A 102-year-old shares her simple, science-backed skincare secrets — and they don’t include antiaging creams

Deborah Szekely shared her skincare secrets.

From looking at her, you wouldn’t guess Deborah Szekely is 102 years old. Three days a week, the centenarian works at the health resort in Baja California, Mexico, which she founded with her husband in 1940 — and she doesn’t plan to stop until nature tells her to, she told CNBC Make It earlier this year.

She also seems to have avoided the loss of skin plumpness and sun spots that often come with age.

With people living longer than ever before, the market for antiaging products is growing rapidly: it’s estimated to be worth $41.2 billion in 2023, and projected to reach $60 billion by 2030, according to market research company Research and Markets.

But Szekely’s secret to good skin isn’t spending hundreds of dollars on creams that promise to turn back time. Instead, she credits her lifestyle choices and a few simple skincare products. This chimes with research: One 2023 review of evidence published in the journal Cosmetics found that a good diet, physical exercise, and getting enough sleep appeared to help skin health as people age. Research also suggests that how skin ages is affected by genes, which are out of our control.

B-17 spoke to Szekely to find out how she’s kept her skin in such good condition.

Eating “fresh, healthy foods.”

“I give all the credit to a good diet and regular exercise. It’s very important to keep moving. Even now, at 102, I walk a mile every day,” Szekely said.

One review of studies published earlier this year in the journal JMIR Dermatology suggested that regular exercise can reduce age-related skin changes such as wrinkles and dry skin.

Diet can also plays a role.

Szekely said she eats mostly “fresh, healthy foods,” which she thinks has contributed to her great skin. She doesn’t eat highly processed foods that contain more than three ingredients.

Szekely is 102 years old and works at her health resort, Rancho La Puerta.

A 2020 review of studies published in The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology suggested that a whole-food, plant-based diet could help prevent skin aging. The authors argued this could be because it reduces the number of carcinogens people ingest and lengthens telomeres, which are the DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes that shorten over time and cause markers of aging on a cellular level.

Sunscreen is the best way to prevent skin aging

Szekely has a simple daily skincare routine, too.

“Here’s my secret: you must thoroughly clean all the makeup off your face before sleeping,” she said.

Her biggest skincare recommendation for younger people wanting good skin is to wear sunscreen. She wears a moisturizer containing sunscreen every day.

Dr. Derek V. Chan, a board-certified medical and cosmetic dermatologist based in Manhattan, previously told B-17 that sunscreen is “by far the most important part” of an antiaging skincare routine. Using a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or more every day can help protect against the aging effects of ultraviolet light, he said.

Many of Szekely’s tips are in line with those her fellow centenarians have previously shared with B-17 when it comes to maintaining health, fitness, and skin quality later in life.

A 101-year-old man named William, who didn’t share his last name, said his secrets to staying healthy past 100 are eating healthily, staying active, and having a long, varied career.

And Toshiko Eto has practically no wrinkles at 80, which she attributes to eating fermented foods as well as her skincare routine.

Dr. Tina Alster, a dermatologist and director at the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery, told B-17 at the time that genetics and protection from the sun are “likely the two most important factors” for Eto’s skin looking so young.