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With social media overflowing with products and treatments promising younger-looking skin, figuring out which habits actually deserve attention can become overwhelming. Dr. Alicia Gonzalez-Fernandez, a London-based physician and aesthetic doctor, takes a broader approach that combines skincare with nutrition and lifestyle choices. Her nine recommendations range from daily sun protection and retinoids to eating well and being realistic about wellness trends such as saunas and cold plunges.
1. Take Sun Protection Seriously
Sun protection sits at the top of Dr. Gonzalez-Fernandez’s list because ultraviolet exposure contributes significantly to visible photoaging, including wrinkles and pigmentation changes. She recommends SPF 50, reapplying sunscreen throughout the day when appropriate, and using additional protection such as sunglasses and UPF clothing. Areas such as the ears, neck, hands, and skin around the eyes can easily be overlooked, so protection should extend beyond the center of the face.
2. Keep Your Skincare Routine Simple and Consistent
A complicated shelf filled with skincare products is not necessarily the secret to aging well. Dr. Gonzalez-Fernandez favors a relatively simple routine performed consistently and advises giving changes time to work instead of constantly switching products in search of faster results. She suggests allowing roughly three months to judge a routine’s effects, unless a product causes irritation or another unwanted reaction that gives you a reason to stop sooner.
3. Protect in the Morning and Repair at Night
Her morning routine focuses on protection, including an antioxidant such as vitamin C, moisturizer when needed, and daily sunscreen, while also avoiding excessive exfoliation or harsh products that can compromise the skin barrier. At night, she shifts toward recovery and recommends retinoids, beginning slowly and increasing use as the skin adapts, followed by moisturizer. These are technically two of her nine rules, but together they create a straightforward daily strategy: protect the skin during the day and give evidence-backed active ingredients time to work at night.
4. Think About Preserving Collagen Over Time
Collagen production and changes in the skin’s underlying structures are another part of Dr. Gonzalez-Fernandez’s approach to aging. She discusses professional treatments designed to stimulate or support collagen, along with hydrolyzed collagen supplements, although individual results and the evidence behind specific interventions can vary. Her broader point is that aging involves more than individual wrinkles, with changes occurring across the skin, fat, muscle, and bone that collectively influence facial appearance.
5. Don’t Forget About Vitamin D
Dr. Gonzalez-Fernandez also includes vitamin D in her recommendations, particularly from her perspective practicing in the United Kingdom, where limited sunlight during parts of the year can make adequate vitamin D harder to obtain naturally. Vitamin D is important for bone and muscle health and normal immune function, but supplementation needs can differ depending on diet, sun exposure, location, age, and medical circumstances. Rather than assuming that more is always better, people can discuss appropriate supplementation with a healthcare professional when they are unsure about their needs.
6. Limit Smoking and Alcohol
Not every aging strategy comes from a skincare bottle, and Dr. Gonzalez-Fernandez emphasizes limiting smoking and alcohol as part of looking after the body and skin over the long term. Smoking in particular is associated with premature skin aging in addition to its much more serious effects on cardiovascular, respiratory, and cancer risk. Cutting back on alcohol and avoiding tobacco therefore reaches far beyond appearance, making these lifestyle choices much more consequential than most cosmetic interventions.
7. Eat a Varied Diet With Enough Protein and Fiber
Nutrition is another foundation of her approach because healthy skin, hair, and nails depend partly on receiving adequate nutrients rather than relying entirely on supplements or topical products. Dr. Gonzalez-Fernandez recommends eating a varied diet with an emphasis on fiber and protein, preparing fresh foods when possible, and making sure overall calorie and nutrient intake is sufficient. Her advice also puts expensive aesthetic treatments into perspective, since they cannot compensate for every effect of consistently poor nutrition or smoking.
8. Treat Sauna and Cold Plunges as Optional Extras
Wellness trends can make it seem as though everyone needs a sauna, cold plunge, or elaborate recovery routine to age successfully, but Dr. Gonzalez-Fernandez takes a more relaxed position. She says people who enjoy sauna use can continue doing it and notes evidence for potential cardiovascular benefits from traditional Finnish sauna bathing, but she does not consider it essential. She takes a similar approach to cold plunges, emphasizing that people should not feel obligated to follow every popular longevity practice simply because it is trending.
Aging Well Is More About Consistency Than Chasing Every Trend
Taken together, Dr. Gonzalez-Fernandez’s nine rules are less about stopping aging and more about supporting the skin and body as aging naturally occurs. Sun protection, a consistent skincare routine, appropriate nighttime actives, good nutrition, avoiding smoking, and other sustainable habits may be less exciting than the latest viral treatment, but they form the core of her approach. The larger takeaway is that aging well does not require doing everything available to you, especially when the basics are often the habits that matter most over time.