The Skin Chronicles: Surviving the 40s

Ah, the 40s. The age where you start to feel like you're finally getting the hang of life, but your skin has other plans. While your mind may feel young and vibrant, your skin is here to remind you that time leaves traces on your body. This doesn't sound very comforting, but there is a solution for everything. Be cool, accept things you can't change, but do everything you can to make a positive impact (on your life and your skin). This article is divided into two parts; the first is dedicated to explaining what happens to your skin when you hit 40, and the second is about your skincare routine at that age, along with some practical solutions to particular challenges you might encounter. 

Why Are Skin Changes Happening in Your 40s?

Before dealing with what will happen (likely), we should understand why this is happening. Like many things in women's bodies, it is related to hormones. What is happening here is very closely correlated with estrogen levels. To be clear, this is not a rule for everybody; quite the opposite. Still, if you are experiencing apparent signs of skin aging, there is a high potential it is correlated with lower levels of estrogen. Estrogen is a hormone that plays a role in both the male and female reproductive systems, and numerous factors can impact its levels. What happens with women in their 40s is the decline in estrogen levels. That event might result in multiple symptoms and unwanted repercussions, including your body and emotions. As far as your skin is concerned, the most important link is between low estrogen levels, and a decrease in collagen, and the general acceleration of the (skin) aging process.  

Skin Changes When You Hit 40

Skin changes all the time, starting with skin renewal - a 28-day cycle that is part of constant regeneration, to particular changes happening to the skin in our 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, etc. According to the majority of articles and literature available, the 40s is when you really start to see significant changes in your skin, particularly in the firmness of the skin. Another significant change we experience is the loss of volume and elasticity. Our wrinkles are becoming more pronounced, and our skin is prone to showing the negative consequences of sun exposure without proper sun protection. Actually, our skin will show how we have lived so far, and some negative results might start to become visible. That's why we will always talk about prevention and doing the right things in the present as a token for a more promising future. More on that later. Aside from the loss of collagen, which results in more visible fine lines and wrinkles, skin in the 40s has another very interesting behavior: the change in the skin condition. Namely, it can become dry or oily, as well as more sensitive. As if that wasn't enough, your skin can also become acne-prone. There, we got it all out, and now we are going to take a deeper look into each one of the skin changes that might happen in your 40s: loss of collagen, less elastic skin, the appearance of wrinkles, change of skin condition (dry, oily), lack of glow, increase in pigmentation and age spots, skin becoming more sensitive, hormonal acne and changes in your face as you age.   

Loss of Collagen

One of the most common changes in the skin at age 40 is a decrease in collagen production. Collagen is a protein that helps maintain the skin's structure and elasticity. The definition we prefer, as it describes its functions in a very clear way, especially when we are examining collagen in the context of aging, is that collagen helps to make tissues strong and resilient, able to withstand stretching. Collagen seems everywhere when reading about skin, precisely because it is so crucial for us. There are five different collagen types; from which Type 1 is collagen is the one that gives strength to our skin, bones, ligaments, and tendons. As we age, our body produces less collagen. Collagen production naturally starts to decline after we reach 25 and continues to decline over time due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. In most publicly available sources, you will find that collagen decreases by 1% per year after age 25. As we are always in favor of prevention, be aware that factors such as stress, smoking, diet, sun exposure, and pollution can accelerate collagen loss, so make sure you make positive changes to your habits to avoid or minimize the adverse effects of these factors. Loss of collagen is number one on the list of changes that happen after 40 because this event triggers further negative consequences, such as pronounced wrinkles and fine lines, sagging skin, and reduction in muscle strength. All of it is a part of general body aging, including fragility of bones and joints, weak and brittle nails, hair loss, etc.  

