We can’t all have J-Lo’s flawless skin – or the army of makeup artists paid handsomely to ensure she maintains that youthful glow. But, there’s no need to be green with envy. With some time, knowledge and a solid head-start, you can have luminous skin for life, too.
When to Start Anti-Aging Products?
Yikes, what a loaded question. Now prepare yourself for an evasive answer – there is no universal ‘best age’. It’s really more a matter of what’s your skin type, external factors and yes, age. Lump them together like a ridiculous equation and you’ll quickly uncover the best answer for yourself.
The Skinny on Skincare
Your skin is the best determiner as to when you should roll out the red carpet for anti-aging products.
- Dry or Sensitive Skin: Your poor skin is a desert, eternally begging for moisture. Luckily for those with dry skin, anti-aging products are formulated for drier complexions so you can start on these products now, if need be.
- Normal, Combination or Oily Skin: You generate enough natural oils that you really don’t need to start anti-aging products early, you’ll only give yourself skin issues (blackheads, acne) if you do.
Sorry to Burst Your Bad Habits
There are some pesky external factors that will rally against you, so if you really want to prolong
- Smoking: Kiss smoking goodbye if you’d like to remain wrinkle-free! There’s a lot of evidence suggesting darts reduce collagen stores (collagen keeps skin tight and wrinkle-free) leading to you guessed it, premature aging.
- Unprotected Skin: When you’re younger it’s easier to be willy-nilly about regular sunscreen use. If you’re going out during the apex of the day, slap on a layer of
broad spectrum SPF 30.
Fun Fact: If you’re a chain smoker and practice unsafe sun exposure – aka, sans sunscreen – you are 10x more likely to get early wrinkles!
- Drinking. Alcohol breaks down your skin’s
collagen, and considering stores of this protein already reduce with age, drinking is not something you should do on the regular if you want to have radiant skin. (Psst: Jo-Lo doesn’t drink at all! Hence, that beautiful skin!)
The Age Old Question
While there is no set time for when you should start using anti-aging products, dermatologists strongly urge everyone to use sunscreen and moisturize daily (or use a combo product) as your best line of defense against age. Every age has different needs.
20s : Wear your sunscreen to prevent sun damage! Some dry skin types may venture into anti-aging products.30s : Fine lines and crow’s feet are sneaking in. Shut the door on their progress by drinking plenty of water and nixing the bad habits. Pick up creams rich in antioxidants meant for your complexion to protect and repair your skin.40s : Collagen production is down – oh my – your skin will show its age (loss of elasticity, less radianceand uneven complexion) if you don’t start stimulating collagen production (retinol) and using anti-aging products religiously.50s : Although you can’t erase age you can tone it down by using pure retinol products, consuming essential fatty acids and using ultra-moisturizing creams, like Skinstitut from Active Skin.
Fight the Signs of Age with Anti-Aging Products
It’s inevitable, we all get older, but we can do so more gracefully and without the added expense of makeup artists to customize our beauty routine. You just need to be aware of the three main factors that’ll bring out wrinkles and when to start using anti-aging products – then you’ll shine like J-Lo!