Skin Care Companies Hock Wrinkle Cream To Teens And Twentysomethings


People have been forever searching for the fountain of youth. The desire to restore a youthful glow and the need to make fine lines and wrinkles disappear have created a multi-billion dollar skin care industry focused on restoring aging skin to its glory days. But the focus has begun to shift: millions of baby-boomers and forty-somethings have proved to be too small a market for the anti-aging skin care industry, and now skin care companies are aiming their anti-aging advertising at teens and twentysomethings.

According to the Huffington Post, 17-year-old Kylie Jenner was recently named a spokesperson for Nip + Fab, a skin care company known primarily for anti-aging products. She recently promoted their Viper Venom Wrinkle Fix on Instagram.

Getting my daily viper venom fix from @nipandfab @ultabeauty – flawless skin in 10 seconds #nipandfab #beautyaddict

If it is supposed to make wrinkles disappear at 40, then it should keep wrinkles away if you start using it at 17 or 20, right? Wrong! In fact, it could have the opposite effect.

Anti-aging skin care creams are designed to intentionally damage and break down the outer layer of the skin, promoting skin cell turnover and renewal. The sloughing of the rough, uneven outer layer is supposed to expose the newer, fresher layer below and essentially make the face look more youthful.

The problem is, when these anti-aging skin care lines are applied to young skin, which needs no assistance in cell turnover, it removes already undamaged skin, and can act as an irritant, causing redness, rashes, and breakouts.

Heavy wrinkle creams are no better, as they are rich in oils, and on young skin that is naturally hydrated, it can lead to a greasy, oily complexion, breakouts, and cysts.

What’s worse is that these anti-aging solutions could have long-term negative effects on the skin as teens and twenty-somethings age.

“Because these compounds damage the outer layer of the skin, they increase skin photosensitivity, leaving skin far more susceptible to sun damage,” said Dr. Nick Lowe in an interview with Daily Mail.

A healthy skin care routine is important to establish at an early age, usually at the onset of puberty, but caring for the skin with age-appropriate skin care product is key. And wanting to prevent wrinkles isn’t a bad thing, there is just a right and wrong way to do it, depending on your age.

The best anti-wrinkle product for a teen is sunscreen,” said Dr. Doris Day in an interview with Hollywood Life. “It’s about prevention at that age, and 90 percent of wrinkles are caused by sun exposure. If teens were sun-smart, wore SPF 30, reapplied regularly, wore a hat, didn’t go tanning, and used a spray-on sunscreen if they wanted a tan look — they would keep their beautiful healthy glow and never need to use the other products.”

[Photo courtesy of Angela Weiss/Getty Images]

Share this article: Skin Care Companies Hock Wrinkle Cream To Teens And Twentysomethings
More from Inquisitr