Premature Aging: A Guide to Prevent Visible Signs of Aging

Article Published: 18 April 2023

Learn the signs and causes of premature aging and get skincare tips on how to prevent the occurrence of premature skin aging like fine lines and discoloration.

Aging can be beautiful and there’s no obligation to shy away from it. Looking older than our age however, is something many of us may seek to avoid. When we start to show many signs of aging at an early age (think early twenties to 30s). That’s what we call premature aging — when our body looks older than our actual age, and it often begins with our skin. Here’s everything you need to know about premature aging and your complexion.

What are the signs of premature aging?

Almost all signs of premature aging show up as changes on our skin. The most pronounced is perhaps hyper-pigmentation, a form of skin discoloration often seen on the face, neck, and chest, but that can appear anywhere on the body. In its lesser forms, hyper pigmentation is often referred to as age or liver spots. Other skin signs include the early onset of fine lines and pronounced wrinkles (generally before the age of twenty-five) and dry or itchy skin. Gauntness and thinning skin on the face or hands may also be a sign. All are normal processes of aging — but if you’ve been caught off guard by them sooner than expected what you might be experiencing is premature aging.

What causes premature aging?

Premature aging is most often caused by environmental factors and lifestyle decisions largely within our control. Hands down the main culprit in premature aging is sun exposure. Ultraviolet rays cause the skin to create melanin which can accumulate unevenly causing hyper-pigmentation and age spots. It also speeds up the aging process by breaking down skin’s collagen and elastin, making way for wrinkles, sagging, and gauntness. Harmful smoking has the same effect on skin — but for different reasons due to the toxins that expose your skin to oxidative stress that leads to dryness and wrinkles. Overall lifestyle factors such as lack of sleep, stress, and excess alcohol consumption also contribute to premature aging.

How do I prevent premature aging?

If you’re seeing signs of aging sooner than expected — the good news is skin aging can be preventable and treatable. Start by protecting yourself from the sun, avoiding smoking (secondhand smoke included), and living an overall healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and adequate sleep. Know that proper skin care is also paramount in preventing premature aging.

Skincare for Premature Aging

You can jump start your anti-aging journey with an anti-aging serum and other anti-aging skincare products. Certain products can help with skin moisture barrier – a healthy skin barrier helps to lock in hydration and defend against external aggressors whilst a weakened or damaged skin barrier can leave the skin susceptible to moisture loss which can cause dehydration and dullness.

For skincare to help with premature aging try our Advanced Génifique Face Serum which improves elasticity and the look of fine lines caused by dehydration or due to thinning skin, which can eventually deepen into wrinkles. For intense recovery Rénergie H.C.F. Triple Serum which helps improve volume loss, visibly reduce wrinkles & brighten dark spot appearance. With high performance regenerative skin science are both anti-aging serums that will be all stars in any anti-aging arsenal. Go ahead and upgrade your moisturizer to an anti-aging face cream that targets your specific aging concerns, without overlooking your neck area. Try an anti-aging face cream like Rénergie Multi-Lift Cream with lifting, firming, and anti-wrinkle benefits to replenish skin overnight. Bonus: it can also be used as an anti-aging neck cream. Don’t forget the importance of under eye hydration and caring for the eye contour area either.

Shop anti-aging skincare for fine lines and wrinkles.