Fighting the first sings of ageing rarely crosses you mind when you're in your 20s. When there are more pressing issues such as work, dating and finding an affordable home to think about, wrinkles are insignificant. And so they should be - anti-ageing products are made for older women, aren't they?
Yes, many of the 'miracle' skincare creams are aimed at women aged 40+, but experts recommend starting the anti-ageing procedure much earlier.
"When you move from your 20s to 30s your body goes through changes," explains Noella Gabriel, Elemis' product & treatment director.
"As we age the skin gets thinner, we have a huge loss of calcium in the skin and there is a noticeable lack of muscle tone. The combination of these changes combined with the skin getting drier and lifestyle choice can actually lead to the skin showing visible signs of ageing."
However, before you start inspecting your face for the first fine line, it is possible to slow the ageing process down. When is the time to make this happen? Facialist Sarah Chapman advises starting prevention procedures from 25 onwards.
"This is around the time when ageing of the skin starts, although the first signs may not appear until your mid-30s," she says.
Chapman cites UVA and UVB rays as one of the biggest causes of premature ageing but lifestyle choices play an important part in prevention too - exercising regularly, drinking lots of water and avoiding smoking will make a big difference to limiting the visible signs of getting older.
The next thing to consider is your skin type. "Oily skin needs oil. Oil on oil results in stabilising the oil flow, calming, softening and de-stressing an ageing or oily prone skin," says Gabriel.
And for dry skin? Hydration and moisturisation are essential."Make sure your moisturiser performs both tasks and gives you good protection such as the Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream," she says.
Chapman also recommends using a daily SPF in your moisturiser from an early age, as well as using products with vitamin A and peptides "to support the collagen structure and cell repair."
So, spending a fortune on anti-ageing products isn't the answer to ageing in your 20s and in many cases, they're not even necessary. But looking after yourself has never been more important. Drinking plenty of water and protecting skin from the sun isn't rocket science - but if it will stop us looking 10 years older than we actually are, it might just be the easiest and cheapest way to prevent ageing yet.
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