A woman in perimenopause asks for recommendations for a 5-minute face routine for women in midlife. Jessica gives some recommendations both for products and process.
Ask Jessica is an advice column for women in midlife. We cover all things related to midlife from changing bodies to career transitions to parenting teens to sandwich generation challenges to shifts in marital or life partnerships and everything in between. My hope is that in sharing these questions and answers I can women as we face the midlife journey together. Got a question or challenge you would like me to address? Fill out this form to submit your issue! Want to see the answers to other questions, check out our archive here.
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A 5-Minute Face Routine for Women in Midlife
HEY JESSICA: I’ve been washing my face with gentle cleansers and using an organic SPF moisturizer available in Target every morning for decades. That’s it. I feel like there’s more I should be doing to protect what remains of the skin tone in my face, but I don’t want to spend a fortune, and I’m not willing to spend more than 5 minutes on my face routine, max. Can you recommend a 5-minute face routine for women in midlife? If I am willing to buy one more product, what should it be? Oh, and I’ve got very sensitive skin and any kind of perfume makes my eyes water all day long. Any advice for me? ~Not As Young As I Used To Be
DEAR NOT AS YOUNG AS I USED TO BE: First, I want to give a disclaimer that I am not a dermatologist, so my answer is based solely on the deep dive I did on this issue for myself about a year ago and what has worked for me. Like you, I have no interest in spending a lot of time on a skincare routine and I have quite sensitive skin, so I wanted simple solutions that wouldn’t break the bank – or my face! Here’s what I learned.
It sounds like your morning routine is solid. From everything I read, in the morning you want to wash your face with a gentle cleanser and then apply an SPF moisturizer.
You didn’t mention whether you wash and moisturize your face again in the evening or not. If you don’t, then I think the first step would be to add that in. I would recommend washing your face with the same gentle cleanser you use in the morning and then using a night cream rather than your SPF moisturizer. The reason for using a night cream is that they tend to be more deeply moisturizing and help to repair damage. When I was doing my research, one of the night creams that people really seemed to like was CeraVe’s, which is fragrance free and good for sensitive skin. Because I try to buy products that have not been tested on animals, I chose to go with a night cream that, while not perfumed, does include botanicals that have a scent, so that might not work for you. But, if you want to experiment, the one I use is Weleda’s Rejuvenating Night Cream. It has worked well for me!
If you do already have a night cream that you like and want to add a next step, then I would suggest trying out a retinoid. Retinoids are compounds that come from Vitamin A and studies have consistently shown that they stimulate collagen and cell turnover (which helps to smooth out wrinkles) and reverse some UV damage. If you want to go big, then you can get a prescription-strength version from your dermatologist, but the over-the-counter versions, which are less concentrated, can work too.
Before you try retinol, there are some things you should know:
- When you first start using it, it can be quite irritating (it was for me), so rather than using it nightly, you will want to start with once a week and then, once your skin adjusts, slowly increase your usage over a few weeks. Personally, I have found that my skin does best when I use it 2-3 times a week – more than that and my under-eye area starts to get irritated, even though I don’t apply it there. So, start slow.
- You only need to use a very small amount. The standard recommendation is a pea-size dollop. I use a tiny bit less than that.
- The one I use says that you need to let it sit on your face, untouched, for 10 minutes before you put your moisturizer on. I believe this is common. Since, like you, I don’t want to spend a lot of time on my skincare, I usually put it on, set a timer, and go off and do other parts of my bedtime routine, and then come back to put my lotion on.
- It makes your skin more sensitive to sun, so you want to make sure you are using an SPF moisturizer in the mornings!
- Experts say that it takes a few months to work, so just know that you will have to stick with it for a while. I found this to be true for me.
- Do not use retinols if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
If all of that sounds scary, then, in addition to the night cream, my other recommendation would be to try a quartz roller. In all honesty, I don’t know if it makes a lasting difference, but right after I roll my face (which takes all of 1 minute) my fine lines seem less visible. And the really nice part is that it feels like a mini spa treatment every day. I really love my roller.
I hope this helps! And, if other people have tips or ideas on this, please hit reply and share them with me! If I get some consistent and solid suggestions, I’ll share them in a follow-up!