THE SUNDAY SKIN EDIT
What Really Happens to Our Skin as We Age?
Understanding the changes beneath the surface—and learning to care for the skin we have today
By Valya Lee, Founder & CEO, MediLuxe Skincare
Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought:
“When did that happen?” 😊
Perhaps your skin suddenly seems drier than it used to.
Maybe the moisturizer you’ve loved for years no longer feels like enough.
Perhaps you’re noticing fine lines that don’t disappear when you stop smiling, a little less firmness around your jawline, uneven-looking tone, or a complexion that doesn’t seem quite as luminous as it once did.
I certainly had those moments.
During the 18 months I spent researching skincare before creating MediLuxe, one of the most reassuring things I learned was this:
Our skin isn’t simply getting “old.” It is undergoing real biological changes.
And once I began understanding those changes, I stopped asking:
“What’s wrong with my skin?”
and started asking a much better question:
“What does my skin need from me now?”
That’s the question we’re exploring in today’s Sunday Skin Edit.
First, Let’s Go Beneath the Surface
When we look in the mirror, we’re seeing only the outermost part of an extraordinarily complex organ.
Our skin has several layers, but for today’s conversation, think of two important ones:
The epidermis is the outer layer—the part of the skin that interacts directly with the world around us and plays an important role in our protective barrier.
The dermis, beneath it, contains much of the structural framework that helps give skin its strength and resilience—including collagen and elastin.
As we age, changes occur in both.
And what is happening underneath eventually becomes visible on the surface.
So let’s talk about some of the changes we actually see.
1. Collagen: Why Skin May Not Feel as Firm as It Once Did
You’ve probably heard the word collagen hundreds of times.
But what exactly is it?
Collagen is one of the major structural proteins in our skin. I like to think of it as part of the skin’s internal support system.
When we’re younger, that support system is generally more abundant and organized.
With age, collagen production and content decline, and years of UV exposure can contribute additional damage.
For women, menopause adds another important dimension. Declining estrogen is associated with accelerated changes in collagen, particularly during the early postmenopausal years.
When I first learned that, some of what I was seeing in my own face suddenly made much more sense.
As collagen diminishes, we may begin noticing:
Less firmness.
More visible lines and wrinkles.
Changes around the jawline.
A different overall texture and appearance.
It isn’t our imagination.
There are structural changes occurring beneath the surface.
And understanding that made me much more interested in skincare designed to support the appearance of mature skin rather than products promising to somehow make aging disappear.
2. Elastin: The “Snap Back” Isn’t Quite the Same
Collagen and elastin are often mentioned together, but they aren’t identical.
If collagen contributes strength and structure, elastin contributes elasticity—the skin’s ability to stretch and return toward its original shape.
With age, the skin’s elastic properties change. Hormonal changes associated with menopause can also play a role in changes to the skin’s overall structure and resilience.
Think about a new elastic band compared with one that has been stretched repeatedly over time.
I don’t mean that our skin literally behaves like a rubber band, of course. 😊 But the comparison helped me understand why skin can gradually look less taut and why we may notice changes in areas such as the cheeks, neck and jawline.
Here’s the important part:
Loss of elasticity isn’t evidence that we’ve failed to care for ourselves.
It’s part of biology.
Our job isn’t to feel ashamed of it.
Our job is to understand it and make thoughtful choices about how we care for our skin.
3. Moisture: Why Mature Skin Can Suddenly Feel So Dry
This one was particularly personal for me.
Dryness was one of the changes that initially sent me searching for better skincare.
I couldn’t understand why products that had once seemed perfectly adequate weren’t doing enough anymore.
Then I learned that aging skin tends to become drier and may not retain moisture as effectively. During menopause, hormonal changes can make dryness even more noticeable for some women.
That changes the conversation about moisturizer.
Moisturizing mature skin isn’t simply about making the surface feel soft for a few hours.
It’s also about helping support the skin’s moisture balance and barrier.
This is why I became so interested in ingredients and formulations associated with hydration and barrier support.
And it taught me one of my favorite skincare principles:
Hydrated skin and healthy-looking skin are very close friends.
When my skin is properly hydrated, it looks plumper, smoother and more radiant.
No magic.
Just better-supported skin.
4. The Skin Barrier: Your Bodyguard Needs Care Too
Here’s a phrase you’re going to hear often in The Sunday Skin Edit:
The skin barrier.
Think of the outermost layer of your skin as part of your body’s protective shield.
It helps keep needed moisture in while helping protect against environmental exposures.
As skin becomes drier and more fragile with age, maintaining that barrier becomes especially important.
This is one reason I’m not a believer in punishing mature skin.
More scrubbing isn’t necessarily better.
More exfoliating isn’t necessarily better.
More active ingredients aren’t necessarily better.
Sometimes our skin is saying:
“Please stop fighting me and start supporting me.” 😊
Gentle cleansing, appropriate hydration, moisturization, sun protection and carefully chosen actives may not sound as exciting as a viral ten-step routine.
But sometimes simplicity is sophisticated.
5. Cell Renewal Changes—and We May Notice It as Dullness and Texture
Remember that beautiful “glow” we often associate with youthful skin?
Part of what we’re seeing involves the condition and smoothness of the skin’s surface.
The epidermis continually renews itself, but those biological processes change as we age.
