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Believe it or not, dermatologists recommend that you start using anti-aging products as early as your twenties to prevent future concerns like dark spots and fine lines. But unless you’re an expert, you likely don’t know the best products to incorporate into your skincare routine—and making mistakes can be dire.
Real Simple consulted with Dr. Hadley King, a board-certified dermatologist, on the anti-aging mistakes she most commonly sees from her patients. She explained what not to do in your skincare routine, like skipping SPF on non-sunny days or avoiding topical retinoids, and the products to use to keep your aging skin healthy. Her recommendations can all be found at Amazon—and they’re all under $80.
Dr. Hadley King is a board-certified dermatologist at Dr. Hadley King Dermatology in New York City. She has been in practice for 19 years and has seen tens of thousands of patients, including those with mature skin. She began her career at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where she diagnosed and treated skin cancer patients. In 2007, King transitioned to private practice, where she specializes in medical and cosmetic dermatology. Her areas of expertise are acne, skin cancer, cosmetics, and skincare.
Dermatologist-Backed Anti-Aging Products
Mistake: Not wearing SPF Daily
Recommendation: Bioelements SPF 50 Sunscreen
Amazon
“Much of the sun damage that accumulates in our skin is the result of daily incidental sun exposure,” says Dr. King. This is why she recommends Bioelements SPF 50 face sunscreen for protection. Its ingredients include humectants to hydrate the skin, emollients to support the skin barrier, and centella asiatica to calm it. Dr. King also notes that not only does the sunscreen nourish the skin, but it’s lightweight enough to wear under makeup as a daily moisturizer, and doesn’t leave behind a white cast.
Mistake: Skipping at-home maintenance after professional procedures
Recommendation: Bioelements vc10 Nightly Bright
Amazon
According to Dr. King, no matter how aggressively you treat an issue like hyperpigmentation, it always tends to come back, so regular at-home maintenance is necessary even if you’re seeing a dermatologist.
This Bioelements overnight cream has brightening properties thanks to included licorice root extract, niacinamide, and vitamin C “in a stable and non-irritating format,” according to Dr. King. She adds that it also moisturizes the skin with nourishing ingredients like shea butter, jojoba oil, and safflower seed oil. She also notes that it’s always important to use sun protection (like the aforementioned sunscreen) when using brightening products like this one.
Mistake: Not using an antioxidant serum daily
Recommendation: Korres Black Pine Primus Smoothing Youth Activator Booster
Amazon
While sunscreen is extremely important in any anti-aging routine, King notes that a combination of SPF and antioxidants will protect your skin even better. “Antioxidants help to prevent damage to our skin from free radicals from UV radiation and pollution,” she says.
She suggests using this Korres Black Pine serum, which has anti-aging peptides to help smooth fine lines, and six different molecular weights of hyaluronic acid. “This means that it can hydrate at different levels [of the skin] for optimal plumping, which offers temporary firming. [It’s] also rich in antioxidants to help protect the skin from damage from free radicals from sun exposure and pollution,” says Dr. King.
Mistake: Not nourishing the skin with humectants, emollients, and occlusives
Recommendation: Korres Santorini Grape Poreless Skin Care Cream
Amazon
As we age, our skin gets drier (and thinner). Dr. King shares that this is because, over time, our skin doesn’t produce as much collagen, elastin, hyaluronic acid, and other components “on the dermal matrix” (aka the structural framework of the skin). “For the skin to look and function as well as possible, we need to maintain its moisture content by applying humectants to hydrate [it], emollients to support the skin barrier, and occlusives to lock in moisture,” says King.
The solution? This Korres face moisturizer that she calls “a great moisturizer that contains the perfect combination of humectants like glycerin, emollients like jojoba seed oil, and occlusives like macadamia seed oil.” She notes that it’s also rich in antioxidants to help protect the skin from free radical damage, and ingredients like calendula to soothe the skin.
Mistake: Not regularly using a topical retinoid
Recommendation: Fig.1 Retinol Night Cream No. 1
Amazon
“Beyond sun protection, retinoids are the single most proven anti-aging ingredient,” shares Dr. King. She recommends this retinol night cream, which offers three levels of retinol to accommodate different skin types, [stages of] experience, and sensitivity. “All levels use encapsulated retinol that is released over time to decrease irritation, and the base contains humectants to hydrate the skin and emollients to support the skin barrier, as well as anti-aging peptides,” she says.
Mistake: Not protecting your lips from sun damage
Recommendation: Lanolips Sun Balm Tropical SPF 30 Lip Balm
Amazon
According to Dr. King, SPF is important for any exposed skin, including the lips. “Because of how the upper lip protrudes on most people when they are standing, this skin gets significant UV exposure, so it’s important to wear lip products with SPF whenever you’re outside, and to reapply frequently.”
SheKing recommends Lanolips sun balm because it’s made with ingredients like vitamin E and shea butter to moisturize your lips, and has SPF 30 to protect your lips from UVA and UVB rays. She also calls the pineapple scent “fun and refreshing to use!”