Skin Tips For Your 40s: Beauty At Every Age

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In our series Beauty At Every Age, we take a close look at the best skincare approaches for women in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s. Whether your goal is to prevent fine lines or repair past damage, each age group has its own unique issues. This week we're focusing on the 40s.

This is an example of how good 43 can look. (Getty)

Congratulations, you've made it to your 40s! As Brigitte Bardot once said about aging: "It's sad to grow old, but nice to ripen."

So while you are by no means old, your skin is starting to "ripen," as Madame Bardot might say: It's still in nice condition, but you might be noticing a loss of tone, enlarged pore size and more pronounced fine lines. One of the major factors is increased dryness. In your 40s "lines you didn’t have in your 30s suddenly find their way onto your face," cautions New York dermatologist David Colbert. "Your skin starts to dry out and lines start to appear." (And he's a bit of an expert in the decade: 40-somethings Naomi Watts and Rachel Weisz rely on the doctor's glowifying products and in-office treatments.)

And you know all the sun-worshipping you did in your 20s? Another huge culprit (no surprises there). "Sun damage will really start to manifest now," notes Los Angeles-based facialist Kate Somerville, whose clients include Kate Hudson and Demi Moore. "The sun may make them appear darker, but those spots formed when baking with tinfoil and iodine in your teens."

Don't worry, all is not lost, it just means you'll want to step up your skincare regimen. Between deeply-hydrating products, prescription-strength anti-agers and and even some effective in-office treatments (there are plenty of options that don't involve needles, p.s.), we've mapped out a clear plan of attack to help keep your skin looking as youthful as possible -- for as long as possible.

So let's do this 40-somethings! Click through the slideshow below for our pros' six rules (and product recommendations) for taking care of your skin at this fine age.

1. Use retinoids three times a week.
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We hear this from every dermatologist we meet. "The vitamin-A derivative* helps to resurface the skin by reducing fine lines and wrinkles, as well as rough patches and hyper-pigmentation," says Somerville. While it's an amazing anti-ager, it can cause extra dryness for skin that's already losing lots of moisture, which is why our next tip is so important.

*Check out our easy-to-understand breakdown on retinoids.

BEAUTY RELATED LINKS YOU MAY LOVE:

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Nail Art You Won't Believe - The Frisky

How To Choose The Perfect False Lashes - BellaSugar

Stars With Dragon Tattoos - Elle

13 Crazy D.I.Y. Beauty Ideas that Actually Work - iVillage

 
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11:32 AM on 12/25/2011
Retinoids in my lotions causes headaches every time. Is there a substitue?

Women used to lay in the sun and cover themselves with suntanning lotions which was clear like oil and they used paba lotions too. They had beautiful skin and did have wrinkles.
10:23 PM on 12/24/2011
Don't worry, all is not lost, it just means you'll want to step up your skincare regimen. Between deeply-hydrating products, prescription-strength anti-agers and and even some effective in-office treatments (there are plenty of options that don't involve needles, p.s.), we've mapped out a clear plan of attack to help keep your skin looking as youthful as possible -- for as long as possible.

So let's do this 40-somethings! Click through the slideshow below for our pros' six rules (and product recommendations) for taking care of your skin at this fine age.
06:36 AM on 12/20/2011
naomi should have received an oscar for this audition scene alone in muhlholland drive...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeevxJaJl1U
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
thelimoliberal
Let them eat cake; I want some pie!
06:30 AM on 12/20/2011
#7 Exercise, exercise, exercise.

Active people age better (not to mention look slimmer and have a BAZILLION fewer health problems).

Dust off that bike and lace up those running shoes--as you get older, it's "use it or lose it"!
05:54 AM on 12/20/2011
She is forty get the undertaker.
OverseasVet
Stationed not deployed
04:35 AM on 12/20/2011
I guessed 43 before looking. Sorry but can't beat the aging process no matter how much $1000 skin care products are bought.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
VanTroi
01:25 AM on 12/20/2011
Let's be realistic not much over the counter really works. Besides sunscreen and moisturizers the rest is crap. If you want to look much younger you need to see a Dr for at the least injections. Great genetics are essential too but you cant buy those.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
bluelyne
03:53 AM on 12/20/2011
I am fair skinned. I discovered the tanning booth in my 40's and had a great tan for several years all year long. I also have a 4 inch scar on my forehead from basal cell skin cancer and melanoma on my back which was caught early. I have some brown spots on my face which can be covered up with make up. I hate being pale but the alternative wasn't pleasant either. A real tan is not worth literally dying over.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
VanTroi
10:40 AM on 12/20/2011
Self tanner
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Ryan McGavin
01:21 AM on 12/20/2011
173?
01:04 AM on 12/20/2011
First, avoid the sun...........Second, be born Scandanavian.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
VanTroi
01:27 AM on 12/20/2011
I'm Puerto rican and Irish and have always looked at least 10 years younger without any help. Then the help takes a few years off as well. Great genetics come from many places.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Which
Conservative left-wing radical
11:36 PM on 12/19/2011
Interesting. I'm 64 and I look younger than that. Makes me feel good about my genes. And my jeans. ;-)
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lotusgirl
Turned off the TV and stepped out of the Matrix
11:18 PM on 12/19/2011
She looks like a lovely 43 year old. I think she looks her age, but so what? She's gorgeous. I'm 46 and don't have any trouble meeting men. I don't obsess over my imperfections, I just try to be nice and fun.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
rotorhead1871
who are you jivin' with that cosmic debris?...
11:00 PM on 12/19/2011
51??
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Robert A Alba
10:52 PM on 12/19/2011
Who cares?
10:35 PM on 12/19/2011
Wow. She only looks 41.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
gulfportian
10:20 PM on 12/19/2011
I was guessing between 52 and 58. Attractive but still in the middle range of the 50s.

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