Science

Dermatologists say you should actually start using anti-aging products in your 20s — here's what they recommend

Face mask
If you want to use anti-aging products, it's better done sooner rather than later. Junko Kimura/Getty Images
Read in app
  • Anti-aging products provide many benefits to the skin as it ages.
  • These products can start to be incorporated into your everyday routine in your early 20s.
  • The sooner you start using anti-aging products, the less likely you are to develop wrinkles and lines.
  • Many great anti-aging products can be purchased at the drugstore, as well as sunscreen which is an anti-aging essential.

Skin care is a challenge that seems overwhelming to many. From serums to oils to creams, there are a plethora of options to choose from. And for those who aren't exactly in their teens anymore, the question arises: Should you start using anti-aging products?

Anti-aging products benefit the skin in many ways, from preventing the forming of wrinkles to helping to reduce dark spots.

When's the best time to incorporate them into your daily skin-care routine? Well, it may be sooner than you think.

The logic behind this is simple: if you start incorporating anti-aging products into your daily routine at an earlier age, such as in your early 20s, less damage will be done to the skin as opposed to if you begin using these products in your late 30s. It doesn't matter whether or not "age spots" have begun to form — taking preventative steps by using anti-aging products at a younger age can help in the long run.

face mask
havenspanyc/Instagram

Once you've decided to start using anti-aging products, the challenge is deciding which are the best for your specific skin type.

Skin types vary greatly, ranging from extremely oily to sensitive and dry. Before deciding whether or not to add a skincare product into your regime — anti-aging or not — it's vital to examine the product's ingredients as to ensure they will not cause a bad reaction on your skin and will, in turn, be useful.

Ingredients truly matter. Those with dry skin should stray from anti-aging products that are based in oils that can irritate the skin. Although some may believe that softer, oil-based products may have an easier time moisturizing into the skin, the result is the opposite. With dry skin, oil-based products simply leave a layer of oil on the skin and do not blend in. Likewise, those with oily skin do not want to use oil-based products.

Many great anti-aging products can be purchased at your local drug store. Among the best is the RoC's Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Serum, recommended by Dr. Rebecca Kleinerman, a New York City-based dermatologist. The product retails for $20 to $25 and is intended to be used once or twice a day.

Another anti-aging product is the Ordinary's Granactive Retinoid* 2% Emulsion, recommended by Kim Kardashian West on her app. It's only $9.80, making it affordable for many.

Another anti-aging essential product is cheap and easily accessible: sunscreen. Regularly using sunscreen helps to prevent skin diseases and problems that can occur later on due to unprotected exposure to sun.

Read the original article on INSIDER.

Follow INSIDER on Facebook.

Follow INSIDER on Twitter.

Read next

Gianluca Russo is a New York-based freelance writer whose work has been published in Teen Vogue, BUST Magazine, Brit+Co, Romper, Byrdie, Playbill, Paste Magazine, Dance Spirit Magazine and more. Visit www.GianlucaRusso.webs.com for more of his work and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @G_Russo1.