at what age do you start using antiwrinkle creams?

Hello There!

I think that it is never too early to start taking care of your skin. I have been taking care of my skin since I was 10.

I am also a member of a plastic surgery board - so I have been doing a lot of research about different procedures.

By the time that "damage" - wrinkles, blotchiness etc start to show up - it is pretty much too late. Skin damage is already in your skin at 19, at 25, but it is only when the cell turnover starts to slow - it manifests later.

Plus there are different kinds of "wrinkles". If I remember correctly there are 3. Fine lines are one kind and they can be improved through peels and the another kind are the dynamic wrinkles.

Those are caused by changes underneath the skin - such as the muscles of your cheeks sliding down, or fat loss under the skin- or changes in your skeletal structure as you age. Those require a surgeons scapel.

So I say why wait?

I plan on having a face lift. I plan on having work done now b4 I get to the face lift.

But back to skin, I think that treating you skin kindly now - with peels that build collagen, drinking lots of water, exfoliating, deep cleaning etc...

And like many of you said using sunblock will go a long way towards prevention.

Who wants to wait til a wrinkle appears? Prevent them or at least delay them by what you do now.

Wrinkles
Not All Wrinkles Were Created Equal
Wrinkles are the most common sign of aging. We all get them...and we all want to get rid of them. Unfortunately, there is no simple solution when it comes to wrinkle removal. That's because there are actually three different types of wrinkles, and each has specific treatments designed to treat them. The three types of wrinkles are dynamic wrinkles, fine wrinkles, and skin fold wrinkles.

Dynamic Wrinkles

Doctors call them dynamic wrinkles. Everyone else simply calls them smile lines and frown lines. No matter what you call them, they are the most troublesome of all wrinkles and often are the most difficult to treat. They are our crow's feet, scowl lines, forehead creases, and lip wrinkles. They develop because each time we smile, laugh, or frown, our skin creases or folds in the same way. After making the same expressions time after time, our skin "remembers" these creases even when they are not there. These wrinkles can be improved through laser resurfacing, dermabrasion, deep peels, Botox, Thermage, and fillers such as Collagen . However, even if these treatments could vanish your dynamic wrinkles, your dynamic wrinkles will return, because you will continue to make the same facial expressions that caused them in the first place. Interestingly, if you have ever seen anyone who has had one half of their face paralyzed, you may have noticed that the paralyzed side appears younger. This is because they do not move that side of the face, so there are no dynamic wrinkles.

Fine Wrinkles

Fine wrinkles are seen on dry crepe paper skin (usually on the cheeks). These wrinkles are superficial and their removal is relatively easy through skin care, micropeels, and other simple treatments. (See table).

Skin Fold Wrinkles

Skin fold wrinkles are the wrinkles that go from the corner of our noses, around our mouths, and down to our chins. They look like big parentheses around our mouths. They develop within the skin fold (called nasolabial fold by doctors) which is due to sagging cheeks. Because these wrinkles are due to sagging skin, the only way to treat them is by tightening the skin...through a facelift. Just look in the mirror while you are pulling your cheek skin back toward your ears. You will see a dramatic improvement in your nasolabial folds, as well as the skin fold wrinkles. (No more will be said of skin fold wrinkles on this page, because the treatments on this page do not help skin fold wrinkles).

How Wrinkle Treatments Work

Chemical peels, laser, dermabrasion, and skin care are all guided by the same principles. But to understand them, you first must know a little something about your skin.

Your skin is made up of damaged superficial cells and healthier deep cells. Every day, your old superficial cells die, shed, and are replaced by younger cells. When you are born, the process of shedding a new skin cell takes about 30 days. By the time you are 60, the process takes about 60 days. Thus, as you get older, your complexion becomes dull and lifeless because the cells on your skin's surface are, in fact, older.

