As we age, our skin undergoes a variety of changes that can lead to several common conditions. Understanding these changes and how to address them is crucial for maintaining healthy, resilient skin in our senior years. This guide provides essential information on the most common skin conditions faced by older adults and practical tips for keeping your skin in the best possible shape. From combating dehydration to addressing hyperpigmentation and reversing possible actinic precursor lesions, we’ll cover a comprehensive approach to skin care that fulfills the glory that is possible in our golden years.

What Skin Conditions Are Common In Older Age?

1. Dehydration

Aging skin tends to lose its ability to retain moisture, leading to dehydration. This can result in dryness, flakiness, and a rough texture. Dehydrated skin is not only uncomfortable but also more prone to fine lines and wrinkles. To combat this, it’s essential to use gentle cleansers or simply use warm water to cleanse skin.  Layering a hydrating mist,  a hydrating serum that is also dermally nutritive, and a dense moisturizer that will lock this into our skin.

2. Congestion

Older skin can become congested due mainly to a slowdown in cell turnover yet the decrease in oil production, and dehydration also contribute. Skin congestion is clogged pores, blackheads, and milia. Annual Deep Pore Cleansing Sessions, the right daily care, and monthly enzyme packs can help keep our skin clear. Incorporating daily care that is hydrating, dermally nutritious, and restores the skin barrier can prevent and minimize congestion by promoting cell turnover and unclogging pores.

3. Frail Skin That Damages Easily

As our skin ages, it becomes thinner and more fragile, making it susceptible to cuts, bruises, and tears. This stems from dermal layer thinning and the breakdown of collagen and elastin fibers. Protecting our skin with gentle handling and wearing protective clothing can help reduce the risk of damage. Additionally, maintaining a healthy diet rich in high-quality protein, organ meats, collagen, vitamins C and E can support skin repair and resilience.

4. Possible Actinic Precursor Lesions

Actinic keratosis (AK) is a common precancerous condition caused by long-term sun exposure combined with long-standing skin deficiencies. These possible lesions appear as rough, scaly patches on sun-exposed areas like the face, ears, neck, and hands. While not all AKs turn into skin cancer, it’s important to monitor and treat them promptly. Conventional treatments include cryotherapy, topical medications, and laser therapy.

Yet, there is a functional medicine-modeled method that prevents and reverses possible precursor lesions.  The basic Skin Harmonics system is essentially a longevity skin resurfacing system. The sooner one begins the better but it’s never too late because it is a powerful way to prevent and reverse possible actinic precursor lesions. This system intrinsically builds more resilience into our skin with the passing of time not less like inflammatory and corrosive conventional treatments.

5. Hyperpigmentation

Hyperpigmentation as age spots are common in older adults. These dark patches are often the result of cumulative sun exposure over the years. Often discoloration is encouraged by a lifetime of conventional skin treatments.  There is a more progressive way to treat hyperpigmentation that involves selecting specialty serums for the basic daily skin routine that targets discoloration without more exfoliation which risks rebound hyperpigmentation.

Protecting the skin from UV rays with broad-spectrum sunscreen and wearing protective clothing can prevent further pigmentation. 

What Happens To Skin As We Age?

  • The lifetime of accumulation of skin gunk, both known and unknown, causes texture disturbances.
  • This gunk such as blackheads, impacted blackheads, milia, and milia clusters, all cause the possible precursors to form eventually on top.
  • Our dermis layer thins and the skin cell turnover slows to a crawl because this layer just can’t produce like it used to.
  • It causes an overall lack of luster. 
  • Volume loss causes deep wrinkles to appear. 

How To Align Your Skin

– Maximize hydration significantly to reduce fine lines with the daily Skin Harmonics skin care routine.

– Embrace the deeper wrinkles due to a lifetime of collagen loss.

– Smooth and perfect texture by opting for a Deep Pore Cleansing Session.

– Prevent and reverse possible precursors by combining the Skin Harmonics skin care routine and Deep Pore Cleansing Sessions.

– Regain & maintain a bright glow with Topical Dermal Nutrients in the Skin Harmonics routine .

Skin Care For Seniors: Tips & Tricks

Schedule a Skin Harmonics Deep Pore Cleansing Session to alleviate textural disturbances.

Protect your skin’s vitality and simply pass on all trauma-based procedures and topical corrosives.

The basic layering skin routine that will address possible precursor lesions:

  • Wash your face with warm water so you don’t strip or dry the skin.
  • Use Devote Oxygenated Bulgarian Rose Water or plain spring water. 
  • Use a Dermal Nutrient Serum such as Fortify, Feast, or Super Feast.
  • Apply Unity, Lamina, Nomad, or a clean unscented dense moisturizer.
  • Apply SPF every day using mineral sunscreen. 
  • Apply a UV-blocking serum.