What I wish I knew about skin ageing in my twenties

Enjoy all that collagen while you can.

The facts are the facts: each day we crawl inches closer towards ‘being old’. And guess what? There’s no crawling back. Ageing is a natural part of life, but that doesn’t mean many people won’t fight against it by any means necessary.

If you’re in your twenties, in the prime of your collagen-rich life, it’s a good idea to start thinking about how to preserve the skin quality you’ve got rather than having to counteract it with expensive treatments down the line. 

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According to Dr Amy Chahal, Founder of the Centre for Medical Aesthetics, starting early and taking good care of your skin is the best way to prevent the appearance of ageing. At her practice, located in Surry Hills, Sydney, she specialises in minimally invasive cosmetic procedures. 

“When I turned 30, I probably saw my first little line on my face and I think I cried,” she tells me. She’s seen all different kinds of skin throughout her career and she has some advice for young people who want to ensure their faces stay perky and fresh as long as possible.

Wear UV protection

Any skincare girlie worth her weight in jade rollers knows sunscreen is a must. In fact, Dr Amy says she’ll even turn patients away if they come in looking for treatments but don’t wear sunscreen in their daily routine.

Being born in Canada, Dr Amy says she was lucky to avoid the brunt of the sun’s intensity in her early years. “In Australia, there is a lot of damage to the ozone layer and the UV here is next level,” she says.

“So first and foremost you have to wear your SPF every single day and in Australia, it needs to be 50+. I definitely didn’t adhere to that or know much about that in my twenties, but if I could go back I would be doing it every day.”

On the plus side, due to the extreme strength of the Aussie sun, we’ve got some of the best sunscreens in the world. On especially hot days when you’re sweating a lot or swimming, one coat might not be enough. Make sure to keep a tube in your bag for reapplications on the go.

Your lifestyle matters

“Are you dehydrated all the time? Are you eating reasonably well? Are you a smoker? Because that’s terrible for your skin, as well as everything else it does for your health,” says Dr Amy.

Many of us don’t consider the fact that taking care of our physical health has aesthetic benefits that go far beyond not waking up with eye bags and dry skin. Among other consequences, living a goblin-mode lifestyle can have lasting effects on skin quality. 

Smoking (and vaping!) can leave you with lip lines, cause acne and give you premature wrinkles. Cigarette smoke is known for causing pigmentation and age spots. If you’re not down for all of that, your twenties might be the right time to cut out that nicotine addiction.

It’s also important to take note of your diet. Sugar-rich foods like soda, coffee drinks and desserts are known for negatively impacting skin by damaging the formation of collagen, so if you’re crushing a frappuccino every day on the way to work, you might want to reconsider.

Sorry to be a party pooper, but alcohol is another element that can damage skin over time. “Overconsumption of alcohol is also something that is not great for your overall health and that ties in with your skin health as well.”

Get a solid skincare routine

As well as the SPF, which Dr Amy calls a “non-negotiable”, adding a few other high-quality skincare products with active ingredients into your skincare routine is something to consider in your twenties.

“A vitamin C serum is also really lovely. Vitamin C is one of the antioxidants that’s going to protect against environmental damage. It’s also brightening and helps with anti-ageing, so it’s a really nice ingredient. Make sure that you’re getting a product that has the right concentration and is formulated to be active on your skin,” she says.

“The other one for me is a retinol or a vitamin A. This helps with our cell turnover which just means we’re constantly bringing up fresh skin and helping with fine lines and pigmentation as well. It is a very active ingredient so oftentimes we tell people to really ease into it and there’s different concentrations so start with the lowest concentration and move up.”

Embrace natural ageing, or don’t – both are fine

Dr Amy tells me there shouldn’t be any shame in how anyone chooses to move forward through life. Your face, your rules. There is beauty in embracing natural ageing, but there also shouldn’t be shame in seeking professional help if you have certain things that make you feel insecure. 

“It’s really about what is bothering you and finding the person you can trust to talk to about it that hopefully is going to give you the best options and explain all the risks,” she says. 

“It’s a privilege to be able to have these treatments and buy these skincare products. There’s something to be said about accepting ageing, and I think you can do it with grace, and I think that can involve the occasional skin treatment and some active skincare ingredients.”

For more on preventative skincare strategies, head here.