Beauty
Woman divulges her real age and shares her secret to 'well-aging' skin
We might not be able to stop aging...but we can certainly outsmart it. She's how old?!
Kristin Danley-Greiner
11.17.21

She’s beautiful, youthful and the talk of the town now that she’s divulged her real age. Known best as YouTuber Gothamista, a woman named Renee stunned the approximate 660,000 followers on YouTube who couldn’t believe her real age.

“What!? I can’t believe you’re turning 50. Your skin looks absolutely amazing. I always thought you were in your 30s!” stated YouTube fan Paulina Nowak.

YouTube/Gothamista
Source:
YouTube/Gothamista

Renee, a.k.a. Gothamista, shared in a video tutorial her favorite well-aging practices skincare routine, some of which seem obvious and others are fantastic secrets that are now readily available to anyone interested in slowing the aging process.

“I’m reaching a big milestone soon and to celebrate it, I want to share more of my skincare tips for well aging. I’m very okay and comfortable with aging, which is inevitable, expected and a privilege. I’m not trying to freeze the process, but rather just do it gracefully and well! Instead of aging, I considering it “well preserved,” Renee shared.

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A post shared by Ꮢenée (@gothamista)

Holistic aging

Her preferred approach to aging is holistic and she gravitates toward topical solutions because she’s “too lazy” to have work done or get injectables, she confesses.

“If it requires something to be done very few months, it’s just not going to happen. I can’t even do lash extensions. I don’t mind seeing the changes … I don’t need to stop the aging process. I just want to do it gracefully,” Renee noted.

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A post shared by Ꮢenée (@gothamista)

Besides “treasure hunting” for beauty products, Renee has spent more than a decade in the buying and development side of beauty products. With skin that’s considered to be dehydrated and sensitive, she said you don’t need to start any well-aging practices until you truly need them.

“All this time I thought you were in your mid-30s!!! Can’t believe you’re turning 50 soon … I really love your approach to ‘anti-aging.’ I’m in my 20s and I’ve been feeling overwhelmed with the obsession over anti-aging, especially the fear of wrinkles and expression lines. I’m honestly looking forward to aging and proudly wearing signs of experience and life on my face,” said YouTube follower Sarara Jafrin.

Renee said she hesitates to answer when someone asks when to start, because everyone’s skin is different and ages differently.

“I’m not into doing things to your skin before you need it,” she said.

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A post shared by Ꮢenée (@gothamista)

Never enough antioxidants

One can never have enough antioxidants in her routine, Renee said. The environment plays a significant role in the skin’s aging process, along with diet and genetics, she noted.

“Ascorbic acid a.k.a. vitamin C has the most evidence behind it. It will always have a place in my routine,” Renee shared.

YouTube/Gothamista
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YouTube/Gothamista

Firming collagen, retinoids

Collagen helps a person’s face stay firm. Another perk is that brightens skin and gives what Renee referred to as a “vitamin C glow.”

Vitamin A is a retinoid that can reverse the signs of aging, but mostly only in prescription-strength form.

“There are nuances between the ones you can use that’ll tackle all different signs of aging and wrinkles,” Renee said.

YouTube/Gothamista
Source:
YouTube/Gothamista

Halting hyperpigmentation

Hyperpigmentation, or sunspots, is the main way Renee’s skin has shown signs of aging. Thankfully there’s a multitude of products to help with the unevenness. There’s nothing over the counter or topical to get rid of sunspots, but products can help improve their appearance depending upon how dark the pigmentation is.

“One treatment will not do it all. There are targeted serums, new treatments, pigmentation correctors and other tools to help. Sunscreen is the most important thing you can do to avoid or reduce sun spots,” she said.

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A post shared by Ꮢenée (@gothamista)

Super important sunscreen

It’s a given that everyone should wear sunscreen for the myriad ways it protects the skin. Renee uses vitamin C and applies sunscreen during the day for protection, then adds a vitamin A serum at night.

“You’re set with that. Then you can focus on individual skin needs and concerns,” she said.

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A post shared by Ꮢenée (@gothamista)

Importance of exfoliation

Exfoliation is important in every woman’s skincare regimen, which helps shoo away dullness and lack of glow and luster that healthy skin sports. Renee advised choosing the correct method for your skin, whether it’s gentle or strong.

“I didn’t start exfoliating regularly until after my 30s. I didn’t feel the need. But I felt rough patches and saw flakiness that I thought was just dryness, but it was the build-up of dead cells,” she said. “I had adult onset acne that was concentrated along the jawline, the super painful large ones. We no longer have collagen and skin elasticity as we did when teenagers. I had acne all over my face and because my skin had elasticity, it didn’t leave scarring. But adult onset acne has left pinprick scars.”

YouTube/Gothamista
Source:
YouTube/Gothamista

Sagging, wrinkles

As everyone ages, their face either sinks or sags. As volume in skin disappears, skin will drop downward or sink inward. Renee testified that she’s more of a sinker than a sagger, but either way, copper peptides is the solution.

“Peptides helps maintain skin firmness so we don’t sag. Lines won’t appear deeper. Once you have vitamin C and A, good hydration and peptides will make a difference,” she said.

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A post shared by Ꮢenée (@gothamista)

Hydration is key to supporting an essence toner or serum for eradicating fine lines. She said if you want bouncy skin, use essence. If you want to balance out your skin, go with a serum.

“I tend to layer multiple skins with a hydrating essence because I go through serums quickly. If you’re sagging, you could consider a microcurrent device that exercises the muscles in your face. You have to be consistent to maintain results though,” Renee advised. “Deeper wrinkles are very much resistant to topical treatments and there is only so much you can for fine lines, but a good exfoliator should help as will plumping them out with good hydration and moisturizers.”

Renee shares several products that she uses in her own routine in this video, including a beneficial moisturizer that offers a barrier and hydration, letting her look “more dewy and healthy.” Watch and see if any of these products and routines would work for you in the video below!

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