How best to look after your skin in your sixties

Skin in our 60s behaves very differently to skin in our 30s or 40s. Collagen levels decline, elastin fragments, oil production slows and the skin barrier becomes more fragile.

- By LARA OWEN

These changes can result is dryness, dullness, increased sensitivity and a gradual loss of firmness. If you are streamlining your routine, these are the five products dermatologists say matter most.

1. Broad-spectrum SPF

“UV exposure is responsible for up to 80% of visible skin ageing,” says Dr Conal Perrett, consultant dermatologist at The Devonshire Clinic.

Even in your 60s and beyond, protecting skin from UVA and UVB damage slows further collagen breakdown, pigmentation and texture changes.

Consultant dermatologist Dr Susan Mayou at the Cadogan Clinic stresses that sun protection is not redundant once lines have formed.

Ongoing protection helps maintain skin quality and reduces the risk of precancerous changes.

A broad-spectrum SPF 50 at least, applied daily and year-round, forms the foundation of any effective routine.