I have to admit that once I hit 35 I started to get really nervous about aging. Years ago I would lay in the sun for hours, never put sunscreen on my face, bartended in smoke filled night clubs, got terrible sleep and never drank enough water. Fast forward to today and I am a compulsive skin care worrier. There is nothing I haven’t tried or won’t try (within reason) to keep my skin looking healthy and clear. I am someone who has suffered in my teens and early 20’s with unmanageable skin. From breakouts to dark spots I could never get my complexion under control and a lot of that stemmed from terrible sleeping habits, bad diet, horrible food choices and stress. I also didn’t take a ton of vitamins and supplements in my 20’s which has made a big difference in my skin today. I wanted to share with you what I have learned and what I have been doing to combat the signs of aging now that I am halfway through my 30’s – which in and of itself is just terrifying lol.

Diet & Nutrition

When I was in my 20’s I ate like garbage, when I ate at all. I was 102 pounds soaking wet, worked out in spurts to stay super skinny, but I was not good to my body or gave it what it needed to perform well and look its best. I survived on coffee, snacks with little to no nutritional value like pretzels and trail mix and my meals were from the dining hall at college or fast food on the go. I never gained weight, but I was what I would call “skinny fat”. I was working a full time job that required long hours in the city, I also worked as a bartender on the weekends which left me sometimes with 2 hours of sleep a night – I don’t know why I burned the candle at both ends but I did and it took a toll on my body and my skin. I truly believer you skin is an outward expression of how your body feels on the inside and boy does it show when you don’t eat well, sleep well or feel well.

Then in my late 20’s I gave up bartending on the weekends to enjoy my free time with friends and family and slowly I got some of my life back and got more into working out and fitness. It was then that I got a handle on my diet and my not so good ways of thinking about weight and my appearance. I started to eat cleaner, more frequently and started following macros. I also started weight training more seriously and over time my diet and my workouts were a strict part of my daily routine. I never went back to eating garbage or skipping meals and I stopped focusing on the scale. In turn my skin got so much better, clearer, more bright and less breakouts. The food I was slamming down my throat was not helping to combat breakouts but seemed to be creating them. When I started to eat cleaner, simpler, more basic foods my skin seemed to be much happier with me. I also didn’t feel as fatigued or bloated either which was a plus. I now that greasy food and chocolate don’t “cause” acne but they sure don’t help your overall body either and the health of it. Some people have breakouts caused by dairy, others from adding too many carbs into their diet – whatever it is keep a diary of the foods you eat and any breakouts you have because maybe something in your diet is triggering it.

Water & Supplements

After I started lifting more I started to add more water into my diet and boy did that make my skin so much better. Having my body hydrated puffed out sunken areas, dark circles and any wrinkles I had, which were minor, but I did have some laugh lines and a few lines near my eyes when I smiled. Since I have increased my water intake my skin and wrinkles seem so much less noticeable. I also started to take NeoCell Beauty Bursts, Hydroplenish Hylauronic Acid and Vitamin B complex which are all great for your skin too. I am also a big fan of taking Resveratrol which is an antioxidant that helps to support the reduction of free radicals and cell turnover – the same powerful ingredient in wine that comes from the skin of the red grapes. A good multivitamin helped as well with keeping my skin clear and healthy, I take the Alive multivitamin gummies specific for women that has biotin and folic acid for hair, skin and nails too. I also love using BioSil to keep my hair and nails in good shape and since using it my nails have grown in so much stronger too which is a nice bonus.

Acne Products & Accutane

When I was younger and battling acne/breakouts I did everything in my power to stop the oil production in my face. I thought oil = pimples and I used everything under the sun and on the shelf to dry my face out – bad idea! Little did I know back then that drying my face out with zit creams, stridex pads and all the other garbage “acne” marketed OTC items I was stripping my skin of moisture, causing it to produce even MORE oil and making my skin dry and lack luster in the process.

My biggest concern was having clear skin but fighting that battle made my skin dry and dull and just not vibrant at all. I went to a few dermatologists to get my hormonal breakouts under control, one of which put me on Accutane (which I do NOT recommend to anyone unless you have severe cystic acne which I didn’t). I wish I never went on Accutane – it removed all moisture from my face, joints and skin which I now put back using Hylauronic acid, moisturizers and collagen supplements. It wasn’t until I left working in NYC and stopped going to a dermatologist that my skin got clearer and better – isn’t that ironic. I thought going to a professional, being on prescriptions like Doxycycline and Retin A would be good for my skin but they made everything one bad vicious cycle. Every time I would visit I would be told to try something new – and let me remind you all my skin was not that bad! It was oily with hormonal breakouts but it wasn’t like I had terrible skin that couldn’t be figured out. I felt like I was just another person being thrown scripts and I just gave up. I would leave each visit with things to “try” and more scripts and I wondered why it was taking years and years to crack the code.

Going Natural

After I stopped using all this harsh prescribed stuff I swapped almost all of my skin care products to natural ones. I don’t know what made me do it but for some reason I thought, “what if all this harsh crap is making my skin worse? what if I just stick to natural ingredients and brands and see if that helps?” and guess what my friends – it did! The first thing I swapped was my face wash. I purchased Burt’s Bees Peach & Willowbark scrub and it’s the scrub I still use to this very day over six years later. I don’t know why but my skin changed dramatically once I started to use that every day and every night. I also started to use Derma E scrubs as well which are natural and gentle and work great to remove dirt, oil and makeup. Both are sensitive to my skin, don’t irritate it and get it clean without making it dry at all. They offer just enough exfoliation to remove the dead skin cells which were clogging up my pores and causing breakouts, but without being so irritating that it sent my pores into an oily production overdrive mode.

I also started to add witch hazel into the mix and use it every single day after I wash my face. I make my own skin care toner that include Aloe Vera witch hazel, 100% pure argan oil and a tea tree oil. I put that in a large container and then every night I use some of it on a cotton ball and wipe my face with it. The witch hazel helps to clean and tone, the argan oil puts natural oil/moisture back into your skin to prevent it from needed to create more of its own oils and the tea tree oil helps with blemishes.

Anti-Aging and Creams

Find the right combination of products to moisturize your skin and help with anti-aging is important. I’ve tried and continue to try a variety of brands and products because I have not found that one works so great that I am not willing to try something else. Right now in the morning, on a clean face I use Vitamin C face serum and then some sunscreen to prevent dark spots or scars. I let those dry and then apply my daily foundation or makeup. I try to pick makeup that is light and also contains sunscreen and I like the Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue tinted moisturizer. It gives nice coverage for daily use and SPF and moisturizers.

At night time, after cleansing again, I put a few drops of SKII facial treatment on and let that dry. I then apply some Josie Maran whipped argan butter all over my face and then a organic eye treatment cream. I never used to use eye cream until about a year ago and it’s made a huge difference in my under eye area and just looking well rested. I also add 1-2 small drops of Nerium night time cream and use in the area around my mouth and eyesfor added moisturizing.

Overall Thoughts

I hope this is helpful for anyone out there their 20’s and 30’s wondering how to battle their skin concerns or prevent them from even happening. Over the years I have learned to take much better care of my skin. I used to fall asleep in a full face of makeup, but never again! Now I take the time both in the morning and evening to do my full skin care routine, take my supplements, sleep enough, rest, try not to stress, drink water and eat well. All of those things in combination have made my skin much more consistent and clear and healthy. That’s not to say I don’t still have issues here and there, but overall things are much much better!

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