Skincare in your 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond.

People often ask when they should "start". My answer is that the most useful skincare practices begin in your twenties — but they are not injectable ones.

In your 20s

The skin’s natural collagen production has begun to slow by the mid-twenties, but most of the changes that show up later are still being set up at this age. The right work to do is at the surface and in habits, not in the consulting room.

What helps:

• Daily broad-spectrum SPF. The single most evidence-supported intervention for slowing visible ageing of skin. Used consistently from the twenties onwards, the long-term difference is substantial.
• Antioxidant ingredients applied topically — vitamin C serums are the most studied. The category matters more than any particular brand; choose a well-formulated product that you will actually use.
• Retinoids, introduced gradually if your skin tolerates them. They support cell turnover and have decades of evidence behind them.
• Sleep, hydration, and not smoking. Boring, well-evidenced.

We do not perform cosmetic procedures on patients under the age of eighteen. For patients in their twenties, we will discuss whether any injection procedure is appropriate at all — and in most cases, the honest answer is that nothing is. The skin is not yet doing the things that those procedures are designed to address.

In your 30s

Visible changes typically begin to appear in the thirties: the early dynamic lines of repeated expression, some change in skin texture, the start of fat-pad redistribution in the mid-face. The skincare habits from the twenties continue to do most of the work; SPF remains the single highest-leverage practice.

Additional considerations in this decade:

• Sleep on your back where possible, particularly if you notice asymmetric crease formation.
• Targeted topical care for any specific concern — pigment, texture, redness.
• Skin-quality consultations, considered honestly: superficial-injection procedures and skin-needling can support skin quality but should not be over-sold. Many people in their thirties do not need them.
• Conservative early discussion about established dynamic lines (frown lines, forehead lines, crow's feet), where there is a clear muscle-driven feature that bothers the patient and a clear conversation about what any treatment can and cannot do.

In your 40s

The structural changes that began earlier accelerate: bone resorption begins; fat pads redistribute; collagen and elastin in the skin reduce. Lines that were dynamic begin to leave a static trace at rest.

The discussion at this stage involves more options, and the question of which layer to address (see Understanding facial volume loss) becomes useful.

• Skin quality and hydration — superficial-injection procedures or skin-needling, depending on the specifics.
• Structural volume in selected areas — using the minimum effective amount, placed carefully, with realistic expectations.
• Skin laxity and structural support — for people seeking a gradual change in skin texture and structural support over months.
• Facial lines — where there are established muscle-driven lines that bother the patient.

What I would advise against in this decade is over-treatment in any one area. Faces that have been over-filled in one layer to compensate for changes in another rarely look right.

50s and beyond

The conversation broadens. For some people, non-surgical options continue to be appropriate; for others, the structural changes have reached a point where a surgical consultation is the honest next step. Both are valid; the choice is individual.

The skincare habits remain the same: SPF, antioxidants, retinoids (continuing if tolerated), gentle care. These do not stop being useful with age.

What to be cautious about

A few notes that apply at any age:

• Be cautious about doing too much, too soon. The pressure to "start prevention" early sometimes leads to procedures that the skin and structure are not yet asking for.
• Be cautious about pricing as the primary signal. Bargain pricing in cosmetic medicine usually reflects something about the model.
• Be cautious about brand recommendations. Ingredient categories are evidence-based; specific brand recommendations on a clinic site are usually a commercial arrangement.
• Be cautious about same-day decisions. Cosmetic medicine benefits from a cooling-off period — AHPRA requires one for higher-risk non-surgical procedures and reputable clinics observe it.

And the honest summary

The best skincare advice is also the dullest: sun protection, a small number of evidence-supported topicals used consistently, sleep, hydration. The injectable options exist and have their place — but at every decade, the question is whether the layer being addressed is actually the one changing, and whether the change being sought is the right one to seek.