Less Elastic Skin and the Difference Between Collagen and Elastin

As the levels of collagen decrease, the skin becomes less elastic. What is elasticity to begin with? To put it as simply as possible, elasticity is your skin’s ability to stretch and bounce back. Loss of skin elasticity is officially known as elastosis - the degeneration of skin tissue due to aging and other factors. You might want to learn more about the connection between elastin and collagen, as they are often mentioned together in the context of aging. Although both proteins work closely together, they have two opposite jobs. While collagen gives the skin strength and resilience, elastin allows the skin to be flexible while returning to its original shape. Another crucial difference is the percentage of those two proteins in your skin. Collagen fibers make up 90% of the skin, and elastin makes 10%. One more interesting fact to absorb - elastin is 1,000 times more stretchy than collagen. There are more than a few indicators that elastin damage has occurred. If you have noticed one or more of these, you have most likely experienced the consequences of losing elastin: thin skin, permanent frown or smile lines, wrinkles, loose (saggy) skin, and fine lines. Similar factors negatively impact both collagen and your skin’s elasticity. Culprits are pretty much always the same: damaging UV rays, cigarette smoke, or a high glucose environment. Extreme elastic deficiency can cause life-threatening problems. That is the reason why we should take care of ourselves, not for the beauty itself, but for our general health in the first place. Always remember that your skin can not be beautiful if it is unhealthy, and skin health can not be achieved if your general health is endangered, as everything in our bodies is connected.

Wrinkles at 40 and How to Treat Them

A decrease in collagen production and less elastin have further negative impacts on our skin. As the skin becomes more prone to wrinkles and sagging, the wrinkles become more visible. There are several groups of wrinkles and different wrinkles for different age groups. At 40, you will likely see the formation of static wrinkles – those are the ones that are present even when your face is perfectly still. The areas in which you develop these wrinkles are heavily influenced by the shape of your face, genetics, and talking patterns. For instance, some people are prone to “the 11s” (medically known as glabellar lines) because they furrow their brows, while others develop so-called “marionette lines” because they often hold tension in the lower half of their faces. If you want to learn more, here is one article that will provide detailed information on“the 11s”.  Now, you can treat your wrinkles in several ways, including invasive methods. If you are not a fan of going under the knife, there are non-invasive treatments that deliver excellent results without any discomfort, pain, potential risks, and complications—one of those solutions is microcurrent. The technology itself is not new, actually, but there are three things you can do for the first time ever in microcurrent history if you do it with FOREO BEAR™ 2. Moreover, you will see visible results after seven days of regular use of the device. If you want to have a strict focus on your eyes and lips area without Botox or fillers but with clinically proven results, you can try BEAR™ 2 Eyes & Lips.  When talking about anti-aging devices, there is an ever more advanced technology. Hence, if you are sincerely interested not only in prevention but also in taking serious care of your skin (read, "If you are over 40"), you might want to consider the best thing there is -FAQ™ Swiss, anti-aging technology that works from the comfort of your home. The collection features FAQ™ 102 Clinical Anti-Aging and FAQ™ 202 Silicone LED Face Mask, which provide your skin with the best possible care. Both devices, FAQ™ 102 Clinical Anti-Aging and FAQ™ 202 Silicone LED Face Mask, have irreplaceable benefits, but when working together, they show stunning results. Speaking of boosting collagen, LED light therapy with FAQ™ 202 enables you to have your very own skin expert and ultimate personalization. Just recently, MYSA released an article with a thorough article about the science behind red LED light therapy and its benefits.  

Dry or Oily Skin

One day, out of nowhere and without warning, your skin can become drier as the oil glands become less active. Another vicious cycle starts, as dry skin can lead to fine lines, wrinkles, and rough texture. Now, it can also go the other way around. If you ask yourself, "Why is my skin so oily in my 40s?" - your skin might become oily due to an overproduction of sebum by your sebaceous glands. Sebum excess can happen due to various reasons. One of them, especially at the age of 40, can be hormonal fluctuations linked to perimenopause, genetics, increased stress, pregnancy, or a wrong skincare routine. If you experience oily skin, it's important for you to introduce a new skin regimen. Invest some time researching and learning about different skin types and the changes in the skincare routine you might benefit from. Start with understanding the causes of dry or oily skin, then explore more in-depth. For instance, if you like to use face oils, there are different oils for different skin types, such as dry, oily, or sensitive. Whatever the current status of your skin might be, think of basic steps first. A crucial step in each skincare routine is cleansing your face. Skincare starts with cleansing and can cause the rest of your routine to be successful or not so successful. Make sure to provide your skin with the best possible solution: we propose facial cleanser and massager LUNA™ 4. Besides all the benefits this iconic product provides, for this particular context, it is essential to mention that FOREO has designed different devices depending on the skin type, so depending on whether your skin is balanced, sensitive, or combination, you can choose the device that perfectly suits you.  

Where Is That Youthful Complexion You Once Had?

