Is Age-Defying Makeup Different?

As legend goes, Ponce de León gained notoriety by discovering Florida while searching for the elusive Fountain of Youth. Although most people link his name with the fabled fountain, the true intent of de León's journey was to expand the Spanish empire and search for gold. Yet the legend persists nearly 500 years later. What this tells us is that people, whose life expectancy was merely 50 years of age, were looking for age-defying cures even then.

Today, we're bombarded with advertisements for anti-age creams, wrinkle creams, and age-defying makeup—for women as well as men. We're still searching for a way to look younger, and cosmetic companies rake in billions of dollars each year catering to adults who want to appear fresh, vibrant, and young. So, do anti-aging creams really work? Is age-defying makeup different than other makeups? Before you plunk down your hard-earned money to buy the stuff, consider these tips:

• Clinical tests have proven that some ingredients in age-defying makeup and anti-aging creams do work. When applied, the ingredients work to plump the skin, and thus reduce the appearance of fine lines.
• Some products work better over time. Meaning, the more you use them, the better they smooth the skin. Some products require more than four weeks to kick in and, if you stop using them, you will lose the benefit of the smoother skin.
• Since collagen is the protein of connective tissue, most age-defying makeups and creams contain at least some collagen. When we age, we lose collagen and, thus, our skin loses elasticity causing sagging skin and wrinkles. The best age-defying products, in addition to collagen, will contain other ingredients that will encourage the skin to produce its own collagen.
• There are a few benefits for using age-defying makeup. Although it cannot stop the aging process, it can reduce the appearance of wrinkles and lines already in place by plumping the skin.

Many clinical studies have been conducted recently to determine if age-defying makeup and creams work. While the results proved that even the most expensive products made no lasting difference, men and women who participated in the studies said that using the products made them feel better about themselves. So, if nothing else, using age-defying makeup and anti-aging products may address your feelings about aging, making you feel better about your self. And that's money well spent!