The Fountain of Youth is a legend about an explorer by the name of Juan Ponce De Leon, who searched for this mysterious fountain in Florida. It is said that anyone who drinks from or bathes in its waters will be made young again, and in some versions, immortal. While this age-old tale isn’t true, as it was proven that what Ponce De Leon thought was the fountain of youth was actually just a spring of fresh water, it is one of the many examples of ways people have tried to stop aging.

Whether it be magical or not, humans throughout history have tried and searched for ways to decrease signs of old age. Time never stops, and as it passes people’s skin can gain wrinkles, dry spots, age spots, and skin tags all as a result of aging. Over time products for anti-aging have been invented and improved to have users achieve the goal of keeping their youthful complexions for a longer period of time. While they can’t reverse time, these products are meant to reduce signs of aging on the skin. Serums, creams and other skin care products have been made to decrease the visibility of wrinkles and other indicators.

Examples of these can be found in L’oreal Paris’ skincare products. Their anti-aging section boasts 19 products that they suggest to help with anti-aging. They include ingredients such as collagen, retinol, glycolic acid, and hyaluronic acid. All of these products are advertised to smooth out wrinkles while also hydrating the skin.

Some of the products as well display a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) as a key part of their branding. L’oreal advertises these products as a way to prevent “sun induced aging.” SPF is a key reason why a lot of people also use sunscreen as a key part of their skin care routines.

“I apply sunscreen everyday to prevent aging. Applying it prevents me from aging because it protects me from harsh UV (Ultraviolet) rays from the sun,” freshman Victoria Damaso said.

People use sunscreen not only to stop themselves from getting a sunburn and skin cancer, but also to lessen the prominence of wrinkles. According to Mayo Clinic, UV rays speed up the natural aging process, so sunscreen is very important for a person seeking ways to decrease the creases on their skin.

“We are all going to age someday, but I use sunscreen to make that process slower,” Damaso said.

A product from L’oreal that wasn’t in their anti-aging section, but advertises the prevention of signs of aging is their Revitalift 12% Pure Vitamin C + E + Salicylic Acid Serum. Having been endorsed by Dr. Michelle Henry MD, a certified dermatologist, and celebrity Camilla Cebello, the serum advertises their ingredients of Vitamin C and E with Salicylic acid. These ingredients are known to help skin look more youthful such as smoothing, protection from damage, evening pigmentation, and decreasing blemishes.

Another brand with their own collection of anti-aging skin care products is Olay. Their fair share of anti-aging serums and treatments also include Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C, Retinol, and Collagen. They also have a product specifically to decrease wrinkles called “Wrinkle Correction.” It is advertised to renew skin cells and therefore smooth and firm the skin.

Collagen is a protein found in the skin, but it is found in many anti-aging skincare products because Collagen production in our body decreases as we age. According to a Collagen journal study in the National Library of Medicine, it was found that Collagen decreases wrinkling and rough skin. It also hydrated the skin more and increased its elasticity. These key effects are important reasons why Collagen is used so often in a lot of anti-aging products, such as the ones from Olay and L’oreal.

Retinol is also one ingredient that keeps popping up regularly as well in the anti-aging skin care products. This can be because it has a relation with Collagen, as it increases Collagen production in the body. It also decreases dark spots, acne scars and wrinkles.

The ingredients found in these skin care products are advertised to be included in people’s skin care routines as a way for them to look youthful and bright. The reduction of wrinkles allows people to appear younger than they are and slow down the aging process on the skin, but these products aren’t the only ways people are using to try to not age.

Cosmetic surgery is mostly known to help people fit into a certain beauty standard, or change something about themselves that they may not like. However, some surgeries can also be used for anti-aging. One example of this is a face lift, a surgery that’s purpose is made to give you a more youthful look. It pulls back loose skin and removes excess to smooth it out.

Botox, a substance made from a botulism toxin, was accidentally discovered while a scientist was trying to treat crossed eyes. Now it is used for decreasing wrinkles on the skin because it relaxes muscles. It decreases their contraction causing the skin to be unable to crease as much.

“I know a ton of people who do botox. They do it for reasons that are related to aging, and I think it’s fine if someone would want to have botox,” sophomore Adinda Firman said.

Baby Botox is also a botox treatment that has been circulating online with the hashtag having over 115 million views on TikTok. It is supposed to be Botox, but in a smaller amount. It can be done as a treatment before you start to get full botox, or a way for people to get botox without having the full force of it or as a preventative measure.

Of course, all of the ways listed of anti-aging aren’t actually reversing time, but just making a person appear as if they haven’t aged physically. The products and treatments allow people to appear as if they’ve aged better or more slowly.

The promotion of ways of anti-aging online can influence youth into wanting to prevent wrinkles before they start. Baby botox being one of them. As said before, some people do use it as a way to prevent wrinkles before they see it so they won’t worry about the bigger issues in the future. The promotion of Baby Botox may influence a person into wanting to have it themselves before they even notice signs of wrinkles.

“I think social media has a large role in this since it’s creating an image in many teens’ minds that they need to worry about aging when they’re still kids,” Firman said.

The promotion of anti-aging has caused people to be more aware about their appearance as they grow up. Some teens have started to pay more attention to what products they have in their skincare routines and make sure they apply sunscreen daily.

People have mixed opinions on this topic of anti-aging. Some people feel that they shouldn’t have to worry about aging because it’s going to happen one day no matter how much they try to prevent it. Others feel they need to, whether because they want to keep the appearance they have now or just because they want to take care of their skin.

Amanda Hess wrote in an article published on Sept. 12, 2017 about the Anti-Aging Industry in The New York Times Magazine, that advertisements for anti-aging at one point seemed to depict age as “a war waged on a woman’s face, it can never be won– only ‘slowed’ or prevented from ‘advancing.’”

At the end of the day, it is the person’s choice on what they choose to do with how they look. The ever growing products for anti-aging allow a variety of options for people to choose from to achieve what they want. Others choose to not do anything at all.

“It’s not that bad to age. If you want to show less signs of wrinkles then use something that’ll help, but aging is a part of life,” freshman Illiyana White said.