When it comes to skincare, anti-aging is the name of the game. It’s the main goal that everyone seeks — to retain that youthful glow well beyond your 30s and 40s. And while the claims that these so-called fountains of youth make can feel convincing, how likely are they to actually reverse the aging process and peel the years off our face? While anti-aging products are definitely an effective alternative to a facelift, there are some important things to know about using them that the beauty companies don’t reveal.
You won’t wake up with a new face
These results take time and consistent application. If you’re diligent about it one week but forget the next, results aren’t necessarily promised. So if you see marketing on a product that promises fast results in days or weeks, be wary and carefully read the ingredient list. If it sounds like an impossible miracle, it probably is. Use your cream or serum every day for the max benefits. It takes one to two months to see the results, since skin needs to experience a full cycle to create new cells.
Moisture isn’t the only key
Hydrating is an important aspect of your skincare routine, but it’s not everything. While moisturizing will bring you plump skin, but mostly on the surface. Ingredients like hyaluronic acid will provide moisture in a balanced way, but not a highly penetrative account. It holds more water into the skin, which is the true key to hydration. Therefore, look for high amounts of hyaluronic acid in whatever you use.
The amount of active ingredients
Often, active ingredients are used in small amounts, which doesn’t justify a high price tag. When looking for your active ingredients like antioxidants and retinol, you must check that they’re available in a high enough concentration to be effective. How can you tell? Because it should be one of the first ingredients in your ingredient list. Otherwise, you’re just wasting that hard-earned money.
Antioxidants are key
There’s no one magical ingredient that holds off the signs of aging, but antioxidants sure come close. Apart from protecting skin from free radical damage, pollution, and sun damage, these powerhouses support protein structures in the body by slowing down the rate at which they’re degraded. Popular antioxidants are available in green tea extract, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and resveratrol, which is also found in red wine. You should look for all of these in the ingredient list of your product.
Retinol is an anti-aging powerhouse
As human bodies age, they lose Vitamin A. Retinol, a natural form of Vitamin A, stops that process from happening. It builds collagen, fixes discoloration, and increases the turnover of cells. Dermatologists all agree that this specific form of vitamin A is one of the best wrinkle erasers on the market today by naturally replenishing the body with what it needs for glowing skin. Retinol retains skin to behave like more youthful, healthier ones due to increasing the rate of turnover.
Money isn’t everything
You might think: the more expensive a product is, the more effective it’ll be, right? Nope, that’s just marketing. You need to be Abe to weed out the bad ingredients from the good ones, and the science of what makes those good ones work. Therefore, if a product has high amounts of antioxidants or retinol, it doesn’t matter if it’s $10 or $100. The more you know! Trust science, not advertisers.
Sunscreen is the number one measure against aging signs
You can use as many trendy products and detailed skincare routines as you want, but wearing sunscreen is still the most important measure to prevent damage that UVB and UVA rays cause. Stick with a minimum of SPF 30, going higher if you aren’t highly melanated. It used to leave white residue and go on with a greasy, pasty texture, but today, you can find super lightweight and matte formulas with hyaluronic acid, so no excuses!
Alpha hydroxy acids
Citric acid, glycolic acid, and lactic acid all come from milk and fruit sugars. They’re a top ingredient in anti-aging products because they slough off dead skin with the power of exfoliation while encouraging the growth of a new layer. Lactic acid (derived from sour milk) brightens skin, while glycolic acid (derived from sugar cane) reduces wrinkles. They each serve a different and useful purpose, so keep an eye out for these in your products.