Best Skincare Products for Women Over 50 | An Ideal Daily Regimen

The products in this post were gifted to me by The Dallas Center for Dermatology and Aesthetics in exchange for this post. I have just started using them and will share my honest opinion of them in the months to come.

Do you know the best skincare products for women over 50? There are so many products out there and so many claims, but what are the products that dermatologists recommend and use themselves? I’ve been dying to know! Haven’t you?

Earlier this week I shared that I recently met with aesthetician Alex Carrasco, C.M.A., C.L.T., and dermatologist Dr. Lori Stetler from the Dallas Center for Dermatology & Aesthetics. In my last post, I ran down the key skincare ingredients that women over 50 need to be sure their products incorporate, and I told you what each of those ingredients does for the skin.

Together, Alex and Dr. Stetler designed a daily skincare regimen for me that is ideal for most women over 50. That’s what I’m sharing today! I’m linking the products from The Dallas Center for Dermatology & Aesthetics’ Online Store.

Best Skincare Products for Women Over 50: Daily Regimen

This regimen was designed for me based on the three skin issues that bother me the most. My skin concerns are typical of most women over 50:

• Uneven Skin Tone – Whether caused by aging or sun exposure, those brown spots keep popping up!
• Dry Skin – I’ve had oily skin my entire life. But then, menopause hit, and everything dried up.
• Fine Lines & Wrinkles – We’ve all got them!

Skincare Product Application Tips

During my office visit, Alex gave me some great general skincare tips, which are sprinkled throughout today’s post. Look for them in blue.

Best Skincare Products For Women Over 50: Morning Regimen

1. Elta MD Foaming Facial Cleanser

Elta MD Foaming Facial Cleanser uses an enzyme and amino acid blend to loosen makeup, oil, and other impurities on the skin.

I told Alex that sometimes I don’t even wash my face in the mornings. I just rinse it. I figure the good stuff I put on it the night before can just stay on there and keep doing good work. She looked kind of like this ???? and told me that was a mistake! Alex said the retinol I use at night is photosensitive, and it’s important to wash it off before my skin is exposed to any sunlight during the day. Oops!

Suzy’s Take: I loved this cleanser the first time I tried it! It has a rich foam that cleans gently and thoroughly without dryness.

2. SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic

Alex said it’s important to apply skincare products in order! To ensure maximum effectiveness, go from lightest-weight to heaviest-weight product.

So many people love SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic! It’s an antioxidant combination of 15% pure vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid), 1% vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), and 0.5% ferulic acid. It’s designed to protect skin from environmental damage caused by free radicals. In clinical studies, it’s been proven to reduce the damage generated by UVA/UVB rays, ozone pollution, and diesel engine exhaust by up to 41%!

3. SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense

SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense improves the appearance of skin discoloration, brightens skin, and evens skin tone. Made with 3% tranexamic acid, 1% kojic acid, 5% niacinamide, and 5% HEPES, it targets those pesky dark spots. In a clinical study, participants reported a 60% average improvement in the appearance of brown patches when they used it twice a day, along with sunscreen.

4. Neocutis Lumiere Firm Riche

Neocutis Lumiere Firm Riche uses human growth factors and peptides to target the delicate eye area. It reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, crow’s feet, puffiness, and under-eye darkness. It contains three key emollients to lock in moisture, caffeine to minimize puffiness, and peptides to support collagen and elastin production.

Suzy’s Take: I asked Alex if the eye area really needed its own products. (Suzy is such a skeptic!????) She said the skin around the eyes is super thin and lacks oil glands, making it drier and more prone to irritation than the rest of the face. I will admit, my eye area is the first part of my face to feel dry.

5. SkinMedica HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator

SkinMedica HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator supports your skin’s ability to hydrate itself using its own hyaluronic acid. It immediately smooths fine lines and wrinkles, and with long-term use, it improves the appearance of skin texture. It acts as a primer for your moisturizer, so it should always be followed with a good one (see below).

Alex also reminded me that adequate water intake is important to the skin. She said we should aim to drink half of our body weight in ounces every day.

Suzy’s Take: I just started using this, but I’m already amazed at the continuous hydration it provides throughout the day. With most moisturizers, I don’t feel that long-term, all-day moisturization.

6. SkinMedica Replenish Hydrating Cream

SkinMedica Replenish Hydrating Cream harnesses the power of antioxidants to help defend against free radicals and help the skin retain moisture.

7. Elta MD UV Clear SPF 46

When it comes to sunscreen, Elta MD is an industry leader! Elta MD UV Clear SPF 46 contains niacinamide (vitamin B3), hyaluronic acid, and lactic acid to promote healthy-looking skin. The SPF comes from Zinc Oxide (9.0%) and Octinoxate (7.5%). This product is ideal for anyone with sensitive skin.

