There’s nothing wrong with a few fine lines and wrinkles. Every sunspot and smile line tells a story: a moment spent laughing with family and friends or making memories on summer vacations. Aging is a blessing—but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to slow the process down a little, and keep feeling good in our skin as we do it.
Whether you’ve just hit a milestone birthday or you’ve been eligible for senior discounts for a minute, it can feel empowering to build a skin care routine around advanced anti-aging prevention. It’s time to talk influences, ingredients, and demystify some of the top anti-aging skin care hacks.
Let’s talk about aging skin
When we talk about aging skin, what do we actually mean? Let’s break down what changes about your skin over time and what circumstances may affect those changes.
Factors that affect aging skin
While your skin will age no matter what you do, there are a few factors that may determine the speed and appearance of those changes, including:
- Genetics
- Environmental factors
- Diet
- Lifestyle habits
Your DNA plays a major role in how your skin ages, and some people’s skin naturally produces more collagen or retains moisture better than others.[1]
Other factors are shaped by the way you live your life, and the world we live in. Air pollution, unprotected sun exposure, and even local climate (like extreme cold or dry heat) can take a toll on your skin over time. These factors contribute to the breakdown of collagen and elastin, leading to texture changes, discoloration, and the deepening of fine lines.[2]
Lifestyle choices, like a diet high in sugar, can also affect how your skin ages.[3] Too much sugar can trigger a process called glycation, where sugar molecules bind to collagen and elastin, making them stiff and prone to breakage. That means more sagging and wrinkles over time.
Eating a lot of processed foods, smoking, or heavy drinking restrict oxygen and nutrient flow to the skin, speeding up dullness.[4]
Other habits—like not washing your face before bed, skimping on sunscreen, or chronically under-sleeping—can chip away at your skin’s ability to repair itself and stay resilient.
Signs of aging
Skin usually begins to show signs of aging in a person’s mid- to late 30s. Skin cell renewal slows down throughout your 20s, and collagen and elastin breakdowns continue to accelerate. Common physical signs of aging skin include:
- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Sagging, especially around the jawline and eyes
- Thinning skin, which can make veins more visible
- Dryness or rough texture
- Dark spots or areas of uneven tone (also called sunspots or age spots)
It’s a totally natural process, but that might not stop you from wondering how you can stop aging altogether. While there’s no magic potion or miracle elixir that can truly make this dream a reality, the science of skin care has a lot to say about anti-aging.
How you can help stop or slow aging skin
There’s no way to truly rewind time and reclaim your high school glow. Although procedures like BOTOX® and fillers continue to grow in popularity, they’re invasive, come with risks, and offer only temporary results. Non-invasive strategies, on the other hand, help you build healthier skin from the inside out, without needles, downtime, or the risk of going overboard.
The science of skin care has come a long way in the past few decades, allowing us to feel confident about these research-backed, non-surgical anti-aging tips. We now know more about the ingredients and habits that actually make a difference, and which ones are just hype.
Pro-active skin care
A solid, consistent skin care routine can do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to trying to age gracefully. After all, the best offense is a good defense! Looking for an anti-aging skin care hack? Add these products to your rotation to help your skin stay stronger over time:
- Exfoliants (AHA, BHA): These help sweep away dead skin cells, encouraging fresh skin to surface and improving the appearance of skin tone and texture.
Try: PCA SKIN® Pore Refining Treatment, Marini SkinSolutions™ Skin Zyme® Mask
- Serums with antioxidants or hyaluronic acid: These are your concentrated skin care steps. Antioxidants help protect the skin from environmental stressors.[5] Hyaluronic acid draws moisture into the skin for improved hydration.[6]
Try: PCA SKIN® Hyaluronic Acid Boosting Serum, Marini SkinSolutions™ C-ESTA® Face Serum
- A quality moisturizer: Helps lock everything in and keep your skin barrier happy.
Try: PCA SKIN® Collagen Hydrator, Marini SkinSolutions™ Hyla3D® Face Cream
- Eye cream: A gentler formula designed for the delicate skin around your eyes, where signs of aging often show up first.
Try: PCA SKIN® Ideal Complex® Revitalizing Eye Gel, Marini SkinSolutions™ Transformation Eye Cream
- Sunscreen: If you do nothing else, do this. Daily SPF is still the most effective anti-aging tool out there.[7]
Try: PCA SKIN® Hydrator Plus Broad-Spectrum SPF 30, Marini SkinSolutions™ Antioxidant Daily Face Protectant SPF 33
Now that you have a sense of the products that should encompass your routine, it’s time to turn your attention to ingredients. Not every eye cream or exfoliator is created equal. Here are some ingredients to look out for:
- Retinoids (like retinol or tretinoin): Vitamin A derivatives help refine skin texture and support smoother-looking skin over time.[8]
Try: PCA SKIN® Retinol Treatment for Sensitive Skin, Marini SkinSolutions™ Age Intervention™ Retinol Plus
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid): Brightens skin and helps support a more radiant complexion.[9]
Try: PCA SKIN® C&E Advanced, Marini SkinSolutions™ C-ESTA® Face Cream
- Hyaluronic acid: Can help improve skin hydration and supports a youthful glow. [10]
Try: PCA SKIN® Hyaluronic Acid Boosting Serum, Marini SkinSolutions™ Hyla3D® Face Serum
- Peptides: Help support the skin’s natural appearance of firmness and overall resilience.[11]
Try: PCA SKIN® ExLinea® Pro Peptide Serum, Marini SkinSolutions™ Age Intervention™ Peptide Extreme
- Niacinamide: A multitasking ingredient that helps support a more even-looking tone and smoother-looking texture.[12]
Try: PCA SKIN® Vitamin B3 Brightening Serum, Marini SkinSolutions™ Marini Clear Multi-Acid Corrective Pads
- Ceramides: Lipids that help support a healthy skin barrier and keep moisture from escaping.[13]
Try: PCA SKIN® Hyaluronic Acid Boosting Serum, Marini SkinSolutions™ Age Intervention® Face Cream
Lifestyle changes
What happens inside your body can show up on your skin, too. A few daily choices can have a major anti-aging impact over time:
- Eat a balanced diet: Try to incorporate more whole foods into your diet and fewer ultra-processed ones. Antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies help fight inflammation.[14] Reducing sugar and sodium can help minimize puffiness and glycation damage.[15]
- Get good sleep: This is when your skin does its repair work. Skimping on it shows, because your skin hasn’t gotten the time it needs to tend to itself.
