“Our youth is fleeting; old age is just around the bend. And I can't wait to go gray.” ~ Ben Gibbard, “The Sound of Settling,” Death Cab for Cutie
Whenever I go to my parent’s house for a glass of wine or a Saturday morning breakfast, the issue of age seems to be brought up, or rather, the issue of aging. My mother is always telling me about the latest skin care line her dermatologist recommended, her recent experience during her Botox injections, or if only her skin were tighter here, or there, she would look so much younger.
Getting older—gray hair, wrinkles, sagging skin—is avoided like the plague; and, if you show any signs of aging you are sent off to leper island where peels, Botox, surgical lifts and paper-bags-over-the-head are mandatory before catching a ferry back to the main island, where everyone is shiny, supple-skinned and radiantly young.
Our culture is overrun with vanity and is, perhaps, narcissistically obsessed with youth. There are so many horror stories involved with the fear of aging. Kayne West’s mother dies during a liposuction procedure, Tara Reid is publicly ridiculed for her back-alley tummy tuck and Pamela Anderson’s breast reductions and augmentations are as frequent as reruns of That 70s Show. An entire industry has evolved out of this obsession and it’s absolutely booming.
“We have become a society that is obsessed with image,” said Kristin Miller, owner/founder of Garden Girl Skin Care. “I think this is driven by a combination of the influence of fashion magazines and paparazzi-hounded celebrities coupled with significant advances in anti-aging techniques from dermatologists and plastic surgeons.”
But these more expensive options are often a luxury, and the average consumer is looking for less expensive, over-the-counter (OTC) options. Miller added: “It is becoming easier to have treatments and procedures that can alter your looks and make you appear younger—just like the celebrities. But for many, this is not an option, either due to the high cost of the treatments or simply because they are not interested in taking such drastic measures. Therefore, the OTC options for anti-aging products have become more important.”
Ken Simpson, CEO of Skin 2 Skin Care, noted, “Baby Boomers and young people in their mid 20s through old age want to look their best and be the best that they can be. Men and women want to look their youngest and should, because we are living, working and enjoying life longer than any other generation. Why look like you’re 50 when you can look 45 using good anti-aging products on your skin and body?”