As you get older, your skin naturally feels dry and irritated. This is caused by several factors, including the skin becoming thinner and losing water more easily. If you are taking medications or have medical conditions in your 60s and 70s, your skin may feel drier. Although skin aging is an inevitable physiological process, you can improve how your skin feels and looks with the right skincare regimen. In this article, we provide skincare tips for Black seniors to help you feel more comfortable with your skin.
Skin Care Tips for Black Seniors
As you get older, you need to make a few lifestyle changes when it comes to skincare. Your focus shifts to helping the skin stock of nutrients for its proper functioning, providing additional hydration, and protecting it from external injuries. Here are a few beneficial tips once you get into your 60s and 70s:
Focus your bath time on relieving dryness.
You may need to make a few simple changes to your bath time to reduce dry, itchy skin. This means avoiding hot shows, using a gentle moisturizer, and doing away with fragrance.
- Use warm to cleanse your skin. Avoid using hot water as it strips the skin of your skin’s natural oils, increasing skin dryness
- Choose a gentle, fragrance-free, moisturizing cleanser, bar soap, or body wash to help with moisturizing and soothing your skin. Some of the ingredients to look for include hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and lanolin
- Wash your skin with a soft cloth. Avoid bath brushes or buff puffs because they can irritate your skin
- Bath or shower for a short time only, such as 5-10 minutes. Sometimes, it can be helpful to skip a bath for a day or two to retain your skin’s natural oils
- Pat your skin gently with water after bathing, leaving just a bit on the skin. Then apply a moisturizer while the ski is still wet to help with hydration
- Use a fragrance-free moisturizer, specially formulated for dry skin. Make sure you apply the moisturizer within 3 minutes of bathing and throughout the day. This will help ease your skin’s dryness and restore its protective barrier
- Go fragrance-free on all your skincare products. Fragrance can irritate your skin, make it dry, and even itchy. Avoid using colognes, perfumes, and skincare products that contain fragrance. Simply check if a product has a “fragrance-free” label on the package before using it
Eat a balanced diet.
Eating nutrient-rich foods promotes skin health and your overall well-being. Make sure you eat foods with vitamins, antioxidants, and healthy fats that improve skin elasticity and support cellular health:
- Berries like blueberries and strawberries are high in antioxidants
- Leafy greens like spinach and kale provide minerals and vitamins that support skin health
- Fatty fish, such as salmon are rich in omega-3 fatty acids that keep skin hydrated
- Nuts like walnuts and almonds are rich in healthy fats and nutrients
Stay hydrated.
Making a conscious effort to drink plenty of fluids throughout the day can help deal with skin dryness. Take at least eight glasses of water daily to hydrate your skin from the inside out and incorporate foods with high water content (watermelon, cucumbers, and lettuce). Proper hydrations help reduce dryness, making your skin look healthier.
Use a humidifier in your home.
When the air in your home feels dry, a humidifier can help to add moisture. Some of your home appliances like heating and air conditioning strip humidity from the air, leaving it dry. This can in turn make your skin feel dry and itchy. A humidifier can help keep indoor humidity within the recommended range of 45% and 60% to reduce dryness and itchiness of the skin. To measure the humidity, use a hydrometer, which you can buy at a home-improvement store or hardware.
Wear gloves while gardening or doing housework.
While working around your house and garden can be satisfying, it can also expose your skin to harsh chemicals and sunlight. This can make it dry or even cause irritation. Wearing gloves helps to protect the skin’s moisture and reduce your risk of injuring your skin.
Protect your skin from the sun.
While most seniors slow down on wearing sunscreen when they start seeing more wrinkles, bruises, age spots, and blotches of discolored skin, protecting your skin from the sun is still essential. Not only does it help prevent new blotchy skin and age spots, but also reduces thinning skin and reduces the risk of developing skin cancer. Dermatologists recommend the following tips for the elderly to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays,
- Seek shade when outdoors, especially between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when the sun’s rays are the strongest
- Wear protective clothing such as a wide-brimmed hat, lightweight and long-sleeved shirt, pants, and sunglasses with UV protection when possible
- Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher to all skin not covered by your clothing when you are outside
Examine signs of skin cancer.
Once you hit the age of 50, your risk of developing skin cancer increases and continues to increase as the years pass. However, early detection helps to effectively treat it by removing the cancer cells. If the cancer spreads, it becomes more difficult to treat it.
Examining your skin for signs of skin cancer is usually easy and can help you to find skin cancer early. You may notice a spot that is different from others or another spot that itches, changes, or bleeds. Speaking to a board-certified dermatologist can help you determine if it is cancerous and the steps to take.
As you get older, your skin naturally gets thinner and dry. While the right skin care can help, factors such as medications and health problems can have a huge impact on your skin. If your skin is constantly dry or you have noticed unusual spots, consulting with a board-certified dermatologist can help assess the skin and create a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
Additional Resources
1. Skin Cancer in the Black Community: Prevention Tips: https://www.elevateblackhealth.com/skin-cancer-in-the-black-community-prevention-tips/
2. What does it mean to be Board Certified? https://www.abderm.org/public/what-does-it-mean-to-be-board-certified-by-the-abd
3. Essential Anti-Aging Skincare Tips for Seniors: https://www.discoveryathome.com/senior-living-blog/essential-anti-aging-skincare-tips-for-seniors/
4. Black Skin Aging: Tips & Prevention: https://inoya-laboratoire.com/en/oyamag/articles/black-skin-aging-prevention-tips
5. Skin care for aging skin: Minimizing age spots, wrinkles, and undereye bags: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/skin-care-for-aging-skin-minimizing-age-spots-wrinkles-and-undereye-bags
5. What to know about wrinkles on black skin: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/wrinkles-black-skin
6. Elderly Skin Care Tips and Tricks: https://www.havenhealthaz.com/blog/elderly-skin-care-tips/
