How Gen X Canadians are caring for their aging skin | Canada Voices

Being in your 50s has never looked so good. Consider Drew Barrymore, Ricky Martin, Adam Scott and all of the Spice Girls as prime examples. How much cosmetic work they’ve had done is debatable but their skin care routine likely comes with a cost regardless.

Consumer intelligence company NielsenIQ identified that those in mid-life make up one-quarter of the total global spend for beauty products and beauty services.

Its report “The X-Factor: How Generation X is quietly driving trillions in consumer spending” also estimates the Gen X beauty market will grow to 1.3 times its current size in the next five years, capturing an additional US$80-billion. But in the noisy beauty space, where shiny new products and cutting-edge technology seem to roll out non-stop, what’s worth it?

“There are no shortcuts. Healthy aging skin isn’t about finding one miracle cream or one miracle procedure,” says Dr. Kucy Pon, a dermatologist for over two decades and an associate professor at the University of Toronto, “It’s the small things you do consistently – wearing sunscreen every day, using evidence-based skin care, choosing treatments that improve skin quality, exercising and staying active, sleeping well and looking after your overall health – that make the biggest difference over time.”

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Similarly, the mid-life beauty conversation is moving away from anti-aging messaging and toward longevity and aging well, says Dr. Pon, who is also director of aesthetic dermatology & laser surgery at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. “10 to 15 years ago, patients typically came in asking me to erase a specific line or soften a few wrinkles,” she says. Most patients in their 50s are no longer trying to look 20 years younger, nor do they want to look “done.” The collective aim is to look healthy and well-rested.

Treatments for skin tightening are popular for those in this age group, says Dr. Lisa Kellet, a Toronto-based dermatologist and owner of DLK on Avenue who notes that aging is a personal journey people should experience their own way.

When it comes to at-home care, the latest data from Statistics Canada showed households including those aged 40 to 54 spent $2,467 on personal care in 2023 and those aged 55 to 64 spent $1,759, increases of 32.6 per cent and 25.7 per cent from 2021, respectively. This included a boost in skin care spending.

When it comes to how much to spend, well that’s up to you. “Invest in products with strong scientific evidence behind them rather than expensive packaging or long ingredient lists,” Dr. Pon says. Both doctors suggest using vitamin C in the morning and a topical retinoid at night to brighten and smooth skin, reduce dark spots and stimulate collagen production. And always wear sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. “It doesn’t make sense to come and start doing anything aesthetic if you’re not going to protect your skin,” Dr. Kellett says.

“I’m big into let’s get your skin healthy first. Let’s get rid of any precancerous spots – the things that are going to affect your lifespan or your quality of life,” she says. “The benefit to doing that is that healthy skin aesthetically looks better.”

To understand the personal experience of aging in a judgment-free zone, we asked six people in their 50s to share how they choose to care for their skin.

Adrian Carew, 57

Hairstylist and owner of Hair91 salon

How much I spend on my skin in a year:
It’s less than $200, because there’s nothing I really do daily. I cleanse my face about once a week. I use some products from The Ordinary, including a $26 cleanser, $25 moisturizer and a $10 glycolic acid toner. But I don’t apply them regularly. My routine is just standing in the shower and washing my face with water. That’s it. Before trimming my beard, I’ll exfoliate it with a no-name scrub to get the hairs to stand up, and I’ll use shaving cream to shave my head.

How I take care of my skin:
I have never done any treatments. No injectables, no nips and tucks, nothing of the sort. I’m not against anybody who has done it, but I’ve never had to. I’ve been blessed with some good genes. I have very little wrinkles. People don’t believe that I am my age.

How I feel about aging:
Going grey has been the main change. But I’m not an old man. I still carry myself in the same way, still have fun getting dressed, I love fashion and clothes. A lot of people as soon as they hit 50 let themselves go. Not me. I’m in the gym five times a week, going out and having fun. I’m enjoying myself. 57 is just a number. Moving through this decade is just another stepping-stone into greatness. Don’t let the grey beard fool you.

