Erasing the Signs of Aging

I was in graduate school and not yet 35 when I discovered the signs of aging on my face. For the longest time, I only had a few lines on my forehead and I was not alarmed by this small sign of aging. I think I was around twenty-one, but I know I wasn't twenty-five when the lines on my forehead decorated my face. During my thirties, one day, I looked in the mirror and there was dark coloring around my eyes, my frown lines actually frowned, brown spots on my face from the sun and my skin color was dull.

What I saw in the mirror was not acceptable, because I was too young to look this bad. The hunt began for the miracle cream that was going to wipe away ten years and make me look twenty-something again. Well, I don't exactly look like I did in my twenties, after using these miracle creams. But I have managed to slow the aging clock.

The Roc products were my first test of youth ointments. I chose them, because of what I had seen in magazines and heard about them. They claimed to take years off your face, but then again all the anti-aging and age correction creams advertise the same promise. Well, I bought Roc Anti-Wrinkle Night Moisturizing Treatment believing it was the cream to get rid of my forehead lines not noticing the Anti-Wrinkle title on the front of the box, however, the description on the back claimed it visibly reduces wrinkles and deeply moisturizes. The lines on my forehead did not go away or even diminish.

After I realized that the Roc cream stated Anti-Wrinkle, I bought Roc Deep Wrinkle serum and it claimed to visibly reduce deep wrinkles. I, religiously, applied the cream every night for six months. Hoping this would do the trick and get rid of those darn forehead lines. I'm sad to report the lines on my forehead are still there and didn't diminish much so save your money and don't rely on the Roc products I used.

I had dark circles around my eyes, which made me look old and tired. I chose L'Oreal Advanced RevitaLift eye cream hoping this would give me back my youthful eyes. Especially, since my eyes were my best feature and I didn't want my age to show there. It wasn't long before I noticed a big difference. The dark circles around my eyes were gone. It claimed that it would minimize the appearance of dark circles in two weeks. I noticed my eyes were brighter within the two weeks. The cream helps reduce puffiness and crow's feet, but I didn't have those problems so I can't report on whether the cream helps with those aging problems.

L'Oreal Advance RevitaLift Eye cream claimed to have a powerful firming effect. I have to report that this product does not have powerful firming magic. I had noticed while applying eye shadow that my skin was moving as I glided the applicator across my lid. This problem I never had before and was disturbed by this change. I've used L'Oreal Advance RevitaLift Eye for seven years now and this new development on my eye lids have not changed, but it has not gotten worse either.

The sunspots were a result of baking in the sun all through my teens and twenties and I'm ashamed to say my early thirties without any sunscreen. I didn't think I needed sunscreen, because I wasn't Caucasian and I didn't burn. Well, I didn't burn in Iowa, but in Colorado where I was much closer to the sun, which meant I was more vulnerable to skin damage. The sun spots and dark shading on my face suddenly were the tell tale signs from all that sun worshipping.

After searching on the internet and reading magazine articles about sunspots and how to get rid of them, I chose Proactive skin lightening cream to fade my spots. They faded, but I wanted them off my face. I used it beyond the recommended time frame and still the spots stared back at me when I looked in the mirror. I decided to find something stronger and different.

Off to the Ulta store I went, I didn't know what product I was going to buy, but I knew they would have many. Ulta did have a variety of skin lightening products to choose from. I started to worry I would buy the wrong one. Of course, I didn't ask for any assistance, but thought the Peter Thomas Roth product would do the trick from all the articles I read on how to fade sun spots. It had Kojic Acid, bearberry and mulberry extract, anti-oxidant Vitamin C and hydroquinone. I've read Vitamin C is great for reversing the aging process.

I've, also, read that hydroquinone can cause cancer, but what doesn't cause cancer. With that said, I've read that it doesn't lead to cancer and people in Europe have been using hydroquinone for years. This ingredient does fade the spots, but I wanted the spots off my face. I chose the Peter Thomas Roth serum, because it had other ingredients that claimed to fade the pesky badges of sun damage. Again, the same results as the Proactiv product, there was fading, but I could still see the spots. Yuck!!

The best results I have had with erasing my face of sun spots could be due to a combination of products, the spot fading serum, Olay Total Effects cream and Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Intensive with 2x the Vitamin C. I read about Garnier being the wonder cream for sun damaged skin and immediately went out and purchased a bottle. I have to admit I did notice some changes and I've been using it for around six months. The spots on my face are very diminished. I'm extremely happy with the results.

I apply the Garnier cream during the day and the Olay Total Effects wonder lotion at night. My frown lines immediately firmed up and disappeared, but this could be due to me reacting quickly to gravity taking over. My skin brightened in a week after I started using Olay and I've been using it for seven years. It has kept the aging clock in pause mode or slowed it way down. The only severe problem I have are my forehead lines and I've come to terms with the only way to get rid of this age tattoo is cosmetic surgery or Botox and I have not tried either. But would resort to these anti-aging methods in a New York minute if I had the money. I'm not vain I just want to stay as young looking as I feel.

And of course, I wear sunscreen every day and avoid the sun as much as possible. I wear sunscreen that has 50SPF and a hat so the sun can not do anymore damage to my face. The sunscreen could, also, be why I have been able to slow down the aging process.