Suzy’s Take: This product also comes in a tinted version, but I opted for the clear because I wanted to be able to use it on my neck as well.

By the way, Dr. Stetler told me that if you don’t use a good sunscreen, you’re basically wasting the money you’re spending on your other skincare products! Good sunscreen is her number one skincare recommendation!

A Word About Necks

Every time I brought up my neck to Alex and Dr. Stetler, they made a face kind of like this ???? and said the same thing, “Necks are hard.”

Gravity, sun, and other environmental factors contribute to our necks’ sagging skin as we age. (Whomp-whomp! ????) Mine is driving me crazy! The product they recommended is the best they’ve found. Later this year, we will be investigating some aesthetic procedures that may also help. (Oh, I’m all about that!)

Revision Skincare Nectifirm Advanced

I’m sure you’ve heard of this award-winning product! Revision Skincare Nectifirm Advanced uses eight peptides to target aging skin on the neck and décolletage. It brightens skin, firms, and lifts the adipose tissue and crepey skin in those problem areas.

In a clinical study, after 12 weeks of twice-daily use, 97% of participants had statistically significant improvement in clarity and radiance of the neck’s jawline and visual skin texture/roughness. And 94% had statistically significant Improvement In the appearance of firmness of the neck.

Suzy’s Take: I am super excited to use this product!

Best Skincare Products For Women Over 50: Evening Regimen

1. Elta MD Foaming Facial Cleanser

Alex reminded me to be sure I was washing my face long enough to thoroughly remove all of my makeup and the impurities from the day. (I probably wasn’t!) She says to wash your face for the same length of time you wash your hands. Her recommendation: sing the alphabet song!

2. WAIT 10 MINUTES.

Alex told me not to rush! She said to wait for the suggested time period between products to give your skin time to absorb one product before adding another.

Moisture on the skin can exacerbate the side effects of retinols.

3. Revision Skincare D·E·J Night Face Cream

Retinols enhance skin tone and texture, and they reduce the appearance of fine lines and even deep wrinkles. They also improve skin tone and texture. If you’ve never used Retinol before, Revision Skincare D·E·J Night Face Cream is a good one to start with because it uses just 0.25% Retinol (time-released) combined with Bakuchiol to boost efficacy and minimize irritation.

Suzy’s Take: When Alex complimented me on my skin, I told her that I had been using Retinol in some form or fashion since I was in my 30s. She nodded and said, “That’s why!” Retinol is a must-have for fine lines, evening out pigment, and smoothing out the skin’s surface. If you’re just starting, space out the application and add a moisturizer on top to minimize irritation. Then build up the frequency from there.

If your skin is just flat out too sensitive for retinol, Alex and Dr. Stetler recommend SkinCeuticals Retexturing Activator. It’s not a retinol, but it will provide some of the same benefits. It’s an oil-free serum that simultaneously exfoliates the skin and optimizes the skin’s amino acid supply to reinforce the external barrier, locking in moisture.

4. WAIT 5 MINUTES.

 5. SkinMedica TNS Advance + Serum

This Allure Beauty Award-Winning product is formulated with 93.6% of a naturally occurring blend of over 380 growth factors, cytokines, and matrix proteins, along with antioxidants and peptides. It’s an intensive all-in-one treatment serum that reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles after just one month.

Suzy’s Take: Both Alex and Dr. Stetler raved about this product. It is the “hero” product in their skincare arsenal. If you can only afford one skincare product, they say this is the one you need. I cannot wait to use it!

6. WAIT 5 MINUTES.

7. SkinMedica HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator

8. WAIT 1 MINUTE.

9. SkinMedica Replenish Hydrating Cream 

10. Revision Skincare Nectifirm Advanced

11. Sleep!

Alex says to sleep on your back if possible. If it’s just not possible, be sure you’re using a silk pillowcase. Cotton pillowcases are absorbent and can hold up to 27 times their own weight in water, drawing moisture away from your skin. When you sleep on silk, delicate facial skin is more hydrated in the morning. Silk is natural, hypoallergenic, dust mite-resistant, and allows the skin to breathe.

Watch out for synthetic satin substitutes! Satin is made of polyester, which sweats, essentially negating the benefits. I use a Slip silk pillowcase. It doesn’t contain toxic dyes and is recommended by dermatologists, plastic surgeons, hairdressers, and beauty experts. (Although Alex & Dr. Stetler didn’t recommend it by name.)

This video from my YouTube Channel (Subscribe so you don’t miss any of my videos!) is just a taste of the awesome conversation I had with Dr. Stetler during my skincare assessment appointment. Want to hear more? I did an IGTV LIVE with Dr. Stetler and asked her all the questions! You can view that HERE.