How soon is too soon to start using anti-aging skincare products?
While there is no single best age to start using anti-aging skincare ingredients, most people should begin an anti-aging skincare regimen at the age of 20.
However, there are a number of factors that can affect the best age for you to start using anti-aging skincare products. Here’s a look at when’s the best time to start, and answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about this topic.
Factors to consider
The skin begins to produce less collagen and elastin in your 20s, which is why it is often recommended to begin an anti-aging regimen around this age. However, there are other factors to consider that might change this recommended age for you.
Baumann Skin Type: After taking the Baumann Skin Typing quiz, you will see that your skin type either ends in a “W” for wrinkle-prone or a “T” for tight, or non-wrinkle-prone. Baumann Skin Types that end in Ws should be using an anti-aging skincare regimen that is customized to meet the needs of their specific skin type.
Fitzpatrick Skin Type: The Fitzpatrick scale ranges from 1 to 6, with 1 being very fair skin that always burns and never tans, and 6 being deeply pigmented skin that never burns. Fitzpatrick types 4, 5, and 6 have more melanin that fairer types, which offers greater protection from the sun and skin aging. Thus, darker skin types may be able to hold off on using anti-aging skincare until their early- or mid-30s.
Lifestyle habits: A history of tanning or sun exposure, playing outdoor sports, smoking, eating a poor diet, and chronic stress can all accelerate skin aging. Thus, teens and young adults with one or more of these lifestyle factors should be using an anti-aging regimen.
Genetics: People with red hair and fair skin are more prone to sun damage and skin aging and should ideally begin an anti-aging regimen in their teens.
Is it ever too soon to start anti-aging skincare?
The earliest that teens should start using anti-aging skincare is around 15 to 16 years old, especially if they have risk factors like sun exposure during outdoor sports, red hair, fair skin, or other factors. The best anti-aging ingredients for 15- or 16-year-olds to start using are antioxidants, vitamin C serums, and retinoids.
Is anti-aging skincare harmful at a young age?
Teens should avoid using glycolic acid peels or creams, microneedling, or dermarolling, as these can damage the protective layers of skin and are not needed at this young age. Additionally, anti-aging ingredients like exosomes, growth factors, and stem cells are not needed at this age, and studies on potential side effects of long-term use have not been performed.
Bottom line
The single best way to help prevent and slow signs of skin aging is to diligently protect your skin from sun exposure at all ages. However, if you have one or more of the risk factors listed above for aging skin, beginning an anti-aging skincare regimen as early as 15 or 16 can be beneficial.
Otherwise, most people in their 20s or 30s should be using anti-aging skincare to maintain the health and youthful appearance of their skin.
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