You might also notice that the glowing, youthful complexion you once had is no longer there. Remember, skin thins and dries in the 40s due to estrogen decrease, so your skin needs more moisturization during this decade. By keeping your skin moisturized, you will keep it closer to glowing. Beauty-tech can help boost your hydration level: facial hydration device UFO™ 3 acts as iron for your wrinkles, increasing skin moisture by 126% in just 2 mins. [caption id="attachment_13022" align="aligncenter" width="967"] In addition, hydration topicals can be pushed deeper in your skin layers with devices that are using hyper-infusion technology like FOREO UFO 2.[/caption]

Increase in Pigmentation and Age Spots

Another standard skin change that occurs at age 40 is increased pigmentation, which can further result in age spots, uneven skin tone, and a dull complexion. Next up, the dreaded age spots. These little buggers are caused by years of sun damage and can pop up seemingly out of nowhere. They may be small, but they can be mighty annoying. UFO™ 3 can again act as your savior as its green LED light can help you with several troubles connected with unwanted effects from the sun.  

Skin Becomes More Sensitive

In your 40s, the skin may become more sensitive to environmental factors such as sun exposure, pollution, and harsh skincare products. Therefore, take all the steps necessary to protect your skin from those factors. You can start by cleansing with an appropriate beauty device, as it will be much more effective than cleansing with your hands alone. LUNA™ 4 sensitive skin is designed specifically to remove all the impurities from that type of skin gently.  

Hormonal Acne

Then, there are the joys of hormonal acne. Acne doesn't care about age. Yes, that's right. Just when you thought you were done with acne, its ugly head reappears. Thanks, hormones! Today, there is an arsenal of treatment options for acne that depend on the type of acne you are dealing with. LED light therapy is one of them. There are two devices to choose between - ESPADA™ 2 and ESPADA™ 2 Plus. You can make that decision by comparing their features, but to be honest, you can't go wrong with either of them, especially in combination with ESPADA BHA+PHA Blemish Solution. [caption id="attachment_12574" align="aligncenter" width="998"] FOREO ESPADA™ is a device that can, accompanied by ESPADA Blemish Solution, help with breakouts and acne.[/caption]

Face Changes as You Age

While it is a known fact that our face changes all the time (like the rest of our body), most people begin to notice a shift in the appearance of their face around their 40s (followed by their 50s). As we lose facial volume, the contour of the face changes, and the shift downwards starts occurring. Skin becomes loose and sagging, bones lose mass, and muscles lose strength.  

Keeping Collagen and Elastin Healthy

As we have learned, many negative changes happening to our skin at age 40 and onwards result from less collagen production and loss of skin elasticity. Therefore, we listed actions we can take to slow down the deterioration of collagen and elastin.  We are happy to share that there are many things we can do to slow down the process and remain healthy and beautiful in our 40s. Those actions can be divided into three groups of activities: 1. Doing things on the surface (meaning using the right skin regimen and appropriate topicals) 2. Using the benefits of technology, as beauty-tech tools work under the top skin layer and affect deeper skin layers, resulting in a change on the surface 3. Working on improving your habits as they will positively impact many different aspects of your skin and your body.   Here is the list of 10 actions to take to keep collagen and elasticity: 

1. Use sunscreen. If you already heard it a million times, trust us, it's not enough. Protect yourself from the sun, as exposure without sunscreen can seriously affect your (skin) health. Remember, all seasons require sunscreen protection.
2. Consume antioxidants. They are essential for your skin and overall health, as you can learn in this article.
3. Have enough sleep (in terms of both time and quality), as sleep regenerates your body and mind. As we have explored, there is such a thing as beauty sleep, which can represent additional motivation for you to do it.
4. Eat diverse, ensuring to add leafy greens, fruits, fish, and berries to your diet. Also, avoid food and drinks that make you age faster.
5. Drink plenty of water. Here are general rules that help to define what plenty of water means for different groups (women, men, pregnant women, kids, etc.). Skin hydration can also be achieved with the right products and routines, such as the Swedish Hydration Routine, featuring FOREO UFO™ 3 deep facial hydration device. 
6. Use moisturizers that contain Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and Vitamin C, and the ones that will boost collagen production and enhance the skin's elasticity and firmness. One such product that takes the spotlight and that is clinically proven to increase skin moisture by 40% in just 15 minutes is FOREO's SUPERCHARGED™ HA+PGA Triple-Action Intense Moisturizer. 
7. Remember, your skin has different needs each season, such as during winter in the geographical areas where winters are cold. In those cases, your skin will be grateful if you introduce essential ingredients for wintertime.
8. Exercising, especially out in nature, is one of the beauty secrets of Scandinavian women. 
9. Avoid smoking. The list of top 10 things you can do to preserve your collagen and elastin levels can only exist by mentioning the need to avoid smoking and secondhand smoke as much as possible. There are more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, and many of them trigger the destruction of collagen and elastin. Do you need more than that to be convinced?
10. Finally, one easy peasy thing to do is to use all the beauty-tech wonders the industry can offer. Choose wisely and rely on brands that have a proven track record. FOREO has been at the forefront of innovation that simplifies your skincare routine, making it much more effective at the same time, for a decade. FAQ™ Swiss has been recently introduced and is already conquering the world. 

