Anti-Wrinkle Cream in your 20s?

Last night, my friend spotted a pack of Olay Regenerist 14 Day Skin Intervention on my dresser. Only one of the 14 packets were removed, so she asked if I was using it. "No," I replied, "I just thought I'd try it, because some of my co-worker working on the Olay account at Saatchi thought it was great." Unfortunately, I'm not so good with regimines. Crest White Strips proved that to me! After 5 days, I was forgetting to put on the strips! So, the rest of my 10-day pack was useless!

She took it home and emailed me an interesting questions: "Is 22 years old too young to start using anti-wrinkling creams?"

From my experience working on the Olay team, I could tell her immediately that the two people who recommended the 14 Day system to me in the first place were both in their lower 20s. But I did some more research to solidify my answer.

It turns out that many dermatologists begin recommending anti-aging products that contain niacinamide and retinoids to those in their 20s. The reasoning is that anti-aging products work best as prevention tools rather than treatments. Leslie Baumann, "the Skin Guru", writes about skin care in your 20s and 30s, and says that beyond beginning the use of anti-aging products, the most important thing to do is form good skin care habits:

"Hopefully, you've been using sunscreen regularly since you were a child. (To any parents reading this: Teaching your children about sun avoidance and protection is one of the greatest gifts you can give them!) If you smoke, stop - and definitely don't start. Learn to incorporate skin-friendly foods into your diet, like berries and green tea for antioxidants, salmon and flax seed for omega-3 fatty acids."

Note of Caution: If you are using anti-wrinkle creams, make sure you drink enough water, as most creams cause dehydration and could actually aid in creating wrinkles if not used properly.

Personally, I've been trying to move towards using all-natural body care treatments. But it's just so difficult and expensive to completely switch over everything: skin care, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, make-up, deodorant, lip balm! So, I'm going to keep switching one product at a time, as the old stuff runs out.

In the meantime, at least we know that using anti-wrinkle creams in our 20s is okay.