5-Minute Minimalist Anti-Aging Skincare Routine

If you’ve never been one to spend much time on your skincare routine or you prefer no makeup or light coverage, you may be unsure of how to transition your skincare products and makeup as your skin matures. With the right products, there’s no need for an extensive daily routine, but you’ll need to invest a few more minutes each morning and evening.

Below is a minimalist anti-aging skincare routine that will rejuvenate your skin and disguise imperfections, while taking a proactive or reactive approach to fine lines, wrinkles, and other skin conditions.

Why your skin’s needs change with age?

Starting in your mid-20s, you’ll need to reassess your skincare products at least every 10 years. Mature skin requires intense hydration, deep exfoliation, and concentrated actives. You can incorporate elevated products in your 20s and 30s as a proactive approach, even if only a few days a week. Especially in areas prone to premature tech-related aging, such as the neck and eye area.

The top contributors to aging skin:

• UV damage: UV damage from the sun and the blue lights of electronic devices and fluorescent lighting accelerates the rate at which collagen and elastin break down. Overexposure, particularly from sunlight and tanning beds, permanently damages the DNA of your cells. This leads to sun spots, accelerated wrinkles, and an increased risk of skin cancer.
• Decreased cellular turnover: As skin cells naturally regenerate, your body sheds the dead skin on top. This process slows with age, resulting in a thick buildup of dead skin cells. This accumulation leaves skin rough and your complexion dull. Granular exfoliators aren’t as effective at removing this buildup, so you’ll need to transition to a deep exfoliation method.
• Declining collagen and elastin: Collagen and elastin production gradually slows with age, hitting a fine-line-inducing tipping point in your 40s or 50s. Sometimes sooner. A combination of med spa treatments, nutritional changes, and a tailored minimalist anti-aging skincare routine helps the body regain some of its lost collagen and elastin and slow further loss.
• Fat pad shifting and atrophy: Collagen and elastin make up the supportive fascia layer that provides you with your natural face (and body) shape. As collagen and elastin diminish, fat pads shift, leaving your skin sitting closer to your facial muscles. Combine that with fat pads naturally shrinking with age, and you may lose volume in your cheeks, temples, and eyes. This intensifies wrinkles and skin laxity.
• Thinning skin: The combination of the factors above causes skin to thin. The thinner your skin, the more pronounced fine lines and wrinkles. Thin skin is also more sensitive and often takes longer to heal and repair.
• Hormonal fluctuations: Often thought of only as reproductive hormones, fluctuating estrogen and testosterone levels decrease the skin’s hydration levels. Dehydrated skin isn’t as plump, which intensifies wrinkles. When your skin is dehydrated, your complexion may be dull and your pores may be enlarged.

How technology influences aesthetic aging?

Skin on the neck and around the eyes is naturally thin, making both areas susceptible to premature repetitive motion wrinkles caused by technology. We mentioned blue light UV damage above, but blue light isn’t the only way technology accelerates aging.

Premature neck bands and crow’s feet can occur in the late teens or early 20s. The younger you are when they develop, the more intense they become with age.

• Text-neck/tech-neck bands: When you sit on the couch texting or using your phone or notebook with your head down, it places up to 60 pounds of pressure and strain on your neck. This contributes to headaches, neck and back pain, and deep neck wrinkles and bands. Combined with poor posture while sitting or standing, all of these symptoms are intensified.
• Crow’s feet: Crow’s feet are inevitable. The top cause used to be the repetitive motion of smiling, laughing, and other facial expressions. Now, blue light exposure combined with squinting at electronic screens accelerates crow’s feet.

The 5-minute minimalist anti-aging skincare routine

Morning Routine

Allow each layer to dry for at least a minute before layering the next. Use this time to brush your teeth and do your hair.

1. Cleanse: If you haven’t yet, transition to an ultra-gentle facial cleanser that won’t strip your skin.
2. Toner: Even if you’ve never used a toner, it’s essential for aging skin as toner helps rebalance your skin’s PH.
3. Anti-aging serum for eyes and face: Your skin requires concentrated nutrients as you age. If you wake puffy, use a depuffing eye treatment or mask.
4. Anti-aging moisturizer for eyes and face: Select a formula with any combination of hyaluronic acid, concentrated botanical extracts, caviar, PLLA, or stem cells.
5. UV protection: Apply broad-spectrum UV protection with a minimum of 50. Even if your makeup has sunscreen, you must layer 1 product with SPF 50.
6. Makeup: Maximize time in the mornings by using makeup with skincare ingredients and light coverage, such as a BB cream.

Pro tip: Explore the growing range of skincare products that are multi-tasking and designed to minimize the steps above and below. For example, an anti-aging moisturizer with gentle leave-on alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) or beta hydroxy acid (BHA) to exfoliate while nourishing.

