12 replies to this topic

[embean]

I am 21 and want to begin to use an anti-aging product. It would have to be something widely available (ie. drugstore) and not ridiculously expensive. Would a product with retinol be a good place to start? Or is this the wrong direction? I have been looking at neutrogena products, just because they are easy to find, but would be open to suggestions.

[ajnast4r]

I am 21 and want to begin to use an anti-aging product. It would have to be something widely available (ie. drugstore) and not ridiculously expensive. Would a product with retinol be a good place to start? Or is this the wrong direction? I have been looking at neutrogena products, just because they are easy to find, but would be open to suggestions.

are you a man or a woman? if youre a women there are a million options for you in any drugstore...

if yorue a man, l'oreal men makes some good stuff.

[JLL]

I'm currently trying one retinol product to see whether it works or not. I'm trying it first because it was a lot cheaper than actual tretinoin creams. I have a blog post about the experiment here: http://inhumanexperi...experiment.html

When I wrote the post, I found one study to support the use of retinol but now the link asks me for a username and password for some reason. I think it was the same University of Michigan study that is mentioned here: http://www.healthjoc...in-study-finds/

If anyone has more information on retinol's effectiveness, I'd be interested as well.

[Fredrik]

I am 21 and want to begin to use an anti-aging product. It would have to be something widely available (ie. drugstore) and not ridiculously expensive. Would a product with retinol be a good place to start? Or is this the wrong direction? I have been looking at neutrogena products, just because they are easy to find, but would be open to suggestions.

are you a man or a woman? if youre a women there are a million options for you in any drugstore...

if yorue a man, l'oreal men makes some good stuff.

The active ingredients in a cream, gel or lotion doesn´t care if you have a penis or a vagina. Neither does your skin. Products for men exist just because men are so nervous about protecting their manliness and sensitive about using the same products as females. The packaging differs because we want gray, black or blue bottles. And we need it to say reassuringly: "FOR MEN". It´s a bit silly really.

Coca Cola knows this and calls their sugar-free beverage for men "Zero" and it comes in a black bottle and Coca Cola light when marketed towards women. But it´s the same stuff. It´s just that men didn´t like the word "light". Not manly enough. And they wanted their bottle black. Go figure.

That said, mens skin is a bit thicker. But there´s a lot more different skin types within a group of men than between the sexes. For example, some men can stand high % of glycolic acids, as can some women. And the opposite is also true.

There´s absolutely no need to restrict your use of skincare products according to the color of the packaging. A product either works on your fibroblasts, keratinocytes and melanocytes or it doesn´t.

No matter if your male or female you need products that can protect or stimulate the three main components of skin -collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid.

Edited by Fredrik, 30 July 2008 - 03:33 PM.

[Eva Victoria]

I am 21 and want to begin to use an anti-aging product. It would have to be something widely available (ie. drugstore) and not ridiculously expensive. Would a product with retinol be a good place to start? Or is this the wrong direction? I have been looking at neutrogena products, just because they are easy to find, but would be open to suggestions.

If I were you I would concentrate on cleansing and protecting my skin with a good sunscreen. Like LRP Anthelios SPF50+, Bioderma Photoderm SPF50+ (in any consistency you would prefer) or even Nivea Light Feeling Sensation SPF50 or Nivea DNAge Spf50.
Additional moisturizer is required only if or when you feel your skin is dry. Preferably a moisturizer with antioxidants. (Does not have to be expensive either).

Keeping your skin-care regiment simple and avoiding sun-exposure will also prolong your youth and give you more time before you cannot avoid using more radical approaches to aging.

About Retinol: it does not convvert into trans-retinoic acid in the skin. But Tretinoin does. Retinol won't have the same effect on receptors, collagen fibers and generating collagen in the dermis either.
I personally think that you are far too young to even have to bother thinking about Tretinoin or any other anti-age ingredients (except of course anti-oxidants and a well-formulated sunscreen).

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[embean]

I am 21 and want to begin to use an anti-aging product. It would have to be something widely available (ie. drugstore) and not ridiculously expensive. Would a product with retinol be a good place to start? Or is this the wrong direction? I have been looking at neutrogena products, just because they are easy to find, but would be open to suggestions.

