The common-sense brigade was aghast when, aged just 20, Scarlett Johansson confessed to a reporter: 'I already use anti-ageing products. It's hard not to feel under pressure - everybody in Hollywood is just so damn beautiful.' It's not just celebrities feeling the antiageing pressure. According to recent research, a third of women under the age of 25 are regularly applying products meant for the over-40s.Young women could actually be accelerating the ageing process (left) in the attempt to keep their youthful looks (picture posed by models) But some experts say that not only are these young women wasting their money on things they don't need, but, horrifyingly, they could actually be damaging their skin permanently. For a start, creams designed for older skins can be heavy and, when applied to younger ones, cause problems, as Dr Susan Mayou, consultant dermatologist at London's Cadogan Clinic, explains. 'Eczema patients who use products that are too greasy often suffer from a condition called occlusive folliculitis - sweat cannot escape from behind clogged pores, causing itchy red lumps.
Teenagers using a heavy product could suffer from the same thing.' While this sort of mild infection is temporary and can usually be cleared up with an over-thecounter topical antibiotic, it's when young women use creams that have high concentrations of ingredients such as retinoids (derivatives of retinol, a form of vitamin A) and AHAs (alpha hydoxy acid compounds like glycolic acid and lactic acid) that the problems really start, according to dermatologist, Dr Nick Lowe. 'These compounds are included in anti-ageing products because they basically break down the top layer of your skin, increasing the rate at which skin renews itself,' he explains. SKINMany high-end brands now have skincare ranges specific to teenage skin, including Clinique's Anti-Blemish range and Dermalogica's CleanstartIn older skin, the benefits of inflicting deliberate damage to the outer layer of the skin outweigh the negatives, as it helps to speed up cell turnover, a process that slows with age, and evens out uneven skin tone.
But with younger skin, which is less resilient, you're corrupting the skin's natural water-retaining protective function for no good reason. 'Younger skin, especially the skin on the cheeks, can be more sensitive than older skin, so it's more prone to react badly to these active ingredients. That can result in irritation - redness, itching, flaking and so on. 'If these teenagers are lucky, when they stop using the cream, these symptoms will go away. If they don't, they probably need to spend more money on creams to try and get their skin back to normal.' However, more worrying than simple irritation is the long-term damage that could result from uninformed use of retinoids and AHAs. 'Because these compounds damage the outer layer of the skin, they increase skin photosensitivity, leaving skin far more susceptible to sun damage,' explains Dr Lowe. 'Anyone who uses a product that contains any significant concentration of these is advised to ensure that they use sun protection every day.
If you don't religiously apply an SPF when using products like these, not only are you more susceptible to sunburn, but, ironically, you can actually cause many of the problems that you're trying to avoid - age spots, uneven pigmentation and even wrinkles.' So, if you're a teen worried about ageing, what do the experts suggest? 'Simple,' says Dr Lowe. 'Don't use sunbeds, don't smoke and do use an SPF15 sunscreen that also contains proven UVA protection every single day. 'That's going to be infinitely more effective than using products meant for women three times your age.'Let's say you believe that whole theory of eyes being the windows to the soul. In that case, you probably shouldn't allow the theoretical window frames to appear neglected and unloved. Whether the shadows, bags, and lines are the result of overindulgence, sun damage, lack of sleep, or allergies, an eye cream—like the seven options below—can help minimize the damage. Kylie Jenner Is Launching Blushes, and the Shade Names Are Pretty Risqué
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The fact is, you may not see wrinkles now at the age of 25, but you may see them debuting in your early 30s if you don’t use anti-aging products in your 20s. Hence, it is advisable to begin a disciplined anti-aging regimen as early as possible to prevent premature aging.Below mentioned are a few reasons to begin using anti-aging products in your 20s. Signs of aging such as wrinkles and fine lines are usually an accumulation of microscopic scars that are formed at the time of sun exposure. These signs certainly don’t appear overnight, which is why it is a good idea to act at the right time and not when it’s late. Experts reckon that you should start implementing a disciplined skin care regimen right from your 20s to ensure that your skin ages gracefully in the coming years. Also, make sure that you rely only on the best and most reliable skin care brands for better health of your skin. While shopping for anti-aging products, look for their ingredients and carefully read the label before making the purchase.
Don’t wait till you begin to see the conspicuous signs of aging on your skin. Instead, start using anti-aging products in your 20s itself.Unsurprisingly, it takes less money, time, and energy to prevent the formation of wrinkles than to rectify them. Correcting an already formed wrinkle is harder and time consuming, which means it takes longer time to see the progress of corrective measures. That’s why, your best and most reliable option here is to intervene sooner. Think of the best organic and zinc based sunscreen with at least SPF30+, that contains powerful antioxidants.Taking care of your skin in your 20s is just not about maintaining your youthful complexion, but also about keeping your skin healthy and free from disorders. As per The American Academy of Dermatology, one in five Americans develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Although genes do play a vital role in shaping the health of your skin, excessive sun exposure too is a significant factor worthy of consideration. And so, it is imperative to provide complete protection to the skin using natural anti-aging products.
Another undue advantage of using anti-aging products in the 20s is that these products will keep your skin awake for longer hours. Quite irrefutably, the 20s is the time when individuals work and party hard, which may affect the quality of their skin too. Besides, there aren’t many concealers out there who do a good job of concealing the tiredness of your skin. So, always opt for anti-aging products that can give a seamless glow to your skin naturally without causing any side-effects. And over time, slowly and gradually, you will begin to notice an improvement in the appearance of aging signs such as dark spots and fine lines.So don’t give up on your work hard and party hard lifestyle only because your skin doesn’t reciprocate accordingly. Instead, rely on some amazing anti-aging products that help your skin recover from all the accumulated stress.Sadly, we start losing collagen, an essential protein to maintain our skin’s elasticity, in our 20s. So, although we may not have visible wrinkles at this age, the process of wrinkle formation has already begun.