How Your Skin Changes in Your 40s And What To Do About It?

Your 40s is a decade worth celebrating—you’ve gained wisdom, navigated stressful moments and experienced countless smiles. And there's no reason to wipe that hard-won experience off your face. No, caring for your skin right now isn’t about turning back time, but rather refreshing your complexion to ensure it remains healthy, glowy, and protected from the elements. It's less about anti-aging than it is about skin longevity.

While genetics play a role in some of the changes you may be seeing on your face, other contributing factors, including perimenopause and menopause, a natural loss of collagen and a decrease in exfoliation, and cumulative sun damage also play a role. The good news: There's plenty you can do to achieve your skingoals.  

Increased dryness and sensitivity

A good deal of this is due to the fact that most women in their 40s hit perimenopause—and when certain hormones begin to fluctuate, your skin will begin to produce less sebum, the natural oil that lubricates your outer layer. In turn, your face will often feel dry and sensitive.

Once you hit menopause—when you go 12 consecutive months without a period—studies show that the visible signs of aging only increase. That's because as your estrogen levels drop, your skin loses its ability to help stimulate collagen and elastin production.

In addition to noticing more fine lines, you may also seem some facial drooping—that's because collagen provides facial volume and works with another protein called elastin to keep your skin firm and taut. You’ll want to support your skin barrier by building collagen.  

Dullness

As your skin matures, its natural ability to shed dead cells slows down. This buildup of dead skin cells sits on the surface, creating a dull, tired appearance that masks your skin's natural radiance. Think of it like dust settling on a window—it obscures the light trying to shine through. The good news is that addressing dullness is entirely within your control through consistent skincare practices and targeted treatments.

Skin's natural exfoliation also slows with age, leaving the top layer covered in dead cells—similar to autumn leaves blanketing the sidewalk or grass. And in the same way that those rustic orange, red, and yellow leaves camouflage the ground, so do the dead skin cells that hide your natural glow.   

Uneven skin tone

Cumulative sun damage also causes changes in the skin. Daily activities—working near an open window, running errands, even driving in your car—plus sunburns and tanning bed use expose your skin to ultraviolet (UV) damage, “Your skin records sun exposure like your car tallies mileage. You can't turn back the odometer on your car, and you can't turn back sun damage from your skin," This damage often manifests as dark spots and hyperpigmentation. 

A dermatologist-approved hack for confirming if you sun damage or age spots: Check your stomach and bum in the mirror. "Your butt is how your whole skin would look if you always protected it from the sun,"   "If these spots were strictly from age, you'd see them on your buttocks, too." And although you can't reverse aging without a time machine, using sunscreen in the morning and a retinol serum at night helps minimize further damage from ultraviolet rays and maximize your skin's current beauty.