The result can contribute to skin that appears:
Duller.
Rougher.
Less even in texture.
Less naturally luminous.
This helped me understand something important about radiance.
Glow isn’t just shine.
Healthy-looking radiance is influenced by hydration, texture, pigmentation, surface smoothness and the way light reflects from the skin.
That’s why simply adding something shiny to our faces isn’t the same as helping our skin look genuinely luminous.
6. Hormones: The Part of Skin Aging Women Don’t Talk About Enough
This deserves special attention.
Women can experience noticeable skin changes during perimenopause and menopause, when estrogen levels decline.
Estrogen has important relationships with skin collagen, thickness, elasticity, moisture and other aspects of skin physiology.
That does not mean every change we see is caused by menopause.
Aging is complex.
Genetics matter.
Sun exposure matters.
Environment matters.
Lifestyle matters.
Our individual health histories matter.
But hormonal change can be an important part of the picture for women.
And I wish more women knew that.
Because imagine the difference between looking in the mirror and thinking:
“I’m just falling apart.”
versus:
“My body is changing. My skin is responding to those changes. Let me learn how to care for it now.”
Those are two very different conversations with ourselves.
And MediLuxe will always encourage the second one.
7. Sun Exposure: Some of What We Call “Aging” Isn’t Just Aging
This was another revelation during my research.
There is intrinsic aging—the natural biological process of getting older.
And then there is extrinsic aging—changes influenced by outside factors, especially cumulative ultraviolet exposure.
UV exposure contributes to what we call photoaging, which can show up as wrinkles, uneven-looking pigmentation, texture changes and loss of elasticity.
That means some of the visible changes we associate with age reflect not only the passage of time but also decades of environmental exposure.
And this brings me back to something I told you last Sunday:
Don’t forget your sunscreen! 😊
Broad-spectrum sun protection remains important at every age.
At 68, sun protection still matters to me.
And if we’re investing time and money into caring for our skin, protecting it makes sense.
So Why Doesn’t My Old Skincare Routine Work Anymore?
Now we can finally answer that question.
Because you don’t have the same skin you had 20 or 30 years ago.
And that’s okay.
The cleanser that once left your skin feeling squeaky clean may now feel too stripping.
The lightweight moisturizer you loved at 35 may not give your skin enough comfort at 65.
You may now care more about hydration, barrier support, uneven-looking tone, firmness or texture than you did when breakouts and oiliness were your biggest concerns.
This doesn’t mean everyone over a certain age needs the same routine.
Far from it.
There is no universal mature-skin prescription.
But it does mean we should give ourselves permission to reevaluate what we’re using.
Instead of asking:
“What should a 68-year-old woman use?”
I prefer:
“What does
my skin
need at 68?”
Now we’re having the right conversation.
What Does Mature Skin Need?
After everything I’ve learned, I keep coming back to a few fundamentals:
Gentle cleansing.
Consistent hydration and moisturization.
Support for the skin barrier.
Daily sun protection.
Targeted ingredients chosen according to individual concerns.
Patience and consistency.
And perhaps one more thing that won’t appear on any ingredient label:
Grace.
Grace for the skin that has accompanied us through every chapter of our lives.
Grace when the mirror looks different.
Grace when something changes.
Grace to care about our appearance without believing our worth depends upon it.
And grace to continue wanting to look beautiful at every age.
This Is Why Understanding Your Skin Matters
When I began my skincare research, I thought I was looking for products.
What I was really searching for was understanding.
Once I understood more about collagen, elasticity, hydration, the skin barrier, hormonal changes and environmental damage, skincare stopped feeling like a desperate attempt to “fix” aging.
It became something much more positive:
Intentional care.
That’s the philosophy I carried into MediLuxe.
I don’t want us to fear mature skin.
I want us to understand it.
I don’t want us chasing youth.
I want us pursuing healthy-looking, beautifully cared-for skin at every stage of life.
And I certainly don’t want any woman looking into a mirror and deciding that because her face has changed, her beauty has somehow expired.
Because you already know what I believe about that.
Beauty has no expiration date.
And neither does confidence.
With love and confidence,
Valya Lee
Founder & CEO
MediLuxe Skincare
Until next Sunday—care for your skin, honor your journey, and never put an expiration date on your beauty.
Skin Edit Sources & Further Reading
For readers who enjoy going a little deeper, these dermatological and scientific resources helped inform this week’s edition.
American Academy of Dermatology — Caring for Your Skin in Menopause
A helpful overview of dryness, collagen changes and other skin changes that may accompany menopause.
American Academy of Dermatology — How to Care for Your Skin in Your 60s and 70s
Practical dermatologist guidance concerning gentle cleansing, moisturization, dryness and sun protection for mature skin.
Skin Ageing — Clinical and Experimental Dermatology
A scientific review discussing collagen, elasticity and other physiological changes associated with skin aging.
Menopause and the Skin: Old Favorites and New Innovations in Cosmeceuticals for Estrogen-Deficient Skin
A scientific review exploring the relationship between menopause, estrogen decline and changes in skin.
A Note from MediLuxe
Sunday Skin Edit is provided for skincare education and general informational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Individual skin needs and responses vary. If you have a skin condition, persistent irritation, or questions about whether a particular ingredient is appropriate for you, consult a board-certified dermatologist or other qualified healthcare professional.