Omita Mansur, 59

Retired financial manager

How much I spend on my skin in a year:
In my skin care routine I focus on four things: cleansing, moisturizing, exfoliating and protecting. I prefer oils to creams and I’ve been using a $36 Mad Hippie face oil for the last decade. For the last few years I’ve been putting on an SPF 40, before that I used a face cream with a lower SPF in it for 20-something years. I don’t wear makeup daily, but if I’m going out then I use a tinted moisturizer with SPF in it. Every few months I’ll use an overnight sheet face mask. I spend about $600 a year, which usually includes a restorative facial with lymphatic drainage and red-light therapy.

How I take care of my skin:
I feel that what goes in my body, like healthy eating, is more important than surface fixes. I’m sensitive to anything harsh and I haven’t done any injections. Voluntarily sticking needles in my face is just not something that I would do. I’m not even good at wearing nail polish, it feels smothering.

How I feel about aging:
I don’t mind aging. Physically, obviously, there’s lots of things that have changed. My skin tone is not as even, I’ve got frown lines, my lids are droopy. But I feel like your face really reflects the life you’ve lived. I’ve been through lots of difficult and amazing things, and I’m happy to be here still standing and feeling strong.

My mom recently passed away. She was a very spirited person, and she looked young because of her spirit. I feel that is more important. The creases and the softness in my skin that has replaced the tight, firm skin is a testament to what I’ve experienced. I feel like I’ve been tenderized.

Carlene Higgins, 51

Co-host of Breaking Beauty podcast and founder of Cassatt Beauty

How much I spend on my skin in a year:
I am a huge believer in lasers now, and I spend around $4,000 a year on two seasonal sessions. And I spend approximately $1,200 to $1,500 a year on skin care, buying a mix of drugstore staples and luxurious hydrators. I understand what my skin needs more now, so I don’t waste money on, say, an eye cream that I would never use.

How I take care of my skin:
I developed perimenopausal-onset rosacea in my late forties, with flare-ups of redness, itching and sometimes UV sensitivity. It was recommended that I seek laser treatment. I go in the spring and the fall and do three to five sessions a month apart. I alternate between Excel V+, to target spider veins, and BroadBand Light that focuses on dark spots. It really helps with my redness and stimulates collagen production. I can’t believe how much clearer and smoother my skin is now. It’s a game-changer.

Previously I would get minimal Botox to achieve a brow lift effect, but then – not because of Botox – I started developing ptosis, which is very common age-related drooping eyelids. I got a blepharoplasty to correct it, which was around $10,000.

I use Bioderma Sensibio H2O micellar cleanser, $26, and an essence lotion from Clé de Peau, $180. I’ve been using sunscreen every day since I was in my mid 20s. La Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra Fluid SPF 50+, $36, is so reliable.

I also use a very gentle retinoid on a regular basis – I developed one because I couldn’t tolerate any other formulas. I’m a former beauty editor, and Cassatt Beauty La Pomade Retinoid Skin Ointment came from my years of interviewing dermatologists and aestheticians who always come back to retinol.

How I feel about aging:
I’m very neutral about wrinkles. They just don’t bother me; I find them attractive.

Shari Koffman, 57

On-air beauty expert

How much I spend on my skin in a year:
I spend around $2,000 on skin care products and about $5,000 on Botox and laser treatments each year. I do a morning and evening skin care routine with five to six products. A few are from the drugstore but the majority you’d find in a dermatologist’s or plastic surgeon’s office. I like SkinCeuticals and Alastin. I look for products that are science-backed with good clinical studies behind them. I want to see results.

How I take care of my skin:
I never skip applying vitamin C and SPF in the morning and I never miss doing my skin care routine at night, no matter how tired I am.

Once a year, I’ll do a laser treatment, like Halo or a BroadBand Light, for dark spots. I’ve been doing lasers for the last five years to clear up all the damage from baking in the sun in my mid-20s. I tried Intense Pulsed Light treatment (IPL) in my 40s, it faded spots, but the minute summer hit they would come back. Laser seems to work better.

