Tips for more youthful-looking skin

SHRINK YOUR PORES

Your pores expand as gunk accumulates in them—and the older you get, the more likely they are to stay expanded. Put them on a diet by switching to a cleanser with salicylic acid, which "dissolves the oil in the pores," says New York City and Coral Gables, Florida, dermatologist Fredric Brandt. It also helps slough away dead skin that can lead to clogging. We like Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Facial Cleanser and Bioré Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser.

LET IT RIPD

eflate and clean pores—like the ones on your nose—once a week with pore strips. (Try Bioré Deep Cleansing Pore Strips.) "They really do work," says Francesca Fusco.

SLATHER ON THE SUNSCREEN

By now you probably know that you need a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least an SPF 30, that the ingredients Mexoryl and Helioplex offer the longest-lasting protection, that you have to slather a tablespoon's worth of the stuff on your face and a shot glass–size dollop on your body...and that it's necessary to reapply every two hours if you're outdoors, including any time spent in your car. Now you just need to do it—every single day. We recommend Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 55 (with Helioplex) and La Roche-Posay Anthelios 40 (with Mexoryl), because neither will turn your skin ghost white or greasy.

GET MORE BEAUTY SLEEP

If you go to bed 15 minutes earlier, progressively, for four nights running, you'll establish a routine where you get an extra hour of dark circle-zapping rest. For your best shot at the necessary eight hours, quit the coffee after 3 P.M. and avoid exercising in the three hours before bedtime. Log off in plenty of time, too—your face is more important than Facebook. And stop hitting the snooze button the next morning—fragmented sleeping just makes you groggier.

REMEMBER THE RETINOL

Retinol rules—it's "the only thing that's been proven to reduce fine lines over the long-term," Brandt says. But like even the best long-term relationships, it isn't 100 percent perfect. It can increase sun sensitivity (that's why it's best applied at night) and it makes some women peel, flake, redden, and itch. New York City dermatologist Howard Sobel advises taking things slow: Dab it on every other night, or dilute it with plain moisturizer, until you know your skin can handle it. (Try Dermadoctor Poetry in Lotion 1.0 or RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream.)