So what can you do now if you haven’t been heaping on sun protection since infancy? For starters, women of all skin colors should apply it daily (yes, daily—not just when you’re beach-bound). As any dermatologist will tell you, being in the sun also brings whatever damage you’ve accumulated in the past to the surface. By slathering on sun block, you’re not just preventing future damage, you’re also keeping what’s hidden in your skin’s lower layers from emerging into view.
Once you’ve committed to sunscreen, your next step is to fade the dark spots you already have. What will do the job: pigment-targeting topicals, applied to your spots. In East Asia, these products are best-sellers and are typically labeled “whitening,” says Yoko Kisara, 40, a beauty writer in Tokyo. Here in the States, they’re marketed as “brightening” and “tone correcting,” but the goal is the same: to fade just the over-pigmented areas (not your whole face). Two to try Origins’s new Brighter by Nature Skin Tone Correcting Serum ($40; origins.com) or Clinique Even Better Skin Tone Correcting Moisturizer SPF 20 ($43; clinique.com), which hits counters next month. For severe mottling, Wu suggests prescription products with hydroquinone or tretinoin (in Retin-A), chemical peels or intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy.
Very few Japanese women over 40 complain about dry skin, says Hideko Hattori, a dermatologist and director of the Skin Navi Clinic, in Tokyo. In fact, thanks in part to the high humidity in coastal Japan, some midlife women still complain about excess oil. You can’t change your climate, but you can adopt a few habits that will keep your skin from drying out.
Most Japanese use air conditioners and heaters very sparingly. In fact, in the summer, many companies adopt what they call a “cool biz” policy, allowing their employees to dress more casually in order to feel comfortable in what most of us would think of as an uncomfortably warm environment. As a result, people’s skin tends to stay a lot more hydrated. Try it at home and, if possible, in the office. Believe it or not, your body will adjust—and your skin will thank you for it.
Japanese women are also very disciplined about moisturizing. Many are willing to adhere to a daily regimen of four or more steps (whereas most American women want one hard-working product that does it all), Hoshino says, and at least two to three of the products they use are geared toward hydration. For example, Ikuko Watanabe, 50, a Japanese fashion stylist, uses a creamy cleanser, a moisturizing toner (called a softener in Japan), a hydrating serum, a serum to fade dark spots and a hydrating sunscreen. Many women also use a hydrating mask at least once a week. (See “Japanese Skincare Secrets," for specific skincare product recommendations.)
“In the Chinese and Japanese cultures, facial massage is part of the skin care ritual. My mother taught me, once I was a teenager, to do a facial massage every night after washing up,” Wu says. Facial massage is based on the East Asian traditions of acupuncture and acupressure, stimu-lating certain points of the face to increase circulation, boost radiance and improve your skin’s ability to absorb skin care ingredients. “What’s interesting,” Wu says, “is that many of the pressure points associated with facial massage are the very same points dermatologists inject with Botox. For instance, the spot between your brows where the frown lines form—and the temples, just outside the eyes’ outer corners.” Wu is convinced the facial massage produces a measurable result, because “15 years ago, when I was just beginning to use Botox and fillers in my practice, I offered to inject my 55-year-old mother. But when I sat her down in my office chair, I suddenly realized that she had no wrinkles.”
To experience a facial massage, visit a Shiseido counter in September.. With the purchase of any Shiseido Future Solution LX product, you will receive a free facial massage and tutorial. Or go to sca.shiseido.com for a map that details how to do your own massage.
Shop like the Japanese: see our slideshow of fine-line fighting products.