If I were you I would concentrate on cleansing and protecting my skin with a good sunscreen. Like LRP Anthelios SPF50+, Bioderma Photoderm SPF50+ (in any consistency you would prefer) or even Nivea Light Feeling Sensation SPF50 or Nivea DNAge Spf50.
Additional moisturizer is required only if or when you feel your skin is dry. Preferably a moisturizer with antioxidants. (Does not have to be expensive either).

Keeping your skin-care regiment simple and avoiding sun-exposure will also prolong your youth and give you more time before you cannot avoid using more radical approaches to aging.

About Retinol: it does not convvert into trans-retinoic acid in the skin. But Tretinoin does. Retinol won't have the same effect on receptors, collagen fibers and generating collagen in the dermis either.
I personally think that you are far too young to even have to bother thinking about Tretinoin or any other anti-age ingredients (except of course anti-oxidants and a well-formulated sunscreen).

Is SPF 50 really necessary? I guess it can't hurt...

[Eva Victoria]

I am 21 and want to begin to use an anti-aging product. It would have to be something widely available (ie. drugstore) and not ridiculously expensive. Would a product with retinol be a good place to start? Or is this the wrong direction? I have been looking at neutrogena products, just because they are easy to find, but would be open to suggestions.

If I were you I would concentrate on cleansing and protecting my skin with a good sunscreen. Like LRP Anthelios SPF50+, Bioderma Photoderm SPF50+ (in any consistency you would prefer) or even Nivea Light Feeling Sensation SPF50 or Nivea DNAge Spf50.
Additional moisturizer is required only if or when you feel your skin is dry. Preferably a moisturizer with antioxidants. (Does not have to be expensive either).

Keeping your skin-care regiment simple and avoiding sun-exposure will also prolong your youth and give you more time before you cannot avoid using more radical approaches to aging.

About Retinol: it does not convvert into trans-retinoic acid in the skin. But Tretinoin does. Retinol won't have the same effect on receptors, collagen fibers and generating collagen in the dermis either.
I personally think that you are far too young to even have to bother thinking about Tretinoin or any other anti-age ingredients (except of course anti-oxidants and a well-formulated sunscreen).

Is SPF 50 really necessary? I guess it can't hurt...

Of course SPF 50 is not necessary as long as you use approx. 1 topped spoon of sunscreen on your face and approx. 10 topped spoon of sunscreen on your body. Then SPF 15 is sufficient enough. (It means 60ml sunscreen/ application! for the whole body).
BUT nobody uses so much sunscreen/body-area, do they? So then it is better to use a sunscreen with SPF50+ so you'll get enough protection at the end. And the UVA protection of a sunscreen with SPF50+ will be guaranteed higher than that of a sunscreen with lower SPF.

[ajnast4r]

The active ingredients in a cream, gel or lotion doesn´t care if you have a penis or a vagina. Neither does your skin. Products for men exist just because men are so nervous about protecting their manliness and sensitive about using the same products as females. The packaging differs because we want gray, black or blue bottles. And we need it to say reassuringly: "FOR MEN". It´s a bit silly really.

while i agree about the manliness thing... i think woman's facial lotions tend to have more sheen and dewiness to them as men's tend to be more matte

[embean]

I am 21 and want to begin to use an anti-aging product. It would have to be something widely available (ie. drugstore) and not ridiculously expensive. Would a product with retinol be a good place to start? Or is this the wrong direction? I have been looking at neutrogena products, just because they are easy to find, but would be open to suggestions.

If I were you I would concentrate on cleansing and protecting my skin with a good sunscreen. Like LRP Anthelios SPF50+, Bioderma Photoderm SPF50+ (in any consistency you would prefer) or even Nivea Light Feeling Sensation SPF50 or Nivea DNAge Spf50.
Additional moisturizer is required only if or when you feel your skin is dry. Preferably a moisturizer with antioxidants. (Does not have to be expensive either).

Keeping your skin-care regiment simple and avoiding sun-exposure will also prolong your youth and give you more time before you cannot avoid using more radical approaches to aging.

About Retinol: it does not convvert into trans-retinoic acid in the skin. But Tretinoin does. Retinol won't have the same effect on receptors, collagen fibers and generating collagen in the dermis either.
I personally think that you are far too young to even have to bother thinking about Tretinoin or any other anti-age ingredients (except of course anti-oxidants and a well-formulated sunscreen).

Is SPF 50 really necessary? I guess it can't hurt...

