Anti-aging preventative care

Why you should start early

By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor

Now, I know what you’re thinking: you’re young, why would you be worrying about aging? The truth is that as with anything, it’s better to prevent a problem than have to deal with it later on.

YouTube beauty gurus all around, from Michelle Phan to Zoella, all agree that it’s best to start an anti-aging routine as early as possible. Why, you might ask? Because implementing a beauty routine of anti-wrinkle creams and serums now will not only preserve your fresh face, but also help with brightening and moisturizing your skin without making it greasy.

Now I’m not saying you need to go through all the hassle of buying full skin lines for day and night. Generally if you start your anti-aging routine young, you can reserve it to being a before-bed thing. Anti-aging creams tend to be really thick, so you probably won’t be comfortable wearing them around during the day. Allowing them to just sit on your skin while you sleep will ensure that you get all the benefits, without feeling disgusting and cakey the next morning.

The most important products you should focus on are anti-wrinkle or firming face creams, overnight serums, and anti-wrinkle eye creams (pick a brightening one if you or your family has issues with dark circles). Because you won’t need the products to actually repair any damage caused by aging, you can stick to the cheaper, drugstore brands—unlike if you wait till your 30s.

If you naturally have oily skin, and you’re worried about the heavy duty moisturizers that the anti-aging creams employ, pick something targeted towards menopausal women, as this stuff tends to factor in hormonal imbalances that can cause fluctuating skin textures and recursions of acne/pimples.

When applying the cream it’s important not to forget your neck. The neck is just as vulnerable to signs of aging as the rest of your face, so pull the cream all the way down to your clavicle to avoid drooping, age spots, and wrinkles later in life.

For me, the biggest hurdle in deciding to start an anti-aging routine early in life was the fact that I already looked younger than I was. I didn’t want to keep my baby face and continue to get carded constantly. If you’re the same, then you might want to give your mom a call—ask her how much she wishes she started early.