As you step into your 50s, your skin begins to reflect the full story of your life. The years of laughter, sun exposure, hormonal shifts, and skincare habits all start to show more clearly. This decade is often marked by significant hormonal changes due to menopause, which accelerates many of the skin concerns that began in your 40s. But don’t worry. Understanding these changes is the first step in prioritising your skin and supporting a healthy, radiant complexion. Let’s explore how changes in your 50s affect your skin, and what you can do to age beautifully.
How Changes in Your 50s Affect Your Skin
In your 50s, your skin’s story continues to evolve. Lots of factors can significantly influence your skin’s texture, tone, and overall health. Let’s take a look!
Accelerated Collagen Loss
While collagen levels begin to decline in your 30s and continue into your 40s, by the time you reach your 50s, they’ve dropped by over 30% due to menopause. This results in more noticeable sagging, fine lines, and wrinkles, particularly around the eyes, mouth, and jawline.
What you can do: Treatments like SkinBase Collagen Lift are ideal at this stage to stimulate new collagen and restore firmness and volume.
Dryness & Dehydration
With reduced oil production and a weakening skin barrier, dryness may become a more persistent issue in your 50s. Dehydrated skin can appear dull, flaky, and tight, and may even become itchy or irritated more easily.
What you can do: Prioritise soothing, restoring moisturisers, such as the SkinBase Hydration Max. You can also incorporate gentle exfoliation, such as SkinBase MD and Hydro to help moisturisers penetrate more effectively.
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Slower Cell Turnover and Dullness
Another way that your 50s affect your skin is cell turnover. Skin renewal slows to every 45–60 days, making dullness more noticeable as dead cells and debris remain on the skin for longer.
What you can do: Gentle but effective exfoliation is essential. Treatments like SkinBase Microdermabrasion and Hydro helps to remove the build up, improve texture, and enhance product absorption, for a brighter, healthier complexion.
Thinner, More Fragile Skin
In your 50s, the skin loses density as both the dermis and epidermis thin out. This makes it more prone to bruising, tearing, and damage from environmental stressors. Blood vessels may become more visible, and healing may take longer.
What you can do: Use barrier-repairing skincare and avoid harsh products. Support your skin’s structure with SPF daily — even in winter. Check out the SkinBase Essentials range here.
Visible Sun Damage and Pigmentation
Sunspots, age spots, and stubborn pigmentation often deepen in your 50s due to decades of sun exposure. These can be exacerbated by hormonal changes and slower cell turnover.
What you can do: Treatments like SkinBase Microdermabrasion or SkinBase IPL can target pigmentation and improve overall skin tone. Brightening ingredients such as niacinamide and vitamin C, both of which are present in the SkinBase Hydro brightening serum, can also help to reduce dark spots and improve clarity.
Increased Sagging and Volume Loss
The natural fat pads in the face continue to shift and diminish, as gravity takes its toll, especially in the cheeks and under-eye areas. Combined with collagen loss, this can create a hollow or sunken appearance and sagging around the jawline and neck.
What you can do: Consider regular, collagen boosting treatments, such as the SkinBase Collagen Lift, to maintain a lifted look.
Looking After Your Skin In Your 50s
Your 50s are a pivotal time to embrace skin health with intention and consistency. working with these changes, and not against them, will allow you to achieve the best results for your complexion. Hydration, protection, and targeted treatments are more important than ever. A good skincare regime combined with regular professional treatments can make all the difference.
Key Tips for Glowing Skin in Your 50s:
- Use a rich, nourishing moisturiser daily.
- Never skip SPF — sun damage is cumulative.
- Embrace antioxidant-rich serums to protect against environmental stress.
- Prioritise professional treatments to stimulate collagen and gently exfoliate.
- Nourish from within through a balanced diet and staying hydrated.
Embrace Radiance at Every Age: Find a Therapist
Ageing is a natural journey, and each decade brings new experiences and beauty. So don’t worry! Your 50s may introduce new challenges for your skin, but with a thoughtful approach and the right tools, you can maintain healthy, vibrant skin. Find your nearest SkinBase Therapist to get started.
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Believe in better skin. Find your nearest SkinBase™ therapist here.