Each treatment mentioned above causes uniform destruction and shedding of your old damaged superficial skin cells. This allows healthier deep cells to surface while they are still young and fresh. Each of these treatments organizes and expedites the process of skin turnover and helps you reclaim the skin of your youth. As a result, you will see improvement in some or all of the following skin problems: large pore size, loss of skin vitality, roughness, discoloration, fine wrinkles, acne scars, dynamic wrinkles, and loss of skin tone. (Fillers and Botox are guided by other principles).

Despite their similarities, each treatment works slightly differently and therefore yields a different degree of improvement. No one treatment solves all problems. In general, deeper treatments yield greater improvement but impose longer recovery. To optimize their results, many people employ two treatment options that complement one another, such as laser resurfacing and Botox injections.


Wrinkle Reduction, Removal and Treatment

I think prevention is the key. Good, NATURAL products for your skin is like good food for your body... okay... it IS good food for your body. I wish I had known about eye and face cream... a natural product from cloudninedowntown.com... years ago... but in the last year I have seen a HUGE improvement. No puffiness around my eye... no more wrinkles and the ones I did have are not noticeable like before. What I love about it is that it feels so good (their slogan is "An addiction you skin can live with" and it's so true!)... NOT GREASY.. and a little of the stuff goes a long way so it lasts FOREVER. The sooner you take care of your skin the younger it will look for longer. And be sure its NATURAL.. that other stuff is putting toxins in your body... I don't care WHAT it says it will do... if its not natural you have harsh chemicals that are going into your skin and into your blood stream and doing more damage than doing nothing. My girls are in their early teens and I have them using all natural soaps, moisturizers and eye and face cream already. They love it and it's a great habit to get them into ... I'm sure to see the continued benefits thru out the years.

I think there are two things that have been overlooked...

First - your skin starts aging the moment you're born. Look at a baby's skin. Then look at a four year old child's skin. Big difference, eh?

From the time we are old enough to tolerate a sunscreen (ask your pediatrician) you should be wearing (or Mom or Dad should apply) sunscreen in a broad spectrum. This is anti-wrinkle care. Not only will the sunscreen block harmful UV rays, which are far and away the biggest cause of skin damage, but they almost always contain emollients, which will help keep the skin supple - that is, help prevent wrinkles.

Second - wrinkles are not necessarily bad. I find laugh lines and eye accent lines can be very attractive on some people. Nothing is worse that a botox-laiden, expressionless, face-lifted goddess who can't say a word except through her mouth (no offense intended to anyone). My point is - so much is spoken through expression, which relies on the tiny lines and accents in the face. Sometimes, a few wrinkles are okay!

Start immediately protecting your skin from the sun - at least spf 15 in broad spectrum. If you're old enough to choose for yourself, choose a gentle cleanser, and an oil free moisturizer and use it religiously. Ideally, you should cleanse, tone, moisturize, and protect (sun) every day. If you're not old enough to choose for yourself, a parent should supply gentle cleansers and appropriate sunblock to their children. THAT is the best anti-wrinkle regimen.

If severe damage is done, or a solid skincare regimen (cleanse, tone, moisture, protect) is not working for you, then you can experiment with AHA's, peptides, and various vitmain formulas to help with wrinkle reduction and remodeling. But these will not be necessary if you begin the right way - from the time your a little child!

M

I don't think it's ever too late - ok maybe when you are dead and buried ...or even past your 70's - but by then who's really caring or I could also be wrong.

I think prevention is KEY - watching the sun, drinking PLENTY of water, etc. Ok sure when we SEE those fine lines it's usually too late - damage done - but IMHO it's not really too late - I do beleive we can turn back the clock. HOWEVER the key is that ONCE we do turn back that clock - how are we going to continue on. Are we going to take care of our NEW skin better - drink lots of water, stear clear of the sun - or go right back doing what we've always done?

I know I've seen drastic results in my skin - fine lines, etc between using Copper Peptides (dianayvonne.com or skinbio.com) and alternating them with Arbonne's products (no I'm not toting Arbonne because I'm a consultant - I'm a consultant so I can get things at a discount), but they do work. Also use AHA's and microdermabrasion to help with that regenerating process of the skin.