Your Skin, Rewritten: The changes to expect as you age—and how to get ahead
Our skin’s needs transform in every season of life, with the hormonal shifts brought about by peri-menopause and menopause delivering an onslaught of change during what can already feel like a challenging transition for many. With this in mind, Helene Ravlich consulted the experts to determine their rituals for survival at any age.
Image: Pinterest.While we know collagen production begins to decline in our early twenties, most of us move through that decade with little disruption. Skin still feels resilient, luminous, forgiving. It’s often not until our thirties that the effects of earlier habits begin to surface—sun exposure, dehydration, and environmental stressors like UVA, UVB and even blue light quietly catching up. Fine lines, uneven tone and pigmentation can start to emerge, signalling a shift beneath the surface.
Around this point, the early stages of perimenopause may also begin to make themselves known. Cell turnover slows, hydration levels drop, and skin can feel less responsive overall. Rather than overcorrecting, Caci National Skincare Trainer Linda Sherrem suggests a more considered
approach: gentle chemical exfoliation over harsh physical scrubs, richer creams in place of lightweight lotions, and the gradual introduction of retinol to support renewal and address early lines.
It’s also where the idea of ‘collagen banking’ comes into play—a long-view strategy centred on maintaining and stimulating collagen production before it declines more rapidly. Not about storing collagen, instead strengthening what’s already there. Treatments like microneedling, highlighted by Caci’s Research & Development Lead Katherine Koon, work to support this process, while LED light therapy helps optimise cell function, calm inflammation and encourage repair.
By the time your forties arrive, the focus shifts again. With declining elastin and slower regeneration, consistency becomes everything. If retinol hasn’t already found a place in your routine, it should now—paired with targeted hydration and barrier support. From there, in-clinic treatments can begin to play a more meaningful role. Caci’s Signature Laser Facial, combining resurfacing with fractional CO2 technology, works beneath the surface to stimulate collagen, refine texture and restore clarity.
Complementing this, injectable skin boosters such as Profhilo, Sunekos and Illuma Luna are increasingly part of the conversation for overall skin quality. By deeply hydrating and supporting collagen and elastin production, they help improve firmness, elasticity and that harder-todefine sense of skin health. And over time, the approach becomes more instinctive and your skin, in turn, tends to meet you there.
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