The Forties: Rewrite Your Skin Story
There is a moment in your forties when the skin starts telling the truth more loudly than it ever has before. The cheeks do not bounce back quite as quickly, the lines through the forehead linger longer into the day, the jawline softens, and makeup that used to glide now sits on top and betrays every bit of texture. I hear the same sentence over and over in my treatment room: “It feels like it all changed overnight.” The reality is that it did not change overnight. The biology has been shifting quietly for years, and the forties are when it finally steps into the light.
What is happening under the surface is simple and ruthless. Collagen, the protein that gives your skin its structure and density, has been declining by roughly one percent per year since your mid-twenties. As you move into your forties and hormones begin to change, that decline accelerates. Estrogen supports collagen, moisture, and thickness of the skin, so as estrogen falls, collagen production can drop by thirty percent in just a few years. Elastin, which gives skin its snap-back, has been damaged for decades by UV, heat, and inflammation and is incredibly difficult to rebuild. Cellular turnover, which once completed a full cycle in about twenty-eight days, can slow to forty, fifty, even sixty days in this decade. Dead cells cling longer, pigment settles in, pores look larger, and everything just looks a little more tired. Fat pads in the face shift downward, bone subtly remodels, and the architecture beneath the skin changes shape. None of this is your imagination. It is physiology.
Layer hormonal changes on top of this, and the picture becomes even clearer. As estrogen drops, the barrier becomes more fragile, skin becomes drier and more reactive, redness and flushing increase, and fine lines deepen more quickly. This is why so many women in their forties sit in front of me and say, “My skin is not behaving the way it used to.” They are exactly right. Their skin is not the same skin they had ten years ago, and it cannot be treated that way any longer.
This is where I am very honest. I am in my forties. People often tell me I do not look like I am, and there is a tendency to assume that because I own a skin clinic, I must be constantly doing aggressive treatments on myself. The truth is that I do treatments strategically, not constantly. The real reason my skin looks the way it does is that I have honored the foundations for years and I have trusted one medical-grade philosophy with my skin for almost fifteen years now. The foundation starts with skincare. Not a bathroom full of random products, not a once-a-year laser, but a consistent, intelligent routine that is built for what the skin is doing biologically in this decade of life.
At Raw Canvas, we customize the foundation for every single patient. Cleansing and toning are never one-size-fits-all. If you are dry and reactive, you do not get the same starting point as someone oily and acne-prone. If you have rosacea, melasma, or a fragile barrier from over-treating, we build differently. But the principles remain the same: cleanse properly, tone purposefully, exfoliate intelligently, hydrate and repair the barrier, and protect with SPF three hundred and sixty-five days a year. Always. Sun damage does not care whether it is summer, winter, cloudy, or if you work indoors. UVA, the “aging ray,” penetrates glass and drives collagen breakdown all year long. If you are serious about aging well in your forties, sunscreen is not optional.
A typical foundation in my world often includes a cleanser like ZO Hydrating Cleanser, which respects the barrier rather than stripping it, and a toner like ZO Calming Toner, which helps reset pH and quiet inflammation so that active ingredients can work properly on more stable skin. Exfoliation is supported with ZO Exfoliating Polish a few times a week to lift that clingy, compacted layer of dead cells and restore brightness, without over-thinning already aging skin. Hydration and repair come from functional products that do more than just “feel nice.” ZO Daily Power Defense is one of those. It is a staple in almost every regimen I build, because it supports DNA repair, reinforces the barrier, and protects against environmental stress. It is not a fluff product. It is a workhorse and it belongs in nearly every forties routine. From there, we layer in hydrators like ZO Recovery Crème when the skin is fragile or post-treatment, because it comforts, calms, and supports firmness rather than just sitting on top.
Once the foundations of cleanse, tone, exfoliate, hydrate, and protect with SPF are in place and consistent, that is when we earn the right to build with treatment products. This is where we go after collagen, elastin, texture, pigment, and the deeper signs of aging. For structural support, I love combining ZO Facial Peptide Concentrate with ZO Firming Serum and ZO Growth Factor Serum. Facial Peptide Concentrate delivers a concentrated hit of peptides that help reinforce the skin’s architecture and improve the appearance of firmness and elasticity, which is critical in a decade where everything wants to descend. Firming Serum supports the visible shape and contour of the skin, helping the jawline, cheeks, and neck look more lifted and defined. Growth Factor Serum works like a signal booster for tired cells, encouraging regeneration, smoothing texture, and restoring resilience to skin that is already under hormonal and environmental stress. This trio becomes part of the prevention strategy, not just a reaction once things are “bad enough.”
And then there is retinol. If skincare is the foundation, retinol is the reinforcement beam inside the walls. I have an entire blog dedicated to my two-year journey with retinol, where I talk openly about peeling, redness, and what I jokingly call the “retinol uglies,” because I want you to understand that the process is real, but the payoff is extraordinary. Retinol works by accelerating your skin’s natural cell turnover. It pushes out the old, damaged cells faster and forces new, healthier ones to the surface. That shedding process, called desquamation, is not your skin misbehaving; it is your skin training. I liken it to going back to the gym after a long break. The microscopic tears in the muscle are what allow it to rebuild stronger. Retinol creates a similar controlled injury at the cellular level, and your skin responds by becoming thicker, smoother, clearer, and more even over time.
