By Gritty Pretty
@gritty_pretty
They say age is just a number.
This is a testament that has always resonated with me.
At 12, I started my first job as a paper girl delivering newspapers to my local neighbourhood. At 19, I became a beauty editor. And by 25, I left my full-time magazine career to start my own business, Gritty Pretty.
Age isn’t reflective of one’s capabilities and sometimes it isn’t indicative of one’s skin. A healthy diet, quality skin regimen and genetics can make you look younger while pollution, smoking, and sun can make you look older. But there are ways to fight back. How? With serums.
How well your face reflects your age depends on a combination of two things: genetics and lifestyle. Lifestyle factors such as the sun can speed the pace of ageing. In fact, the sun begins leaving its mark during the first years of life. You only have to look a young kid with freckles on their milky skin to witness the visible signs of sun damage. To ensure your complexion ages gracefully and remains as youthful as physically possible, you need to bring out the big guns from around the age of 20.
Now before you say anything, listen, we get it. With everything you have going on in your life, rubbing your face with a makeup remover wipe before bed might seem like a major accomplishment. And even if you are more diligent about taking care of your skin (insert the applause emoji here), a face serum is probably a key product missing from your routine. Am I right?
While anti-ageing serums have long been marketed toward women solidly in their 30s and older, adding a face serum into your routine from your early twenties could make a big difference later.
The most common misconception [this age group has] about serums is that they’re not necessary or that they’re potential pore-cloggers. One Gritty Pretty staffer recently admitted, “In my early twenties, I thought a serum was like an oil, which would cover my face and make me feel icky.” That’s simply not true. Consider serums the work horse of your routine – the go-getter, the delivery system, the change maker. Serums tend to attract a higher price tag because they contain the most concentrated and expensive ingredients. Are you still with me? Bare with me! It’s about to get real interesting! Trying serums that contain antioxidants (sea kelp, prunes and vitamin E fit the bill) can help free radical damage, which causes premature ageing such as sagginess, dullness, dark under eye circles and wrinkles.
Serums, which are notoriously lightweight – like a cooling gel fluid – may also be a good way to effectively target problems that are driving you nuts, like dark spots, extreme dryness, or irritation. Recently, SK-II debuted their two new serums, SK-II GenOptics Spot Essence and Aura Essence, which are designed to specifically brighten the skin, treat existing dark spots and prevent future spots from developing.
To bust the myth, the truth is a serum can dramatically increase how you skin looks and behaves. But, be warned: those younger than twenty or with sensitive skin need to be careful with them. Many serums have highly active ingredients in them that are designed to increase the metabolism of cells. It’s possible some serums can be too active for younger skin (including those prone to breakouts because young skin already has an active metabolism). To be safe, choose a gentle but effective serum like SK-II GenOptics Aura Essence or SK-II GenOptics Spot Essence, which are designed for twentysomethings all the way up to 50+. Using a serum like one of these will not only care for but protect your body’s largest organ. Your skin.
