Model Molly Sims Says This Is the Biggest Skincare Mistake Women Make Over 50 (Exclusive)
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When it comes to celebrities with enviable skin, supermodel, actress and entrepreneur Molly Sims is right up there with the best of them. But that wasn't always the case, according to the YSE Beauty founder who admits she entered her best skin era in her 50s.
After years of compromising her barrier with excessive sun exposure, aggressive chemical peels, and a rollercoaster ride of skincare product trial and error, she's wised up in the process.
Here, she tells Parade what she learned along the way and the absolute biggest skincare mistake women make over 50.
Courtesy Molly Sims
Related: My Honest Review of Molly Sims' YSE Beauty Skincare Routine
Molly Sims on the Biggest Skincare Mistake Women Make Over 50
With all the pricey products, high-tech tools and advanced treatments in the skincare world, it may come as a surprise to some that Sims' #1 skincare no-no is pretty simple: inconsistency.
"Women either do too much, or they don’t do anything at all," she explains. "I know some who use too harsh of actives and ruin their skin barrier, but, on the flip side, I also know women who are not being proactive enough about their skin and not investing in the right skincare and treatments. Both are huge mistakes in my book."
Having a routine and being consistent with your skincare is the best thing you can do for your skin at 50, which is why Sims is such an overachiever when it comes to her YSE Beauty skincare routine. "I never miss a day," she says.
Sims' Personal Skincare Routine
Sims credits her 5-step routine for being the reason behind her megawatt glow and starts each day with a gel-oil cleanse, quick exfoliation with Your Favorite Ex Pads, a brightening treatment with Morning Cocktail Vitamin C Serum and Wide Awake Eye Cream, and glow-enhancing SPF primer application.
Her nighttime routine swaps vitamin C serum for retinol and an Xtremely Rich Moisturizer but Sims is diligent about sticking to both—and never falling sleeping with her makeup on.
Another big no-no, no matter what age you are.
6 Other Skincare Mistakes to Avoid in Your 50s
1. Using hydroquinone
"I won't go back to hydroquinone, ever," Sims says. "It’s just way too harsh and made my skin super dry, red and irritated."
2. Overscrubbing your face
Sims points out that she was ruining her skin barrier by doing this. Instead of scrubbing with washcloths, facial brushes or other aggressive tools, keep things simple with your two bare hands and soft cleansing strokes.
3. Rubbing instead of tapping in eye cream
"When it comes to eye cream, I am way more gentle when I use it now," she says. "The skin around the eyes is so thin and if you aren’t careful, it can damage the area."
Try a light tapping motion when you apply eye cream with your ring finger to use the least amount of pressure on the skin.
4. Using cleanser to remove mascara
Rather than wrestling her mascara off with irritating cleansers, rough washcloths and other abrasive exfoliants, Sims reaches for soothing micellar water to remove her eye makeup these days.
5. Not getting facials
"Routine facials are also insanely important," Sims notes, adding that she can’t recommend them enough. "Facials are just able to penetrate the skin deeper than any product can."
6. Skipping SPF
Perhaps the most important rule of all is to always finish your daytime routine with SPF.
"Contrary to my days in my 20s, now I never skip a day of applying sunscreen," Sims adds.
Related: The Type of Food Molly Sims Never Eats After 4 P.M.
The Best At-Home Skincare Devices to Use
In addition to consistently using efficacious skincare products, Sims relies on a few tried-and-true at-home devices to maintain her youthful, radiant glow.
"If you have followed me on Instagram for a while, then you know I love my NuFACE Facial Toning Device," she shares. "All you need is five minutes and you instantly will get a mini facial lift."
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"Nuface uses microcurrent technology, which works wonders for toning the face and reducing fine lines and wrinkles but the best part is, you always see an immediate difference," she says.
In addition to the main Trinity+ device, which comes in a Mini+ Petite size and smaller, Line Smoothing pen, they also have a Body Toning device and attachments for reducing wrinkles and targeting lip lines.
"I am also a big fan of red light therapy and have been using LightStim a few times a week, which helps to rejuvenate my skin," says Sims. "It’s non-invasive and painless and works to improve the texture and tone of your skin. Red light therapy is something I splurge on because it's essential for calming inflammation and the overall shrinking of pores."
In-Office Treatments to Try in Your 50s
While she loves her NuFACE and LightStim for at-home self-care, there are a few treatments Sims leaves to the pros like microneedling, which she started doing this past year and swears by.
"Be sure to get it with PRP," she advises, which is a medical term for platelet-rich plasma with concentrated growth factors taken from your blood. As creepy as it sounds, it's great for the circulation of the skin and the production of collagen; it also helps with improving skin texture, and getting rid of any sun spots and scarring, according to Sims.
"Dr. Haleh Bakshandeh is my derm and I go to her for botox and microneedling, although I love a great peel and do this once to twice a year." Her one caveat with peels? She suggests starting them later in life—in your late 40s and 50s. "You have to really watch the sun after you do this too," she warns.
Finally, radiofrequency is something Sims does both at home and in the office, saying that NuFace is such a great device to have on hand to stay consistent when you aren’t at your dermatologist or aesthetician. "This specifically helps with depuffing when I have larger events," she shares. "My esthetician Catherine Esposito does this on me before every red carpet and I see a massive difference."
Courtesy Molly Sims
Skincare Treatments to Skip in Your 50s
These days, Sims stays away from laser treatments, saying you have to be extra careful with anything that has to do with heat on your skin.
"I also avoid excessive filler; I feel like it can go wrong too quickly and it can move around and end up not giving you the long-term results long term that you want," she says.
Related: The Best Morning and Night Skincare Routines
Sims' Favorite Skincare Products
When asked about the skincare products that have been a gamechanger in her routine at 50, Sims doesn't hesitate, saying it's hands down the YSE Beauty Morning Cocktail Vitamin C Serum and YSE Beauty Your Favorite Ex Pads that have continuously improved her skin as she ages.
"The ingredients are gentle enough to not ruin your skin barrier but also active enough to do what they say they are going to do because at 50 we just want RESULTS," she explains. "Our exfoliating pads are truly revolutionary when it comes to changing the texture of your skin and vitamin C is just a staple that should always be in your skincare routine." You know that glow she always has on her 'gram? Three forms of stabilized vitamin C would be to thank for that. Call it the dull skin transformer, if you will.
Lastly, when Sims travels to France, she likes to stock up on French pharmacy favorites like Bioderma Micellar Water and Avene Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream. "Then when I’m on the go, I make sure I have Neutrogena Fragrance-Free Makeup Remover Wipes," she tells Parade.
Although Sims doesn't recommend using these day in and day out, she says they’re great to tuck into your purse or a carry-on for when you’re not at home. "They have a tiny travel-size version now too, that I have in my carry-on bag at all times."