This is why I often say retinol behaves like a topical version of what our lasers do: a controlled injury designed to push the skin to repair, reorganize collagen, and behave like a younger version of itself. It is not instant gratification. In my own journey and with countless patients, the true magic shows up around the twelve- to eighteen-month mark, when pigment softens, fine lines smooth, pores look tighter, and the skin becomes more self-regulated in terms of oil and resilience. But that only happens if you commit, support your barrier, and respect the process.
In the clinic, I use different ZO retinol formulas depending on what your skin is asking for. If pigment and uneven tone are the main concerns, or if you are new to retinol, I will often start with one of the ZO Brightening / Skin Brightener retinols in 0.25, 0.5, or 1 percent. These use an oleosome delivery system that releases slowly and acts more at the surface level, which makes them kinder for sensitive or pigment-driven cases. When texture, etched lines, and more advanced aging are the priority, ZO Wrinkle + Texture Repair 0.5% becomes a key player. It uses a microemulsion delivery system that penetrates deeper into the dermis where collagen lives, creating more meaningful change for roughness and wrinkles. For those who are ready for a more intensive reset, ZO Radical Night Repair 1% is what I describe as a retinol boot camp. It is intense, especially when used in short, focused protocols, but the outcomes for texture, sun damage, and overall renewal can be profound when it is done correctly and supported with the right hydrators and barrier care.
I want you to understand that none of these treatment products replace the foundation. They sit on top of it. We customize the cleanser and toner to your skin type. We ensure exfoliation is appropriate for your barrier and not just something you do because TikTok told you to. We hydrate with intention, using products like Daily Power Defense and Recovery Crème that actively support repair and defense. We put you in SPF every single day of the year, because without that, everything else is damage control. Only then do we layer in Facial Peptide Concentrate, Firming Serum, Growth Factor Serum, and the right retinol for your concerns, whether that is brightening, wrinkle repair, or a full Radical Night Repair reset.
When patients tell me I do not look like I am in my forties, I take it as a compliment, but I also see it as an opportunity to educate. I am not immune to aging. I have the same biology you do. The difference is that I have spent years working with it instead of against it. I have treated my skin like a long-term investment, not a crisis. I have trusted ZO as my core system for almost fifteen years, well before Raw Canvas became what it is today, because I see how the skin responds when you use proper medical-grade foundations and then build strategically with treatment products.
If you are in your forties and feel like your skin has suddenly aged ahead of you, I want you to know there is a very real, very science-based way to change that story. It starts with understanding what is happening under the surface. It continues with building the right daily foundations and protecting yourself with SPF every single day. And it grows stronger when you layer in treatment products like peptides, growth factors, and retinols that are matched to your skin, your tolerance, and your goals. Aging is inevitable. How your skin looks and feels while you age is absolutely something we can influence. And that is the work I love most.
And before I finish, I need to talk about the neck, because the neck tells the truth before the face ever does. The neck ages faster. It has fewer oil glands, thinner skin, and less natural support. The “tech-neck” lines that deepen from looking down at our devices, the crepiness, the laxity, the loss of contour, they all appear earlier and more dramatically in this area. This is why I always tell my patients: your face ends at the nipples. Everything you apply to the face must be intentionally dragged down through the neck and décolleté, because this entire region behaves as one aging unit.
With this in mind, the new ZO Neck Complex has become one of the most impressive additions to the ZO line because it speaks directly to the biology of aging in this delicate zone. Formulated with ZPRO® and next-generation targeted peptides, it works to reverse multiple visible signs of neck aging: crepey skin, deeper horizontal lines, loss of elasticity, uneven tone, and the sagging that softens the jawline. It supports collagen and hyaluronic acid replenishment, helps improve thickness and firmness, and uses innovative peptide technology to brighten and even the appearance of the skin. The clinical results speak for themselves, smoother texture, more lifted contour, softer lines, less crepiness, and a noticeably more uniform tone. This is not a simple moisturizer. It is a dual-action medical-grade formula designed specifically for the realities of neck aging: thinning skin, weakened structure, and accelerated decline.
If you want your neck to age gracefully alongside your face, supporting it with intentional products and daily downward application is essential. And this formula finally gives us the tool that meets that need.
And as I always remind my patients, your face ends at your nipples. Everything we do for the face should be carried down through the neck and chest, because this entire area tells our story. Aging is not something to fear. It is something to move through with intention. Forty does not stay forever, and fifty will be here before we know it, but there is something profoundly grounding about caring for yourself along the way. It is a privilege to age, a beautiful one, and I am grateful that I get to do it with purpose, intention, and as much grace as I can.
If anything in this resonated with you, think of it as an invitation to check in with your skin, whether you have been with me for years or are just beginning your journey. Sometimes all we need is a small adjustment, a refresh of the routine, or a conversation about what your skin is asking for now. Other times, we explore ways to support your skin more deeply, treatments, collagen stimulation, brightening, or simply strengthening your foundation. Not because we are chasing perfection, but because you deserve to feel confident and at home in your skin.
Raw Canvas has always been built on results, but more importantly, it has been built on connection. I do this work because I love seeing women step back into themselves, feel confident again, and realize that aging does not have to be something we surrender to. We get to care for ourselves in a way that feels good, steady, and empowering.
Thank you for reading, for caring about your skin, and for allowing me to be a small part of your story. Age gracefully, intentionally, and with kindness toward yourself, because the best version of you is not someone you need to chase. She is already there.
xoxo,
Amanda
