6 anti-ageing skincare tips: why you should add retinol, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and sunscreen into your daily routine

Jan 13 , 2021

Beauty products from Net-a-Porter. Photo: Handout

Even if you don’t have access to the best dermatologists like J-Lo, you can delay the signs of ageing with products from Dermalogica, Barbara Sturm, Wildsmith, La Mer and more – here’s how

If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that it is a privilege to age – to live, to grow old and to create more memories. The effects of time showing on your face, however, might be less desirable.

Although it’s impossible to stop the signs of ageing completely – even celebrities with access to the best aestheticians, dermatologists, make-up artists and skincare in the world can’t do this – we can still delay them as much as possible, all while striving to age gracefully, with plenty of confidence and self-love.

Learn your skin language

Everyone’s skin is different. What your skin needs year to year, and even season to season, will change. Either have a dermatologist help you figure out your skin type or spend a bit of time observing your skin to understand it yourself. Then you want to design a foundation routine – a series of steps that should at minimum include a cleanser, moisturiser, sunscreen and double cleanse system for the evening – that suits your skin and keeps it balanced in its happy place. Should your skin ever react badly to any supplementary products, the climate or the environment, this is the routine you return to until it settles down again.

A foundation skincare routine is the first step to delaying the signs of ageing. Photo: Shutterstock

Get active

No, not literally getting active, although a consistent and moderate amount of exercise will definitely help you with this endeavour.

Now that you know your skin language and have a foundation skincare routine, you want to figure out which actives your skin likes. There are a plethora of active ingredients to reduce or delay the signs of ageing, but not everyone can use each option. Here are some of your best anti-ageing fighters:

1. Retinol

Surely you’ve heard this buzzword over the past year or so – it’s become the queen bee of skincare everywhere. Not only does retinol increase the rate of skin cell turnover, which helps your skin to continuously regenerate, it also encourages collagen production. This means it is keeping your skin plump and preventing dead skin cells from lingering and clogging your pores, which can cause acne or excessive sebum production.