What’s the best age to start on anti-aging skincare?


How old should I start on anti-aging skincare?  Am I too young to begin using anti-aging treatment products?  I often get this type of questions posed by younger readers who want to know if they should start on an anti-aging skincare regime. So I thought it’s about time I address this question as a post, and find out if there is an ideal age when one should start using anti-aging skincare products.

Aging starts from mid 20s
Although the general consensus seems to be that anti-aging should begin when one hits 30, visible aging of the skin actually starts at about age 25 based on various books and online information I’ve come across. Apparently, this is because the natural regenerative process begins to slow and there is a generally slower skin cell turnover. According to Dr Howard Murad in his book “The Water Secret: The Cellular Breakthrough to Look and Feel 10 Years Younger”, at about age 25, the skin begins to show signs of intrinsic aging and these subtle skin changes include:

  • Reduction in skin firmness as collagen fibers begin to lose their resiliency and become thicker and brittle because collagen fibers decrease by about 1 percent each year starting at this age.
  • Reduction in skin elasticity as elastin fibers become loose and break easily; there are also fewer of them.
  • Reduction in the water-holding molecules surrounding the collagen and elastin that keeps them pliable and moist.

According to an article on Daily Mail, your skin starts to age naturally in your mid-20s.

According to Dr Andrew Wright, a consultant dermatologist with Bradford NHS Trust, as we get older production of collagen – the protein which acts as scaffolding to the skin – slows, and elastin, the substance that enables skin to snap back into place, has less spring and can even break. Dead skin cells don’t shed as quickly and turnover of new skin cells may decrease slightly. This causes fine wrinkles and thin, transparent skin – even if the first signs may not appear until our mid-30s (unless accelerated by smoking or sun damage).

Skin produce 1% less collagen each year
Interestingly, another article on Daily Mail suggest that intrinsic aging starts even earlier from age 20, “when you produce about one per cent less collagen each year – collagen is the protein mainly responsible for keeping skin tone tight and plump. The degradation of collagen and its partner elastin (think elastic), plus, later on, the reduction in the hormone oestrogen due to menopause, are the big villains that make skin thinner, drier, droopier and more fragile”.

Intrinsic aging is natural
Intrinsic aging, for those interested to know, is the natural aging process. Dr Howard Murad defines intrinsic aging as the type of aging that occurs whether or not you were exposed to sun, pollution, stress, alcohol or other aging elements. So even if you were to live in a cave or an enclosed environment, your skin and your cells will still experience intrinsic aging, and genetics has a big part to play in this.

Skincare tips for those in this age group
Well, if you’re 25 or about to hit 25, you don’t have to go crazy about developing an anti-aging skincare regime. Personally, I would think that your lifestyle is more important than you think. Sleeping earlier, having sufficient rest, eating well, and not smoking are probably more important than slathering anti-aging creams. I would say sun protection is key and you may want to start on that even earlier.  Other than that, keep your skincare regime simple, but start looking beyond moisturizers to use serums containing cell renewal ingredients that can encourage collagen production and help prevent fine lines such as vitamin C.  And very importantly, make sure you cleanse your face well and you exfoliate your skin regularly like once or twice a week.

Comments

  1. Suseibush says:

    I really appreciate the owner of this article who shared information about the anti aging process that in what age it comes what are facts. I thank again and keep it up.

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