SeniorWomen.com's Interview with Maia Moura
A number of years ago, I was in Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City attending to my quest for the most expensive item obtained at the least expensive price. While waiting for one of my bargains to be rung up, a very attractive woman makeup artist offered to freshen my makeup, now almost nonexistent. Since at the time I was 63 years old and looked a bit wan from my day job a couple of blocks away, I welcomed the invitation.
After Maia had finished, I actually did look fresher and, for once, not 'made up.' Usually, after a professional makeup session, I'd run back home or to the ladies room to remove a large portion of what had been applied. Shockingly, Maia didn't even take my elbow and try to steer me to to what she considered products to be 'for me only' at a 'special price,' perhaps expecting that I would splurge on a specific brand of cosmetics. I went back to the office feeling quite pleased with the way I looked: fresher and rested.
I've asked Maia Moura to give us a few tips about what the older woman encounters as her skin ages and what can be done to mask and correct some of those conditions. Too late we've realized that since we didn't put SPF #82 or higher on our face to protect it from the sun, we now have to pay the price. We belonged to the generations that put baby oil on our skin to increase the reflection of the sun's dangerous rays while baking and broiling to achieve a requisite summertime bronzing.
Q: What are the common skin types that you encounter with a woman over fifty?
Maia: There are six categories of skin that we see: normal, normal-to-dry, or very dry complexions; oily, normal-to-oily or very oily complexions.
Q: What kind of skin problems are common in the older woman?
Maia: Some are common to women of any age. Most problems that women encounter with aging skin consists of dry skn, dehydration, fine lines, augmented pigmentation, age spots, sun spots and otherdamage from the sun.
Q: How would you advise a woman who has dry, sun damaged skin?
Maia: The best treatment to use to help this a condition of mottled or hyper-pigmented skin is to use the following types of products before applying makeup or just before retiring in the evening:
- a gentle cleanser
- a good eye cream and
- a rich moisturizer with a sun-block protection during the daylight hours
- a creamy concealer and a foundation with moisturizer for daytime.
Q. What about the more average skin conditions?
Maia: If someone has normal to oily skin, especially in the t-zone, I'd recommend a good cleanser and toner, a moisturizer for combination skin, and a creamy concealer. I'd also recommend an oil-free moisturizing foundation. You can, in addition to the above steps, dust your face with translucent powder in order to set the oily area and dull any shine.
Q: What do you suggest for someone with Rosacea?
Maia: First, it's important to use the correct moisturizer for a dry or oily skin type, but a foundation with a yellow-tinted base is very helpful in toning down a reddish coloration. Several companies have developed specific products to help the condition known as Rosacea.
Q: What are some of the important factors when considering skin products?
Maia: I recommend a creamy
concealer for all kinds of skin types because the area around the eyes
is the driest, usually. Mixing this with a eye cream is helpful in
covering heavier lines around the eyes.
The use of skin cleansers,
toners, eye creams and moisturizers are both necessary and important to
maintaining good, healthy skin. Select the ones that best suit your condition
but do use them daily before going out and each night before going to bed.
An older woman's individual facial skin condition will dictate the choice
of the right foundation, the right concealer and/or the right powder.
All three products are not necessary for everyone but any combination of
the three can contribute to a fresher, more rested look.
There are many reasonably priced products made for different skin types that will give the older woman a clean, healthy appearance and a natural, radiant look. Next time, we'll focus on makeup tips.
©Tam Martinides Gray for SeniorWomen.com