Of course SPF 50 is not necessary as long as you use approx. 1 topped spoon of sunscreen on your face and approx. 10 topped spoon of sunscreen on your body. Then SPF 15 is sufficient enough. (It means 60ml sunscreen/ application! for the whole body).
BUT nobody uses so much sunscreen/body-area, do they? So then it is better to use a sunscreen with SPF50+ so you'll get enough protection at the end. And the UVA protection of a sunscreen with SPF50+ will be guaranteed higher than that of a sunscreen with lower SPF.

Well I apply it "generously" but not so much that it doesn't absorb into my skin. It don't see how it makes any difference at that point. So I'm not sure of the "volume" I apply.
And I don't understand why SPF 15 is just as effective if applied "correctly.." if I was using SPF 50 I would apply it the same way.. and if it isn't applied "generously" then you might not get adequate coverage.. defeating the purpose?

[spacetime]

If bot hare applied correctly then SPF 50 will offer more protection. But most people don't use nearly enough and are applying maybe 1/3 what they should. Thus with SPF15 is applied at 1/3 the recommended dose you are only achieveing SPF5. Actually, I'm not sure this is entirely true, you are probably receiving even less protection. So as per the example, with SPF55 again using the 1/3 dose you achieve a SPF18 which should suffice. With the higher SPFs I would assume it allows for a greater degree of error in application amount.

As for men using women's cosmetics it can be difficult for several reasons. A lot of products contain fragrances or tints or finishes that may not be suitable. The dizzying array of products can also be confusing. My biggest issue is with sunscreens and either their overwhelming white cast or their obtrusive sheen. The white cast could be covered by some sort of foundation or concealer but do men really want the stigma of having to wear make-up? I guess one could also use it to cover the sheen as well. And while I have considered make-up it's the added inconvience moreso than the stigma that prevents me from ever using any product.

[embean]

So if the general consensus that there is no proof that retinol does anything?
and, I have heard about retinol increasing your chances of sun damage? would this apply to something as low a dosage as in a day cream, for example?
is there something better I should look for at my age, like vitamin E or anything?

[Brafarality]

I am 21 and want to begin to use an anti-aging product. It would have to be something widely available (ie. drugstore) and not ridiculously expensive. Would a product with retinol be a good place to start? Or is this the wrong direction? I have been looking at neutrogena products, just because they are easy to find, but would be open to suggestions.

are you a man or a woman? if youre a women there are a million options for you in any drugstore...

if yorue a man, l'oreal men makes some good stuff.

The active ingredients in a cream, gel or lotion doesn´t care if you have a penis or a vagina. Neither does your skin. Products for men exist just because men are so nervous about protecting their manliness and sensitive about using the same products as females. The packaging differs because we want gray, black or blue bottles. And we need it to say reassuringly: "FOR MEN". It´s a bit silly really.

Coca Cola knows this and calls their sugar-free beverage for men "Zero" and it comes in a black bottle and Coca Cola light when marketed towards women. But it´s the same stuff. It´s just that men didn´t like the word "light". Not manly enough. And they wanted their bottle black. Go figure.

LOLOLOL

I love Coke Zero precisely for the branding, packaging, marketing, etc.
As I read your post, the bottle was like abutting my laptop monitor:
Cherry Coke Bottle By My Laptop

I fell for it hook line and sinker!

Very funny.

And, super quick note for all the eco-conscious and green-minded. I reuse those styrofoam cups for like a week or two! They get pretty beat up after a while, but I do not waste them. It often takes me months to go through a roll of paper towels and months to go through a package of styrofoam cups.
Fear not.
This is one reduce and reuse vegan!

Edited by paulthekind, 01 August 2008 - 11:07 PM.

[spacetime]

So if the general consensus that there is no proof that retinol does anything?
and, I have heard about retinol increasing your chances of sun damage? would this apply to something as low a dosage as in a day cream, for example?
is there something better I should look for at my age, like vitamin E or anything?

OTC retinol products are mostly worthless or not really worthwhile. A vit C, E complex stabilized by ferulic would probably be a good choice, though I'm not sure how readily available they are at local stores. Daily sunscreen with adequate UVA/UVB protection is still your best bet and probably the most effective option. There's a number of anti-oxidants and otehr products that claim to offset damage but solid longterm clinical evidence is lacking.