Taking Care of Yourself in the 40s

For starters, remind yourself that skincare doesn’t only imply using products or treatments. It is closely connected with your habits and your way of life. Make sure you’re staying hydrated and eating a healthy diet. Drinking plenty of water can help keep your skin looking plump and hydrated, and eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can provide your skin with the nutrients it needs to stay healthy. You can’t achieve beautiful skin without a proper sleep,; give yourself a ‘treat’ of plenty of sleep that will rejuvenate your body and your skin. Body workout has only positive impacts on your skin health, so that one should be part of your winning formula. Taking care of yourself in your 40s will not only impact your looks in the 40s, but it will also be an excellent foundation for a healthy look in your 50s, 60s, and 70s! https://www.foreo.com/mysa/why-is-pro-aging-the-new-anti-aging/

Best Skincare Routine for 40s

As mentioned, nothing will work like skincare brands promise without a proper, efficient, yet gentle face cleanse. No device on the market is more fact-checked and proven as efficient and gentle as LUNA™ 4.  Use a high-quality moisturizer; the 40s are definitely not the age you should save on your skin health. None of the age actually is, so make sure to provide the best possible care that is clinically proven to work, like SUPERCHARGED™ HA+PGA Triple-Action Intense Moisturizer. Sunscreen is a must, so make sure to put some effort into finding the one that best suits your needs and your skin type. Skin moisture level has never been more important, so besides the hydration from the inside, reward your skin with moisture coming from UFO™ 3. That particular beauty-tech device is unlike any traditional moisturizers and masks as it is proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkles in 1 week, while it needs to work on your skin for just 2 minutes. Aging is natural, and we should be proud of the way that leads us to our achievements and to the age of 40. However, the efforts we have put into our achievements don’t need to be visible on our faces, right? Depending on our goals and whether we want to maintain the status or we want to raise the stakes, go for BEAR™ 2, the most powerful and safest microcurrent facial device in the world, or the ultimate anti-aging clinical treatment provided at home with FAQ™ 102 Clinical Anti-Aging and FAQ™ 202 Silicone LED Face Mask.  

The FAQ™ 200 Collection

For those who believe in the value of the finer things in life, the collectors of exquisite skin-tech as high-impact investments into the future, the FAQ™ 200 device range comes as a comprehensive, holistic routine to quickly firm, rejuvenate, and repair the face, neck, décolleté, and hands. An ultra-lightweight, wireless, and ergonomic anti-aging silicone mask collection with 7 + NIR LED treatments targets the most common signs of skin aging and also includes FAQ™ 221 Anti-Aging LED Hand Mask and FAQ™ 211 Anti-Aging LED Neck & Décolleté Mask.

The open-palm FAQ™ 221 Anti-Aging LED Hand Mask is designed to rejuvenate and restore the youthful appearance of hands that are frequently exposed to the sun and environmental damage.

FAQ™ 211 Anti-Aging LED Neck & Décolleté Mask is a dual-wear LED mask - that can be worn the opposite way to target wrinkles or bacne on the back of the neck, neck, and upper back.

LUNA™ 4 is the most gentle LUNA™ ever made while providing tailored cleanse, based on skin types and problem areas.

Final Takeaways

Although the headline suggests that we should survive our 40s, that’s far from what we are after, right? We are much more ambitious than just getting through these changes. We want to be aware of them, be informed and knowledgeable about them, and successfully navigate through them. All of that is possible if we have already established healthy habits. If we haven’t done it so far, now is the time. Secondly, carefully track your skin’s current needs as they might be changing, and constantly adjust your skin regimen. Otherwise, all the efforts will not show the desired effects. Finally, work on your skin smarter, no harder necessarily. Use what technology provides for you to your advantage as it can make your life easier, save time, and enhance the results of all skincare products you are using. As it works on deeper levels, combining beauty-tech devices and the right skincare products can do wonders.  

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