Skin Health
Where To Begin
When Skincare Starts Too Soon: What Setting Yourself Up for Success Really Looks Like
While skin functionality doesn’t change throughout its life span, the efficiency at which it performs its various routine tasks certainly does. Your skin is on a biological time clock, and we’re lucky we live in a time when epigenetic skin care is available to help us chart the unknown territory pertaining to maximizing the life and health span of the skin. What we do know is that epigenetics, which influences gene expression, is responsible for at least 70% of the aging process, with the rest being 30%. In the skin, this percentage is even higher: roughly 90% is driven by epigenetics versus 10% by genetics, with genomic instability leading the aging ‘wolf pack.’
What this means is that what you do, starting at an early age when you protect your skin from UV damage with sunscreen, affects your skin’s health and longevity odds later on by an enormous margin. In midlife, you add repair and maintenance steps to your epigenetic skin care routine, and by the time you graduate to longevity skin care, it’s all second nature. Longevity skin care can start anywhere between late-thirties to early fifties, depending on factors unique to you (geographical location, occupations where sun exposure can’t be avoided, medical conditions, etc.), but it is also highly dependent on the factors characterizing your skin’s epigenome. Everyone is different, that’s part of the fun. However, there are certain tried and true behaviors that will help each and every one of us achieve the goal of having lovelier skin for a longer duration of time. The discussion begins below, with skin at any age.
At Any Age: Universal Skin Health
Biological Processes + What Skin Needs
The skin’s core functions are to create and maintain a robust barrier layer, regulated immune response, a harmonized microbiome, and efficient cellular turnover, all of which require continuous support via nutrients/precursors. Regardless of age, supporting each process via topicals entails the following:
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Gentle cleansing to remove SPF, sweat, pollution, etc that preserves barrier lipids
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Acid mantle support for water balance and microbial regulation
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Antioxidant protection against daily oxidative stress
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Lipid replenishment to maintain appropriate ratios for ideal ecosystem
Common Concerns
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Dehydration + barrier dysfunction
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Sensitivity or reactivity, rashes, eczema, dermatitis
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Breakouts
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Microbial imbalances
Products
Implementing a foundational routine supports skin function. By stabilizing the barrier and microbiome, skin becomes more resilient, responsive, and better able to repair itself.
Cleansers
Mists + Tonics
Serums
Oils
SPF
Body
Until Your 30s: Protect + Prevent
Biological Processes + What Skin Needs
In your teens through late 20s, skin is functioning optimally for most but damage is already accumulating if not properly protected.
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Cellular signaling is strong and efficient. Collagen production and repair processes remain optimal, allowing skin to recover quickly from stress.
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pH is balanced (unless disrupted from products/exfoliation). A slightly acidic environment supports enzyme activity, barrier function, and a stable microbiome.
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Microbial diversity should be optimal. A balanced microbiome helps regulate inflammation, prevent breakouts, and maintain resilience.
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Sebum and lipid production are optimal. This supports a strong barrier but can also contribute to congestion if imbalanced (poor essential fatty acid ratios).
What skin needs:
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Daily antioxidant protection to prevent oxidative damage
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Consistent SPF to protect collagen + DNA integrity
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Lightweight barrier support to maintain balance (defend against environmental impact)
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If needed: intervention to regulate inflammation and congestion
Common Concerns
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Breakouts
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Dehydration
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Uneven tone from sun exposure/early hyperpigmentation
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Premature fine lines- expression lines + UV induced premature aging
Products
This routine is designed to interrupt damage before it manifests. By protecting against UV and free radicals while maintaining barrier health, you preserve collagen, elasticity, and clarity long-term.
Cleansers
Mists/Tonics
Serums
Oil
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Barrier Lipid Complex (dry skin)
SPF
Masks
40s & Beyond: Repair + Rejuvenate
Biological Processes + What Skin Needs
In your teens through late 20s, skin is functioning optimally for most but damage is already accumulating if not properly protected.
With age, skin undergoes a series of interconnected biological shifts that impact both function and appearance.
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Cellular signaling slows and becomes less efficient.
Communication between keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and immune cells begins to break down, leading to reduced collagen synthesis, slower repair, and an increase in senescent (zombie) cells. This decline in signaling contributes to visible thinning, loss of elasticity, and delayed recovery. -
Skin pH gradually shifts towards alkalinity.
As the skin becomes less acidic, enzymatic processes responsible for barrier repair and lipid production become less effective. This can impair desquamation, weaken barrier, and increase susceptibility to irritation and dehydration. -
Microbial diversity declines.
A less diverse microbiome makes skin more reactive and less resilient. Opportunistic bacteria can become more dominant, contributing to inflammation, sensitivity, and impaired barrier function. -
Lipid production decreases significantly.
Reduced sebum and essential lipids compromise the stratum corneum, leading to dryness, increased transepidermal water loss, and a diminished ability to protect against environmental stressors. Big shift for menopausal skin. - Cumulative oxidative damage increases.
Years of UV exposure and environmental stress weaken the skin’s antioxidant capacity, accelerating collagen breakdown and contributing to uneven tone and texture. Skin becomes less resilient to the sun, tans quicker.
What skin needs:
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Actives that restore cellular communication and support turnover
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pH-balancing tonics to optimize enzyme activity and barrier repair
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Microbiome-supportive ingredients to improve resilience, reduce inflammation and optimize elasticity
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Replenishment of essential lipids to restore the barrier
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Targeted + comprehensive antioxidants to counter ongoing oxidative stress
Skin now requires targeted support to:
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Stimulate renewal
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Fulfill the requirements of essential lipids
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Strengthen the dermal matrix
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Reduce inflammation that accelerates aging
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Diversify the microbiome
Common Concerns
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Fine lines and deeper wrinkles
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Loss of firmness and elasticity
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Dryness and thinning skin
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Hyperpigmentation and uneven tone
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Inflammatory conditions like eczema
Products
These formulas work at a deeper level by supporting cellular turnover, fibroblast activity, and barrier repair. The goal is not only visible improvement, but restoring function so skin behaves more like younger skin.
Cleansers
Emulsions (focus on reversal/repair)
Oils
Targeted Treatments
Masks
For a deeper dive into the science of skin health and longevity, visit Marie’s Substack: The Skin Realist.
Any topic discussed in this article is not intended as medical advice. If you have a medical concern, please check with your doctor.