3 Main Players of Anti-Aging Skincare and How They Work

Reducing the signs of aging is a key skincare goal for both women and men alike. While how we age is dependent on a variety of factors such as lifestyle and general genetics, good skincare, and more notably quality versions of a few key ingredients can be instrumental in our skin aging gracefully. Most dermatologists agree, too, that, although it is often suggested that we begin a more anti-aging focused skincare routine around age 25 to 35, that results can be garnered from these ingredients in years well beyond that.

Retinol: The gold standard of all anti-aging, retinol is a pure, often synthetically-derived form of Vitamin A. It works with the skin’s internal layers by hastening natural cell turnover to push younger, plumper, and smoother skin to the surface, thereby, firming wrinkles and also softening fine lines overtime. Retinol can also work at reducing the look of age spots, post-acne scarring and discolorations from sun damage, which reveal themselves more prominently as the skin thins as we age. It also should be noted that when using a retinoid (including products with retinol as ingredient or any featuring any retinol derivatives such retinal aldehyde or retinyl palmitate), because it thins the skin, SPF should always be worn during the day because the skin will be even more sensitive to sun damage. Likewise, most retinol products themselves will be directed to be only used at night, though there are exceptions.

When beginning to use retinol, start with products that contain a half of a percent of the ingredient or less, as you will likely experience redness and peeling for the first month or two as your skin adjust to it. Over time, you will experience this less but the smoothing and firming results will remain. It is also a good idea, especially as you start out, to only use your retinol product every other night or even once a week if your skin is more sensitive. You might find that if you have dry skin, especially that you never need to increase the times you use it because those with drier skin have thinner skin that turns over more quickly and, therefore need less retinol.

Vitamin C: Vitamin C works to brighten, boost collagen production (the main protein that makes up our skin) , and fortify the skin’s surface at any age, but this becomes especially true as we age and the skin begins to lose some of its natural vibrancy and show more fatigue. Like retinol, Vitamin C has been shown to lessen the look of discoloration within the skin, but instead of working within the skin, it addresses the pigmentation more topically on the marks themselves with continued use. Most of the time, Vitamin C is well-tolerated on most people’s skin and does not usually have the same peeling effect that retinol has when you first introduce it into your routine.

Peptides: A relatively newer popular addition to the anti-aging powerhouses, peptides are amino acids (fragments of proteins) that when absorbed into the skin trigger our bodies to produce more collagen and create a firmer skin barrier. This works by mimicking the process that our bodies naturally go through when our collagen naturally breaks down and our own peptides signal the need to make more collagen. Products with peptides in them basically “fake out” the body to amp up its skin-forming processes, keeping us looking and feeling firmer for longer.

Retinol, Vitamin C, and peptides make the major trifecta of anti-aging skincare ingredients widely used in products today. Of course, there are more and others still that are being further developed, so we will see what new innovations come along. But still, if you are looking to amp your routine for years down the road you can’t go wrong with starting out a skincare journey with any of these three for happy, healthy, glowing skin for life.

UPDATE 5/17/20: I was recently shown a wonderful article about both retinol and Vitamin C and the dos and don'ts of layering it in your skincare routine to ensure you get the maximum effect out of all your products. Plus there are great options for products with retinol and Vitamin C products that play nicely together. Check it out here!