I do Botox usually twice a year on my forehead, the lines between my brows and crow’s feet. Now that I’m in postmenopause, I do my neckbands and jawline for a bit of a lift. I do like the results – I don’t like some of the side effects. With Botox in the neck, if I’m doing sit-ups, which I do a lot of, that can feel kind of heavy on my neck. It’s a trade-off.

About two years ago I had an upper blepharoplasty to fix ptosis. And I’ve done two rounds of fat transfer under my eyes to fix hollowness. In my 40s, I had some filler underneath the eyes, and it was great for years. When I went into menopause, something wonky happened – it started to move and I was getting puffiness.

How I feel about aging:
Confidence is the best thing that comes out of menopause. I’m not concerned with looking younger, but I am concerned with looking the best I can for where I am in my life right now.

Michael DeCorte, 51

Yoga instructor

How much I spend on my skin in a year:
I’m dedicated to using drugstore skin care products, and my budget doesn’t exceed $500 a year these days. It might have years ago, when I was trying all the well-marketed, more expensive products. But now I know the ones that I like are good. If something is on sale, I buy it in bulk and save some money.

How I take care of my skin:
I’ve been doing a daily skin care routine since I was 28. Now, I do it every time I get out of the shower, which can be two or three times a day. I like a gritty facial scrub to exfoliate, such as St. Ives Apricot Scrub, $9. I use a $30 Neutrogena moisturizer, and I’ve always used an eye cream. Right now, it’s a hydrating one from Garnier which helps with darkness under the eyes and has a cooling roller ball which I like the sensation of. When it goes on sale for $18 from $30, I buy four or five.

At 39, I started getting Botox to get rid of deep frown lines. They made me look angry and anxious all the time. I didn’t really like the result at first – it didn’t look natural – but with my doctor we figured out what worked for me. Up until last September I’d get a bit every four to six months and spend about $600 each time to kill movement in the middle of my face but keep mobility on my forehead. We called it The Reese Witherspoon. I haven’t had the desire to do it again because my skin is very smooth there now, and I just don’t want to allot the money.

How I feel about aging:
Making it to 50 is a real gift. As an aging gay man, we don’t have a lot of elders because many people from the generation before died of AIDS. It’s my privilege and duty to be a role model for the younger generation. My mantra is: ‘I’m happy, I’m healthy, I’m whole and I’m full.’ I’m good enough as I am – turning 50 made me feel a lot more confident.

Daisy Chew, 54

Agency director at Sutherland Models

How much I spend on my skin in a year:
I used to spend $3,500 to $5,000 including skin care products and facials but I fell in love with K-beauty during a trip to Korea earlier this year. There are so many beauty clinics – it’s so much cheaper and the treatments are non-invasive. I found a clinic with a translator; told them my budget was $1,000 Canadian and that my biggest concern was I don’t have a jawline any more. I got two procedures. Onda, which they describe as ‘microwave effect’ technology which sounds gross, but it burns fat cells, and Titanium Lifting for tightening. I bought an extra check-in suitcase to bring back $600 worth of Korean beauty products.

How I take care of my skin:
I didn’t care much about skin care in the past; I just used Dove soap. When I turned 50, I got shingles on my face. I thought it was acne at first. It spread to my eye, my entire face blistered and from that day forward I realized I needed to be more aware of any changes on my face. Then I started noticing dark spots on my cheekbones, so I went to a dermatologist. Thankfully they were just age spots. The derm put me on a bunch of products. Every three months I’d be spending $500, and I didn’t see much change. Then around 52 or 53 years old I started noticing jowls, but I wasn’t ready for anything invasive.

How I feel about aging:
I’ve learned that my skin is so much more vulnerable than I thought. When you’re starting to talk about the possibility of skin cancer we need to start thinking differently. I would tell anyone, including my 20-year-old self, to get that SPF on and stay away from the sun.

These interviews have been edited and condensed