Ageing Skin Over Time: What to expect at 30, 40, 50

The signs of ageing skin begin when several factors that can cause the skin to age develop to the point that they begin to have a visible impact on your appearance. 

Collagen is the protein that gives our skin its elasticity and strength. As we get older, our collagen levels drop – we lose 1% of our collagen in our skin each year. This causes the skin to sag and wrinkle. Men can expect this collagen loss to begin later, but ultimately, ageing skin will happen to everyone.  

Subcutaneous fat, fat that is stored just beneath the skin, gives the face a young, healthy ‘plumpness’. From our late 20s, we can expect to begin to lose the subcutaneous fat under our eyes and this will continue throughout the rest of the face to areas such as the cheeks and neck, causing sagging cheeks and jowls, and cause our appearance to age. 

Environmental factors and lifestyle choices can often accelerate the ageing process. Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, poor diet, excessive sun exposure, poor sleep and exposure to air pollution will all have an impact on your skin quality and how quickly your skin ages. 

Premature wrinkles are one of the first signs of prematurely ageing skin. As our collagen levels in our skin deplete, they cause fine lines and wrinkles to appear. Expressive lines, such as crow's feet at the outer corners of the eyes, and laughter lines, which develop around the sides of the mouth, are often the first lines to appear. These are usually closely followed by forehead wrinkles.  

Patches of darker skin, known as hyperpigmentation, sun spots, loss of volume and skin becoming weaker, are all also associated with premature ageing skin. Hyperpigmentation is especially common in darker skin tones due to overactive melanin production caused by stress and trauma to the skin as we age.  

In our 20s, collagen in your skin and subcutaneous fat gives our skin a youthful appearance. It is vital that you take good care of your skin at this age, to prevent ageing skin as we get older. This includes maintaining a good skincare routine including sun protection, avoiding excessive sun exposure and trying to avoid or limit harmful lifestyle choices which may cause damage to the skin. 

In your 30s, fine lines, such as crows feet around the eyes and smile lines around the mouth, may start to appear. Your face will start to lose volume, giving your face a more angular appearance, which can make you look older and more tired and can cause slightly sagging cheeks in your 30s as well as the formation of a slight jowl. Treatments such as dermal fillers can restore a rounder, more youthful appearance to ageing skin. 

Hyperpigmentation, which occurs when patches of skin become darker, can also become a problem for women in this age bracket. Daily sun protection from a broad spectrum sunscreen will help to prevent this and keep hyperpigmentation under control.

Dermal fillers are quick injectable treatments that can soften facial wrinkles and lines and fill out hollows to recreate the smooth contours of younger skin. This non-surgical procedure achieving long-term results and can be used to treat a number of issues, including softening nose to mouth lines (naso-labial folds), defining the chin area and enhancing the cheekbones. 

Plump lips and fuller cheeks can also be achieved with the use of dermal fillers. If you’re noticing tired or sunken eyes, tear trough filler is a good treatment to make them appear more open and youthful. 

Another option is anti-wrinkle and line softening injectables, local muscle relaxants that smooth out facial lines and wrinkles by relaxing the underlying facial muscles. These injections are good for reducing the appearance of existing wrinkles and preventing new lines and wrinkles from developing. This treatment is suitable for anyone over the age of 18. 

Morpheus8 is a face and neck treatment that uses combined microneedling and radiofrequency to lift, tighten and tone loose skin naturally without surgery. This non-surgical treatment is suitable for younger patients in their 30s and 40s who are starting to see the first signs of facial ageing. 

For an alternative surgical treatment, the micro facelift is a new and innovative treatment, which has increased in popularity. The ideal procedure for anyone in between the ages of 35 to 50 seeking to reverse the preliminary signs of ageing with a minimally invasive surgical treatment. This surgery can make a patient look up to five years younger and the results last for up to 10 years. 

In your 40s, your ageing skin can become drier, making lines and wrinkles more pronounced. You continue to lose subcutaneous fat, but not equally from all areas. Fat pads around the cheeks and above the mouth are generally the first to go, followed by fat from around the sides of the mouth, chin and jawline. If your cheeks are looking sagging, hollow or sunken in your 40s, there are a variety of treatments that may help. 

Depleting collagen levels in your skin means the skin loses elasticity, causing it to sag. As you hit your 40s, you may also find that the tip of your nose begins to tilt downwards. If this is the case, it may be worth considering a nose tip suspension. 

In your 50s, your skin may feel drier and more prone to irritation. You are also likely to develop more age spots or hyperpigmentation. Any sun damage in the deeper layers of the ageing skin, sustained earlier in life, will make itself known. 

The menopause can prompt huge changes to the skin, making it appear dry, thin and saggy, although some women experience breakouts and excess oiliness due to hormonal imbalance. In the UK, the average age for a woman to hit menopause is 51, although symptoms can start in your 40s or even earlier.