Skin Aging Part 2: Skincare and Mindful Living

Beyond the major causes of skin aging and the associated preventative measures (covered here), there are a number of additional lifestyle and skincare habits that can shore-up your defenses and keep your skin looking great. Keep reading to learn the tried-and-trues.

Develop and Stick to a Skincare Regimen

Intuitively, it makes sense that following a consistent skincare routine pays off, but how long should you stick to one routine or even one new product before reaching for that next shiny new thing?

Well, the answer varies for each of us, depending on whether we’re fighting aging, acne, or any combination of other things, and yet some things regarding consistency never vary, like the fact that no one should go to sleep with makeup on.

Generally speaking, to fairly assess the results of a new routine or product, you should consider not only that skin’s cellular turnover cycle is about four weeks, but also that actives take time to kick-in (after your skin adjusts to the change) before the restorative process can begin.

Of course everyone’s regimen can and should adjust for change of seasons and the passage of time. Someone in their teens with no substantial skin issues probably doesn’t need, a heavy-duty anti-aging treatment, whereas someone in their ’30s will benefit from the addition of anti-aging ingredients like antioxidants.

What’s more, some ingredients are universally beneficial, like hyaluronic acid and sunscreen. Keeping in mind that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, the most important thing is to find what’s right for you and be consistent.

Here are the steps/products to consider building your regimen around:

1. Cleanser

Rescue Rebalancing and Defend Purifying Cleaners are excellent sink-side staples, while the Refreshing Micellar Water is a mascara-melting champ.

2. Exfoliant

For ultra-soft and glowing skin, try Defend Gentle Exfoliator, a unique gel-textured cleanser/exfoliator that gently removes dead skin cells without abrasive scrubbing particles.

3. Toner

Rescue Pore-Minimizing and Hydrate Moisturizing Toners are both beneficial for Transition Skin. Alternating them with the seasons is a great approach for many.

4. Serum

Another pair of stars, Defend Skin Restoring and Hydrate Moisture Replenishing Serums, do a great deal of heavy lifting in terms of concentrated benefits. You may want to incorporate both into your routine, depending on your skin’s needs.

5. Moisturizer

• Hydrate Revitalizing Jelly Night Treatment can be considered both an overnight mask and intense hydrator.
• Defend Overnight Recovery Cream is a lush and creamy, yet non-greasy moisturizer that dials up your wake-up radiance.

6. Eye Cream and Eye Masks

• Especially effective pre-makeup and/or as a refreshing puffiness and dark circle antidote, Hydrate Nourishing Under-Eye Masks deliver intense nutrition to the delicate skin under your eyes.
• Defend Triple-Action Eye Cream is a rich cream that alleviates the appearance of dark circles, reduces the look of puffiness and improves fine lines. (One note about dark circles: there are “tired” dark circles and hereditary dark circles; at this point science hasn’t conquered them and neither can be removed completely, but we’re working on it!)

7. The occasional overnight mask and/or sheet mask

• Defend Purifying Bubble Mask is an instant skin detox and glow maker.
• Hydrate Revitalizing Jelly Night Treatment doubles as an overnight mask and hydrator.
• Hydrate Replenishing Biocellulose Mask deeply nourishes skin in a cooling sheet of antioxidant hydration.

8. SUNSCREEN!

• Defend Matte Finish Daily Moisturizer with All-Mineral SPF 30 protects skin with reef-safe sun filters while reducing the signs of aging with powerful ingredients like Peach Flower and Euphrasia.

You may not need all of the above steps in your routine, or you may want to dial up or down the steps on different mornings and evenings, but to see results from specific products, it’s best to comply with usage suggestions and stick with it. (This doesn’t apply if you experience an allergic or very uncomfortable reaction; if this happens you should stop using the product.)

Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!

Water really is necessary for life, and that includes your skin. Sufficiently hydrated skin generally has a strong moisture barrier, which helps your skin better resist environmental aggressors.

Staying well hydrated should be a combination of actually drinking water (ideally 64 ounces a day), preventing moisture loss (using a humidifier, cutting down on hot shower time, etc.), and adding moisture to your skin via topical products that deliver instant hydration and also bolster your skin’s moisture barrier.

Our Hydrate collection provides immediate results that get better over time (stick to it!), and our Defend collection contains a number of vitamins and antioxidants that help strengthen your moisture barrier.

Dynamic skin, which so many of us have, can benefit greatly by using a combination of products from both collections.

Maintain as Healthy a Diet as Possible

Getting your vitamins and antioxidants is ideally a two-pronged approach that includes both eating/drinking them and applying them to your skin. We’ve already covered the subject of free radicals here, but it’s worth reiterating how important it is to account for them in your diet and skincare regimen.

How do you get enough vitamins and antioxidants in your diet? Start with the vibrantly colored superfoods, fruits, and spices like kale, spinach, red bell peppers, blueberries, papayas, and turmeric that support your skin’s free radical fighting abilities.

Other superfoods to incorporate into your diet include Omega-3 fatty acid-rich salmon and walnuts, which help reduce your body’s production of inflammatory compounds and keep skin soft and supple.*

When it comes to skincare and antioxidants, serums are especially efficient and tend to play nice with any additional skincare products layered over them. The key is giving the serums time to sink into your skin before applying sunscreen, moisturizer, or facial oils. Defend Skin Restoring Serum and Hydrate Moisture Replenishing Serum both provide potent multiple benefits.

You can also enjoy a relaxing and sensory version of antioxidant treatment combined with hydration and repair with our Hydrate Revitalizing Jelly Night Treatment.

“Anti-Aging” is a Long Game

Simply put, in terms of skin aging and prevention, you gotta play the long game. When you’re persistently proactive about heeding and heading off the major causes of aging (sun damage, smoking + environmental/free radical damage and chronic stress/lack of sleep) as well as the more minor but no less important ones like diet and skincare, you’ll be rewarded with many years of your brightest, most beautiful skin. 

*Giana Angelo, Ph.D., February 2012. Essential Fatty Acids and Skin Health. Linus Pauling Institute Oregon State University. 

About the author, Naomi Furgiuele
Naomi is the founder of Nuria and a self-professed nerd with a love for all things science and skin care. She’s had a hand in product development for some of the biggest global beauty brands in the business, gets some of her best ideas while out on a run, and loves her exfoliator almost as much as her awesome family.