3 Focus Points For Easing Wrinkles With A Sensitive Skin Type

Much of the rhetoric around skin aging is quite aggressive–extra-potent topicals and intense treatments with extensive downtime, for example. However effective that may be for some folks, it’s certainly not an ideal route for those with sensitive skin. 

A lovely middle ground exists between supercharged retinols and do-nothing topicals. For exfoliation purposes, try AHAs like mandelic acid, phytic acid, or even lower concentrations of lactic and glycolic acid. 

Look for formulas that buffer exfoliants with hydrating ingredients, like ceramides, peptides, and hyaluronic acid, to reduce the potential of irritation. And remember: You don’t need to exfoliate every day. (In fact, those with sensitive skin probably shouldn't!)

Your fine lines will look more pronounced when paired with dry, dehydrated skin. When your complexion is adequately moisturized, those wrinkles may begin to fill out more than you might expect. 

Sensitive skin especially calls for moisturizing products with intentionally soothing ingredients, like chamomile, hypochlorous acid, hyaluronic acid, fatty acids, and so on. Additionally, skip the fragrance when you can. 

There’s a lot of noise around collagen's efficacy as a supplement, which is understandable—some supplements aren’t formulated to be properly digested by the body.

However, hydrolyzed collagen peptides (aka, collagen broken down into a digestible form) have been shown to support skin elasticity and dermal collagen density2 in clinical studies. 

RELATED: A Guide To Collagen Supplements: Benefits For Hair, Skin & More

While the research on collagen supplementation is still quite young, the data we do have is pretty impressive (think major meta analyses and randomized clinical trials). Better yet, you can find plenty of safe and effective options on the market now—here’s a list of some of our favorites, if you’re curious.