The hot thing right now is a product that you apply to your face to instantly banish wrinkles and bags under your eyes. It goes by names like Instantly Ageless.
Here is what I understand about the basic principle of these types of products:
- As we age, we lose the collagen and elastin in our skin that gave us the smooth firmness of youth
- These products are polymers that act like collagen and elastin to firm up the skin. I think of them as stretchy fibres making a web across the skin. If your skin was like a layer over fabric lying over the framework of your face, these polymers are like adding a layer of Lycra to make the skin fit tighter and smoother.
- These polymers are temporary, lasting only until you disrupt them (like rubbing your skin) or wash them off.
I had a look at Amazon where there were 108 reviews. The average rating was 2 stars. Most people were saying that the product works but only briefly. People found that the polymers could feel like a layer of glue on the skin, and could look whitish. They had difficulty applying makeup over top and found that the product could be disrupted very easily.
In my clinic, we are all about building the collagen and elastin in the skin through treatments and skincare so that you have smooth, firm, glowing skin all of the time. For me personally, I like getting up in the morning and knowing that my skin looks good without having to apply something.
I think these polymer products have their use if it’s the last minute before a big event and you haven’t had time to restore the collagen in your skin. I would use them with caution, finding out what makeup to use, keeping facial expressions neutral, and like Cinderella, leaving the event before the product starts flaking off.
However for the long term, I would strongly recommend having the rejuvenative treatments to build collagen and elastin in the skin and smooth out bags under the eyes so that you can be confident about your appearance all the time, with no restrictions.