The Top 4 Spots That Show Your Age

Whether you’re in your twenties, thirties, or forties, it can be beneficial to not only know and practice good skin care habits, but to be aware of the steps and precautions that you should take to preserve your aging skin. We sat down with board-certified dermatologist and Skincare.com expert, Dr. Dendy Engelman to discuss the top four spots that show our age and how to take care of each, below.

AROUND THE EYES 

According to Dr. Engelman, one of the top four spots that you start to notice your age is the area around your eyes and the wrinkles that start to take up residency around the windows to your soul may often be the first ones that you notice. From crow’s feet to under-eye wrinkles, aging around the eyes in inevitable, which is why it is so important to take care of the delicate area that surrounds your eyes long before the hands of time catch up to you. So, slather on that eye cream, apply that sunscreen, and wear your sunglasses, to prepare your eyes—and yourself—for graceful aging.

HANDS 

“The skin on the hands is very thin—like the skin underneath our eyes—therefore it is very fragile,” Engeleman says. “Like our face, our hands are often exposed to the elements—sun damage is often the biggest culprit because UV rays affects the hands the same way they affect the face. Use a SPF 15 or higher to block harmful UV rays—which can cause skin-plumping proteins, like collagen and elastin, to break down quickly and dark spots to appear. People often forget this because it is not ingrained in their routines, but it should be." 

She says that on top of the sun’s harmful rays, other variables like cleaning products can dry out the skin and may be a culprit in signs of early skin aging. We recommend using a hand cream that is formulated with an SPF, like Garnier’s Skin Renew Dark Spot Hand Treatment. Formulated with SPF 30 and vitamin C, this lightweight hand cream can give the skin on your hands the protection it needs to prevent some of the early signs of aging caused by the sun and may also work to fade the appearance of dark spots that have already begun to show.

Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Hand Treatment, $7.99 

According to Dr. Engelman, your nasolabial folds, marionette lines, and jowls can also play victim to early signs of aging. The reason for this is a decrease in the structural components around the corners of the mouth. This can be caused from things like sun exposure and smoking and can result in drooping skin and decreased volume around the mouth.

Just like the hands,the delicate skin on your neck is often forgotten about in our skin care routines and prone to develop wrinkles and other signs of aging before the skin on the rest of our bodies catches up to it. There may be a few reasons for this—one being that we neglect our necks when applying antioxidants, retinol, and sunscreen to our necks, and the other being from a new term known as “Tech Neck.” According to Dr. Engelman, tech neck is “a phrase that describes how people’s mobile devices could be causing the skin on their necks to sag.” If you think about how many times a day we sit or stand with our chins down while checking our notifications, it’s a lot. Make it a habit to keep your chin up and hold your smartphone up to face level, rather than looking down (this may feel awkward at first, but you’ll be thankful in the long run) and remember to apply moisturizer and sunscreen to your neck whenever you are applying it to your face.