At 38, I’m Getting to Know My Skin

Beauty spots, Gucci bags + finding my way through skincare as a biracial Islander man.

Lately, I’ve been taking a lot of notice of my freckles. My beauty spots, if we’re being respectful.

I’m not entirely sure whether there are more of them or whether I’m simply paying closer attention to my face. I’ve even wondered whether being so consistent with sunscreen has something to do with what I’m noticing. I don’t have an answer to that yet.

What I do know is that my skin is feeling good. And I have been working at it.

Skin needling, compounded skincare, skin boosters, sunscreen. There is effort involved here. I enjoy looking after my skin, and I’m happy to admit that.

My under-eyes, however, would like everyone to know when I haven’t slept.

The Gucci bags are bagging.

There’s something quite grounding about putting care into your skin and still having a face that reflects how you’re actually living. At 38, I’m noticing both: the benefits of the work I’ve put in, and the things a cream isn’t going to politely conceal after a poor night’s sleep.

I’m also realising how much of understanding my skin has involved finding my own way.

As a biracial person of colour, there have been plenty of learning curves. I’d describe my skin as sitting around Fitzpatrick III–IV, although that classification describes how skin responds to sunlight. It can’t tell the whole story of my skin, let alone my identity.

And there are things I wish I’d understood earlier.

Why, for example, did I only hear about post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation in my mid-30s?

PIH is the pigmentation that can remain after inflammation or injury to the skin. It can happen to anyone, but it’s more common and can persist longer in darker skin tones. Having language for something like that matters. It helps you understand why your skin might respond differently, and why advice that works beautifully for somebody else needs more consideration before you apply it to yourself.

I’m still learning. Having clinical knowledge doesn’t remove the personal process of figuring out what suits my own skin.

It does, however, make me appreciate a considered approach.

My hot tip is less is more.

Take the time to understand how your skin behaves. Work out what’s actually concerning you. Then choose ingredients and a routine that make sense for those concerns, with guidance where you need it.

There’s a very practical question underneath all of this: can you keep doing it?

If your eleven-step routine is something you can only manage when you’re well rested, have no commitments and feel particularly enthusiastic about being a person, it might need an edit.

At night, I do two things.

I cleanse with a milk cleanser, which is heavenly. Then I apply my specially concocted cream: a retinoid, moisturising ingredients and a brightener in one formulation, chosen for my skin.

That’s my routine, rather than a prescription for everybody else. The useful part is that I can keep up with it. I know what I’m using and why, and it fits into my actual life.

Sunscreen is part of that everyday care too.

I can appreciate a beautiful product and still want a manageable evening. Both things can coexist.

I’m seeing more men take an interest in their skin now, which I love. Caring about your face is becoming a much more ordinary conversation. There’s room to enjoy the cleanser, ask questions and put some thought into looking after yourself.

I would love to see more Islander men in that conversation.

I want more of us visible in the space, talking about our skin and sharing our experiences. I’m finding my way through this as a clinician, but also as a man who would appreciate seeing more people who look like him taking part.

At 38, ageing well feels quite practical to me. I want a healthy skin barrier. I want to pay attention to how my skin feels and how my body is doing. I want to make thoughtful choices about the things I’d like to address.

I also want to enjoy the care itself. The heavenly cleanser is allowed to be heavenly.

There’s still plenty I’m figuring out, including whether I’m noticing new beauty spots or simply getting better acquainted with the ones I already have.

For now, I’m happy with the routine I can maintain, the progress I can see and the attention I’m learning to pay.

And I should probably get some sleep. These bags did not need an upgrade.