40+ and Flawless: Navigating skincare changes and challenges after 40
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is your skin changing after 40?
if this is relatable, you are not alone. it is apparently possible to be oily, dry, red and experiencing acne simultaneously, well into adulthood. here’s what I learned on my quest to “fix” my skin, and why I decided to start a healthy skincare brand.
i founded Love and Light Botanicals as I turned 40. one of my whys for building this brand was helping others who experienced new, challenging skin issues with age - especially after 40.
as I approached 40 my skin struggles became more frustrating and i thought: i cannot be not alone in this quest to get my skin back under control. it was a costly effort to find the right skincare that would “fix” my skin.
lesson 1: ingredients matter.
natural, botanical active ingredients are more gentle on the skin compared to synthetic ingredients.
suddenly, with age my skin was much more sensitive to synthetic polymers and the strong preservatives required for multi-year long shelf lives required for mass produced products.
buying products off the shelf, even high end dermatologist recommended ones, left my skin irritated, burning and more breakout prone.
This was the motivation I needed to find a better way, ultimately leading me to develop a line of high performance gentle botanical-based skincare with powerful natural and organic ingredients.
products targeted at “anti-aging” often contain ingredients that have a higher sensitivity rating (retinol, for example). finding plant based alternatives to these exfoliating and resurfacing agents can provide high-performance results with a gentler impact on the skin (and the environment). [4]
not only are plant derived ingredients gentler on the skin, they possess active compounds that have bioavailability, meaning they can support the skin’s foundational health and contribute to the skin's natural regenerative process for sustained skin health. [1]
lesson 2: oily skin needs (balanced) moisture too.
moisturize with high quality products that are PH balanced for the skin.
knowing the importance of ingredient origin and quality is one thing, understanding that products PH balance needs to also be compatible with the skin to help maintain skin barrier homeostasis to encourage skin's natural balance as a foundational defense mechanism against environmental stressors.
oily skin is often a sign that the skin is not properly balanced and moisturized. It’s easy to assume we should keep cleansing and avoid creams when our skin is overproducing oils and sebum.
however this is a signal that the skin’s natural balance may be out of sync, causing it to overproduce oil to counteract the stripping of its natural oils. replenish that balance with a botanical sleep repair oil and a high quality daily moisturizer that is between a ph of 4.5-5.5 to support a healthy skin acid mantle. [2]
lesson 3: consistency is key to lasting results.
the most important component to an effective routine is actually doing it. keep it simple enough that you can stick to it, even when life gets hectic and busy.
on average the skin’s natural regeneration process takes around 28 days for the cycle to fully replace the outermost layer, leaving new skin cells.
as we age, this process takes longer and our skin needs more help building and synthesizing naturally occurring nutrients like hyaluronic acid and collagen, which help the skin's natural regenerative cycle. [3]
high performance skincare, especially when botanically derived, provides bioavailable resources to support healthy skin that performs optimally as we age.
if you're also on a journey towards healthy skin after 40, you're in good company. read more about our beginnings and my why for building Love and Light Botanicals on our about us section.
if you're ready to change your skincare journey shop our affordable healthy skin life of Positive Aging botanical skincare routines, all backed by our 100% happiness guarantee.
with gratitude,
- Kacie
Founder @Love and Light Botanicals
references:
1. Stallings AF, Lupo MP. Practical uses of botanicals in skin care. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2009 Jan;2(1):36-40. PMID: 20967187; PMCID: PMC2958188.
2. Ali, S. M., & Yosipovitch, G. (2013). Skin pH: From Basic SciencE to Basic Skin Care. Acta Dermato-Venereologica, 93(3), 261–267. https://doi.org/10.2340/00015555-1531
3. Eleni Papakonstantinou, Michael Roth & George Karakiulakis (2012) Hyaluronic acid: A key molecule in skin aging, Dermato-Endocrinology, 4:3, 253-258, DOI: 10.4161/derm.21923
4. Hoang, H.T.; Moon, J.-Y.; Lee, Y.-C. Natural Antioxidants from Plant Extracts in Skincare Cosmetics: Recent Applications, Challenges and Perspectives. Cosmetics 2021, 8, 106. https://doi.org/10.3390/cosmetics8040106