glycolic and salicylic acids, as well as acne-scar-healing vitamin K and skin-tone-evening bilberry extract, and are gentle enough for daily use.
Drunk Elephant
T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial
This cult-classic will instantly give you brighter-looking skin, thanks to a 25% AHA blend of tartaric, lactic, and citric acids. Chickpea flour also helps to brighten.
Use Face Massagers to Boost Collagen
A daily facial massage does wonders for the skin at any age, but is especially transformative for mature complexions. These beauty tools can work to sculpt the facial muscles (think: more defined cheekbones and jawline) and reduce fluid buildup, as well as improve blood flow, cell turnover, tissue toning, and boost collagen production. âCollagen is the support net of our skinâitâs what gives the structural integrity of the skin and as it declines, skin becomes looser, sags and wrinkles form,â explains Rochelle Weitzner, founder and CEO of Pause Skincare, a line developed for women going through menopause. Because women experience a dramatic reduction in collagen synthesis after menopause, Weitzner designed a special tool to stimulate fibroblasts, which are the cells that produce collagen.
Using your fingertips or a tool, knead and contour the facial muscles, moving along the jawline and upward toward the highs of the cheekbones, under-eye region, and across the forehead. For an extra boost at the end, wrap gauze around ice cubes infused with anti-inflammatory green or chamomile tea, then glide them over the skin, per Czech.
Joanna Czech
Facial Massager
Celebrity esthetician Joanna Czech knows a thing or two about having great skin. Use the double-headed massager for just a few minutes a day to stimulate collagen.
Jillian Dempsey
Gold Sculpting Bar
This 24-karat gold bar makes skin look and feel more toned in a flash thanks to vibrations that mimic that of a massage to relax facial muscles.
Pause
Fascia Stimulating Tool
Weitznerâs handy tool is designed to stimulate fibroblasts, which are the cells that produce collagen. Start off by applying a moisturizer, then glide across your forehead, cheeks, lips, neck, and chest. Use once daily.
Mount Lai
De-Puffing Jade Facial Roller
A mainstay in Chinese beauty rituals, jade rollers like this one by Mount Lai help to boost circulation and lymphatic drainage in a single use. Plus, it features two roller sizes to get hard to reach areas.
Restore Volume Loss with Face Serums & Moisturizers
Starting in your 30s and 40s, hyaluronic levels begin to decrease, which is what makes fine lines and deep wrinkles more noticeable. When applied topically, hyaluronic acid can help replenish and retain cell moisture (it holds 1,000 times its weight in water), which is why itâs such a common ingredient in both serums and moisturizersâparticularly in formulas targeting mature skin. Look for this and other nourishing ingredients like ceramides and peptides in hydrating serums and face moisturizers, which help restore the skin barrier with consistent use.
Augustinus Bader
The Rich Cream
One of our favorite moisturizers for dry skin, Augustinus Bader’s The Rich Cream as developed a cult-following. It replenishes skin’s moisture levels, reduces the look of dark spots and fine lines thanks to an innovative blend of peptides, amino acids, and nourishing agents.
iS Clinical
Reparative Moisture Emulsion
Not too heavy, not too light, this just right moisturizer uses pharmaceutical-grade botanicals, peptides, and antioxidants to repair irritated skin, while hydrating and reducing deep set lines.
SkinMedica
HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator
âIt not only delivers hyaluronic acids to the dermis, [but] its complex chains of different hyaluronic acids stimulate production of your own hyaluronic acid, increasing the resilience of your own skin,â Wexler explains of the creamy serum.
Kate Somerville
KateCeuticals Total Repair Cream
Kate Somervilleâs anti-aging KateCeuticals Total Repair Cream, which combines ceramides and a special peptide complex to calm irritation and minimize redness. Expect this to smooth out texture, firms and makes skin feel ultra-soft.
Protect Skin With Vitamin C & SPF
Another key ingredient for brightening up a dull complexion and erasing sun spots is vitamin C, which helps treat and fight against free radical damage that causes oxidative stress and skin aging. The powerhouse antioxidant also works to fade away hyperpigmentation. âBegin with a low concentration of 10% and increase to 15% or 20% as tolerated,â says Wexler of identifying the right concentration for your skin type in a serum or moisturizer. Whatâs important to note is that most potent forms of vitamin C are vulnerable to light exposure, and therefore the use of vitamin C must be in conjunction with broad-spectrum UVA/UVB coverage, which one should be using regardless. To shield skin against skin cancer and damage (fine lines, deep wrinkles, blotchiness, discoloration, and textural abnormalities), use sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 30 every single day.
