In Your 50s

Step 1. Cleanse

Choose cleansers that remove the dirt without stripping your skin of moisture. Products containing natural exfoliators, such as alpha hydroxy acids, help slough away dead skin, clear up menopausal acne and stimulate collagen production.

Step 2. Protect

Daily sunscreen use can halt skin aging by 24 percent, an Australian study finds, so slather up. And monitor pimples that don’t heal, bumps that bleed easily and rough patches — they could be precancerous.

Step 3. Smooth

Retinoids increase collagen production, which promotes younger-looking skin and minimizes skin imperfections, including wrinkles, fine lines and age spots.

In Your 60s

Step 1. Cleanse

Choose a cleanser that removes the dirt without stripping your skin of moisture. Products containing natural exfoliators, such as alpha hydroxy acids, help slough away dead skin, clear up menopausal acne and stimulate collagen production, says Melissa Piliang, a dermatologist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Step 2. Protect

It’s important to continue using a product with broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) daily, but you may need to change to a heavy cream to help retain moisture, says Piliang.

Step 3. Smooth

“Look for a barrier cream to help prevent moisture loss,” says Fusco. “Continue using antioxidant products, including retinoids, but mix them with moisturizer to make them less irritating.” _

In Your 70s and Beyond

Step 1. Cleanse

Washing your face twice daily is just as critical in your 70s as it was in your 40s. Instead of using harsh exfoliating cleansers, which can irritate sensitive skin, choose moisture-rich, creamy ones, says Piliang.

Step 2. Protect

It’s important to continue using a product with broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) daily, but you may need to change to a heavy cream to help retain moisture, says Piliang.

Step 3. Smooth

The key to creating a smoother, younger-looking complexion in your 70s: moisturizer. Consider double-duty formulations that contain a humectant (to draw in water) and a sealer (to prevent it from evaporating).