KATHMANDU: Once you reach the big 40, your skin starts showing the sun and other damages

that it has endured throughout the years. You will begin to see cumulative damages in the form of blotchiness, red spots, and ruddiness.

You are also losing more collagen and elasticity, and your skin retains less moisture. Because it doesn’t reflect light evenly, your complexion is losing some of its glow.

Cleanser: Use a creamy (rather than gel) cleanser morning and night, unless you can tolerate one with a mild AHA or salicylic acid once a day.

Moisturiser: Supplement your broad-spectrum moisturiser, which should contain SPF 15 or 20, with a couple of creams, lotions, or serums containing at least two types of antioxidants, such as lycopene, green tea, or soy, alternating them every other day. You will get a wider benefit from switching off because different antioxidants address different problems. If your skin is beginning to look crêpe, try a formula with peptides, which have been shown to strengthen collagen. Treat dryness with a rich moisturising cream that contains hyaluronic acid, petrolatum, shea butter, or oils.

Night time treatment: A prescription retinoid is the way to go, it reduces brown spots, increases exfoliation and collagen production, thickens the epidermis, and can reverse pre-cancerous sun damage. If your skin can’t tolerate a retinoid every night, use it every other night.