While it may be true that prevention is the best cure, the word ‘best’ is key here, because it doesn’t mean it’s the only cure. The way we look after our skin and the time spent doing it has come a long way in the past few years, especially the last decade. This means that if you are under the age of 40 right now, chances are you have had all the research, products and treatments at your fingertips to take care of your skin in a targeted and effective way.
If you are a little older than that, then give yourself some grace. Things like microneedling and LED face masks were nowhere near as commonplace as they are now, and the positive effects were not well documented either. This means that you may not have had the technology available to you to ‘prevent’ skin conditions like pigmentation, fine lines, and even dehydration. This is by no means a failure on your part, and we are here to clear up one of the most common misconceptions when it comes to skin health; that it is ever ‘too late’ to take care of your skin.
Ladies, there is no invisible line that you cross when you reach a certain age that puts you past the point of no return. It is never too late to start prioritising yourself and your skin, and if you feel like you are sitting in this bracket, here are some easy and effective ways to start your journey to a glowier, more youthful complexion.
Why people often think it’s ‘too late’ to start
We often hear from clients or friends that they are ready to throw in the towel when it comes to both at-home skincare and in-clinic treatments because they believe that their skin is somehow a lost cause. Expressions like “I am already seeing fine lines”, or “I feel like I missed the prevention boat” are often thrown around with little understanding of whether or not these statements are actually true.
Firstly, the prevention boat was not even built properly until the last few decades. Skin is also not a one-shot exam that you either passed at age 40 or failed forever. It is living tissue that regenerates, responds and adapts, making it far more forgiving than you might think.
The belief that it is “too late” often comes from misunderstanding what ageing skin actually needs. We assume that because we did not prevent everything, we cannot improve anything. That is simply not how skin works.
How are skin changes as we age, and how we should change looking after it
First things first, try to reframe how you feel about your skin first. Rather than viewing ageing skin as ‘broken’, think about it as evolving.
As we move through our forties, fifties and beyond, our collagen production will inevitably start to decline. This can manifest in a number of different ways, but the main ones are skin becoming thinner, slightly drier, and just overall a bit slower to bounce back. Hormonal changes like menopause can also play a role, impacting oil production, which can lead to dryness (or even unexpected breakouts) for some. Skin conditions like pigmentation can also become more visible as the years of sun exposure increase. None of these things means that your skin has given up; it just means the strategy needs to change.
Basically, the long and short of it is that in your twenties and thirties, the focus should be on prevention; in your forties and beyond, this focus will usually shift to correction and stimulation. The best way of achieving this? Focus on collagen-producing treatments like microneedling, lasers and peels, which all work to encourage the skin to produce more of its own natural structural support.
While hydration has always been important, it has now become critical. Mature skin often reflects light differently when it's drier, which can make things like fine lines and texture more obvious to the naked eye. When we restore hydration, either through supportive homecare or professional treatments, the skin will look fresher and more luminous, sometimes within a matter of weeks.
Avoid one time treatments
You can view this one a bit like ageing in general, as we get older, we need a bit more support to thrive. The same goes for your skin, and one of the biggest traps we see people fall into is booking a single facial and expecting it to undo years of change. While a one-off treatment can absolutely give you a short-term glow for a special event, if you want real, lasting improvement, then your skin will need more structure than that.
This is where Reformaskin comes in. Rather than giving your skin sporadic and unregulated random acts of kindness, this skin health membership will act as your long-term pathway to success. With your skin therapist assessing your specific skin's needs and goals, and then building a personalised treatment schedule to achieve these over time.
It may begin with strengthening the barrier and calming inflammation through a course of LED Light Therapy sessions, or Sonophoresis Skin Infusions. From there, if your skin calls for it, you can bump these up a notch to include more corrective treatments like microneedling and laser sessions. Chemical peels are also used at the right intervals to really give you that all-over glow you may have lost.
Where injectables come in
One of the main things that people are often asking is, do I invest in injectables or skin conditioning treatments. Well, the truth is, it’s not a competition, it’s a collaboration. Injectables, skin treatments and at-home skincare all serve slightly different purposes, and when used together, they become the ultimate power throuple. While each has its merits and its limitations, when you bring them all together in a meaningful way, that’s where the magic truly happens.
For people who have never dipped their toes into injectables, they can be scary. But a lot of this fear stems from the misconception that they cause you to have a frozen forehead or duck lips, which couldn’t be further from the truth. You only notice injectables when they are either administered poorly or when people have had too much of them. The name of the game is enhancement, and if you go to a knowledgeable practitioner, we promise, people will be none the wiser. You are probably pretty well caught up on injectables like Botox and filler, and these are incredible products. But there are a few new kids on the block, too, that offer more subtle but still incredible results and are perfect for supporting mature skin in particular.
Structura
Structura is designed to work beneath the surface, targeting the deeper tissue that contributes to facial structure. Rather than adding traditional volume like filler, it stimulates regeneration within the adipose tissue. In simple terms, it encourages your skin’s underlying architecture to rebuild and refine itself gradually. The result is improved firmness and contour that looks natural and progressive, not dramatic or obvious. It is less about changing your face and more about restoring support where time has gently reduced it.
Profhilo
Profhilo is a high concentration hyaluronic acid injectable that sits just under the skin to stimulate collagen and elastin while deeply hydrating from within. Unlike filler, it does not stay in one place to create shape. Instead, it disperses evenly, improving overall hydration, texture, firmness and glow. As we age and our natural hyaluronic acid levels decline, skin can appear dull, thinner and less resilient. Profhilo addresses this by restoring moisture at a deeper level than topical products can achieve, resulting in a smoother, more luminous complexion.
Injectables are never compulsory, and they are not a replacement for consistent skincare or professional treatments like microneedling, laser or peels. But for those who feel that surface treatments alone are not quite addressing structural or hydration changes, they can be a smart and supportive addition.
At home products still matter
If you want to kick off your collagen-boosting journey at home, having a few hard working products in your bathroom cabinet is key to helping you get there. Having a good, thick hard hard-working moisturiser on hand will assist your skin hugely. Something like the Intense Recovery Cream is exactly what your skin craves. The Murad Retinal ReSculpt Overnight Treatment uses a powerful derivative of retinol called retinal, which works more quickly than retinol but has been encapsulated to minimise sensitivity. The Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum is a clinically proven solution that targets areas of pigmentation with impressive speed. Its unique resorcinol technology interrupts the signals that cause discolouration, while antioxidants help defend against further damage. And of course, a good, hardworking sunscreen is crucial and the new Superactive Moisturiser SPF 50: Wrinkle Fighting might be the one for you. It combines a high SPF with skin-loving hydration and a sun-friendly bio-retinoid that gently targets fine lines and improves firmness.
Better late than never!
You did not fail to prevent, you simply lived in a time when the tools available to you were entirely different. But the good news is, it’s actually never too late to take full advantage of the modern technology now available to us. So, book in your consultation at your local Caci Clinic today and experience it for yourself.