Evening Routine

This evening skincare routine is designed for a minimalist approach to restorative skincare, but you’ll need to invest a bit more time a couple of evenings each week. Allow each layer to dry for at least a minute before layering the next. Use this time to brush your teeth or give yourself a quick facial massage after applying your serum or moisturizer. 

1. Cleanse: When wearing full makeup, you may want to double cleanse in the evenings.
2. Toner: Even if you toned in the morning, you’ll need to apply a toner again in the evening.  
3. Anti-aging serum for eyes and face: If you prefer, you can use a sheet mask and eye mask instead.  
4. Anti-aging PM moisturizer for eyes and face: Select a formula with any combination of hyaluronic acid, concentrated botanical extracts, caviar, PLLA, or stem cells.
5. Vitamin C oil: Vitamin C oil can make your skin sensitive to the sun, so it’s better to apply it in the evening. Preferably a gentle formula made with Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate instead of ascorbic acid.  
6. 2 times weekly: Deep exfoliate and apply a deep cleansing clay mask, followed by an ultra-hydrating sheet mask or overnight treatment. If you have an at-home red light therapy mask or facial steamer, incorporate them into your evening routine.  

Pro tip: You can use eye serum on your lips! Apply in the morning or evening, but it’s better to apply just before bed.

Why not use vitamin C oil in the morning?

In addition to increased sun sensitivity, some Vitamin C oils and facial oils degrade UV protection.

Tailor the routines above with expert advice

The tips above are effective, but identifying what products to use can be overwhelming. Especially with all the trending ingredient ranges. Just like diet fads, not all skincare trends are right for you. Eliminate the time, stress, expense, and guesswork of tailoring your minimalist anti-aging skincare products and daily routine by partnering with skincare professionals. Your skin is your body’s largest organ, and its needs change from one season to the next, and substantially as your skin matures.

Work with the following experts to perfect and evolve your skincare:

• Dermatologist: Schedule an annual full-body exam with your dermatologist, even if you don’t have any active skin conditions. This takes a proactive approach to your overall skin health and provides you with the opportunity to discuss which anti-aging products are right for you. Schedule sooner if you experience any changes to your skin.
• Esthetician: An esthetician provides deep exfoliation, spa facials, and a suite of skincare treatments and services. As your skin matures, identify an esthetician who can advise on a tailored range of non-prescription products to rejuvenate your skin.
• Medical spa treatments: In addition to plumping fillers, Valley Medical Weight Loss and Med Spa provides restorative skincare treatments that stimulate your body’s ability to heal and repair. This can result in lifting, firming, smoothing, and volumizing skin. We can also advise on hyperpigmentation, hair loss, hormone replacement therapy, and more!

How to deep exfoliate

As mentioned above, as cellular turnover slows in our 40s and 50s, you’ll need to transition to a deep exfoliation method to effectively slough away dead skin buildup. Use gentle AHA or BHA products 2 to 3 days a week. Products with AHA or BHA that are suggested for daily use are typically formulated with larger molecules, making them less aggressive. If your skin is irritated, scale back to 1 to 2 days a week. You may find a silicone cleansing brush to be an effective option for deeper exfoliation.

Understanding multitasking skincare products

Multi-tasking skincare products are the fastest-growing skincare range, making them ideal for busy mornings and minimalist skincare. Even Korean beauty brands that once promoted 10+ steps are transitioning to products with ultra-concentrated actives that serve as 1, 2, or 3 different products.

For example, ISDIN Fusion Water and Klavuu Cushion provide light to medium coverage, but they contain broad-spectrum 50 UV protection, hyaluronic acid for glowing skin, and concentrated ingredients that reverse sun damage.

Transition to makeup formulated for mature skin

If your makeup is starting to cake into your wrinkles or it doesn’t stay where it’s applied, it’s time to transition to products that are formulated for mature skin.

• Hydrating primer: Like all primers, these create a layer that helps makeup go on smoothly and stay put. A hydrating formula typically contains hyaluronic acid to retain hydration for mild plumping.
• Blurring formulas: These formulas often include light-reflecting particles to blur imperfections. Or transition to a full-coverage formula to erase hyperpigmentation and dull skin.
• Mature-skin foundation: Mature skin foundations are formulated to absorb into the skin to ensure streak-free application, or they’re buildable. Buildable formulas provide a smoothing effect, but you must let them dry between layers.
• All-day formulas: Look for lipstick, eye shadow, blush, and other makeup that’s designed for all-day wear. This includes waterproof mascara.

Schedule your anti-aging skincare consultation!

If natural or minimalist skincare is your preference, a med spa may not be on your radar. However, Botox and plumping fillers are far from your only options. Valley Medical Weight Loss and Med Spa offers a range of therapies proven to slow and reverse aging by activating your body’s natural healing response.

Schedule a consultation to explore your anti-aging skincare options! For your convenience, we have locations in Phoenix, Tempe, and Glendale, and a new location in Chandler is coming soon.