- Manage stress: Stress can trigger inflammation and speed up aging.[16] Carve out time to move, practice mindfulness, or just be present with yourself.
- Stay hydrated: Water helps every system in your body function better, including your skin.[17]
- Avoid smoking and excess alcohol: Both can break down collagen and speed up the appearance of fine lines and dullness.[18]
Advanced anti-aging prevention
If you want to go a little further, one of the best anti-aging tips is to take advantage of facials and advanced professional skin care treatments designed to support skin at a deeper level. These include:
- Age-Defying Facial: This targeted treatment uses AHAs, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and antioxidants to smooth the appearance of fine lines, brighten dull skin through exfoliation, and deeply hydrate for a youthful-looking glow.
- Chemical Peels: The right peel has been shown to help smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and help reduce the appearance of dark spots to reveal a more even-looking skin tone.
- Microderm Infusion: This treatment simultaneously exfoliates and extracts debris while delivering a targeted serum, helping hydrate skin and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
- Nourishing Light Treatment: LED light therapy uses different wavelengths to help improve the appearance of facial wrinkles, balance the appearance of skin tone, and refine texture.
Not sure where to get started? Massage Envy offers a variety of advanced skin care services specifically geared towards mature skin, including the Age-Defying Facial, Age-Defying Nourishing Light Treatment, and Age-Defying Chemical Peel.
For even more guidance, take the Skin Care Quiz to find the right first step for your self-care journey.
Your anti-aging routine
So what’s the number one anti-aging skin care hack? Consistency. A thoughtful daily routine doesn’t have to be very complicated, but it can make a big impact over time when you stick to it.
This simple daily routine (and accompanying product recommendations) is a great place to start:
Morning (AM):
- Gentle cleanser
- PCA SKIN® Creamy Cleanser, Marini SkinSolutions™ Age Intervention™ Gentle Cleanser
- Antioxidant serum (like Vitamin C or niacinamide)
- PCA SKIN® C&E Advanced, Marini SkinSolutions™ C-ESTA® Face Serum
- Moisturizer
- PCA SKIN® Collagen Hydrator, Marini SkinSolutions™ Transformation Face Cream
- Broad-spectrum sunscreen (every single day)
- PCA SKIN® Hydrator Plus Broad-Spectrum SPF 30, Marini SkinSolutions™ Antioxidant Daily Face Protectant SPF 33
Evening (PM):
- Cleanser
- PCA SKIN® Creamy Cleanser, Marini SkinSolutions™ Clean Zyme®
- Retinoid or retinol (start slow if you’re new to these)
- PCA SKIN® Retinol Treatment for Sensitive Skin, Marini SkinSolutions™ Age Intervention™ Retinol Plus
- Peptide serum
- PCA SKIN® ExLinea® Pro Peptide Serum, Marini SkinSolutions™ Age Intervention™ Peptide Extreme
- Nourishing night cream
- PCA SKIN® HydraLuxe, Marini SkinSolutions™ Age Intervention® Face Cream
Weekly add-ons:
- Exfoliation (1–2 times a week, depending on skin type)
- PCA SKIN® Pore Refining Treatment, Marini SkinSolutions™ Marini Multi-Acid Exfoliating Pads
- Hydrating or brightening masks
- PCA SKIN® Hyaluronic Acid Overnight Mask, Marini SkinSolutions™ Marini Luminate® Face Mask
- Professional facial once a month for a deeper reset
Your routine functions as a form of maintenance, not magic. By sticking to it, you’ll help support your skin for years to come.
Turning back time with a Massage Envy membership
Go forth with confidence knowing that you’ve got all the essential preventive anti-aging tips you need under your belt. And when you make tending to your skin a regular part of your routine, you not only support its long-term well-being, but you learn to appreciate it at every stage.
Build professional, targeted skin care services into your schedule by becoming a Massage Envy member today. The membership gives you the freedom to explore a variety of advanced treatments with an anti-aging focus, from Nourishing Light Treatment to a Microderm Infusion.
Skin-savvy professional estheticians will work with you to develop a plan that targets your skin care goals to guard against the appearance of aging and boosts your self-confidence. It’s as simple as picking a date and time that works at a Massage Envy location near you.