WHEN TO START USING ANTI-AGING PRODUCTS

WHEN TO START USING ANTI-AGING PRODUCTS

from the artcle 'Val Answers Your Top 20 Skincare Questions'
By Val Monroe
O, The Oprah Magazine  |  March 23, 2011

Q. I'm 26. When should I start using anti-aging products?

A: The day before yesterday (and I wish I'd followed my own advice). Leslie Baumann, MD, director of the Baumann Cosmetic and Research Institute in Miami Beach and author of The Skin Type Solution, says she tells patients as young as 18 to use ingredients that have been shown to slow the effects of aging. When it comes to wrinkles, prevention is key, so it's important to conserve collagen, hyaluronic acid and elastin, all of which keep skin looking plump and firm. Retinoids and antioxidants help preserve all three. For nighttime, Baumann suggests using a prescription retinoid product like Retin-A, Tazorac, Differin or Renova—in conjunction with a daily moisturizer containing antioxidants like idebenone, coenzyme Q10, lycopene, vitamin C, vitamin E and ferulic acid. She points out that the best anti-aging product is sunscreen, used every day, even indoors (where UVA rays can work their bad chemistry through windows).

Bottom line: If you're old enough to ask the question, you're old enough to be using anti-aging products.

Keep reading: Get Val's skincare regimen

MY THOUGHTS

Chances are...you're way past 18.  And you're reading this because your age has started to show. I agree that there should be some amount of care so you're skin will not look as old as you are.  But I prefer to look my age rather than having a face as smooth as when I was born- while the other parts of my body look like...prunes!