preventative skin care: your future face will thank you
You’ve heard it before, and you’ll hear it again, because it’s always true. Prevention is the best cure.
I’ve been on this planet a while now and know plenty of women who cruised through their 20s and 30s with a reactive approach to skin care, washing their face in the shower, with whatever soap or body wash happened to be handy, and following that up with a schmear of petroleum-based something in a big jar. If their skin was dry, they’d use a bigger schmear; if blemishes appeared, they’d seek out an anti-acne product. Pretty typical, but…
What they weren’t doing was cultivating healthy, resilient skin. Now, in their 40s and 50s, they’re noticing signs of premature aging (wrinkles, age spots, loss of elasticity and tone) and seeking solutions that are expensive, time-consuming, and often invasive.
There’s no getting around it: consistent skincare practices from an early age can delay the onset of skin degeneration. Proper skincare can help maintain the skin's natural barrier function, support elasticity, promote collagen production, and protect it from environmental damage.
It’s really about habits. Do you have to consciously remind yourself to brush your teeth before you go to bed? Or do you automatically reach for your toothbrush and toothpaste? Your future self will thank you for making skincare a habit, an automatic part of your daily life.
Bad habits are habits as well and on the topic of skin, lifestyle cannot be overstated. Believe me when I tell you that your choices do eventually show up on your face.
If you want lifelong healthy skin, take care of it as you would anything else you love. Feed it. Keep it clean. Keep it hydrated. Protect it from aggressors. Be good to it, and it will be good to you.
