The old saying goes: It's all downhill after 40. Well, in the case of gravity and facial skin, that can often be the case. And wrinkle-wary women in Singapore are paying lots of cash to stave off those nasty effects of Father Time.
Spending on anti-ageing elixirs now rivals that of the skincare favourite, whitening creams.
The figures lay it bare: Women spent $20.9 million on anti-ageing creams in 2005, up 17.3 per cent from 2004, according to the Association of Perfumes and Cosmetics Distributors of Singapore. In comparison, Singaporeans spent $21.5 million on whitening creams in 2005, a 17.8 per cent increase on 2004.
The association anticipates that anti-ageing creams may soon - perhaps as soon as next year - overtake whitening creams as the best-selling potion here.
Future market demand for creams to keep signs of ageing at bay is high, says Jopa Malantic, 27, president of the association.
"New ways to lift sagging skin and prevent loss of elasticity are the latest buzzwords in anti-ageing creams these days," he adds.
So why has the skincare focus gone from white to, er, grey?
"We?re seeing a demographic shift," he says. "The babyboomers who used to care about whitening creams to lighten complexions are now more concerned with the long-term effects of ageing skin."
But it is not just 40-year-olds who are facing up to the grim fact of passing the proverbial point of no return.
Even women in their mid- to late 20s should worry about their skin sagging, wrinkling, dulling and drying as they get older.
That is because dermatologists and aesthetic doctors Urban spoke to say skin starts to age much earlier than 40.
In fact, Dr Georgia Lee, who offers non-surgical cosmetic treatments at TLC clinic in Holland Village, puts the turning point at a shockingly young 25 years of age.
Fortunately for Urban's cover girl - or shall we say, woman - Wong Choi Yeng, it appears that she is genetically predisposed to having skin that ages slowly as her mother has not a single wrinkle on her neck when she died three years ago at the ripe old age of 77.
Wong, 48, a mother of a 19-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl, never even cared about skincare, much less anti-ageing creams, until a year ago when she started to notice age spots forming on her face.
Says the part-time MediaCorp actress: "Taking care of my family's well-being was more important to me than taking care of my skin. But since I discovered the pigmentation, I have started applying whitening creams and even gone for Intense Pulsed Light treatments to reduce it."
Intense Pulsed Light, or IPL, is a procedure which uses strong pulses of light to stimulate new collagen to form in the skin, thereby reducing fine lines, minimising pore size and acne scars, and increasing skin elasticity. It also reduces the appearance of skin pigmentation and "spider" veins.
Other mature beauties chipped in with their advice, too.
Former model Celia Teh, 37, says she started noticing a duller complexion and crow's feet - wrinkles at the outer corner of the eye - in her early 30s. Nevertheless, the avid golfer, who is American skincare brand Olay Regenerist's new celebrity spokesmodel, looks not a day over 30.
Her tip? Use sunscreen daily and exercise a lot.
Accountant Joanne See says: "I believe it all boils down to good genes. But I have always stayed out of the sun and have been using La Prairie Skin Caviar for eight years. It's expensive at roughly $580 a bottle, but it seems to help."
The mother of two daughters, aged 25 and 20, dresses trendily, looks younger than her 52 years and is often mistaken for her children?s older sister.
Time sensitive
The stages of the age process are enough to make See's elder daughter and her peers worry warts: A mere 25 years of age is when the first fine lines sprout around the eyes and laugh lines around the month.
This coincides with the beginning of a gradual decline in hormone levels, says Dr Isabelle Yeoh of IYAC Aesthetics and Ageing Clinic in Camden Medical Centre.
Women will notice looser skin along the jaw line and some pigmentation on their cheeks when they hit their early 30s. When they near their late 30s, eyebags and lines on the neck will form, says Dr Lee.
And by the time a woman hits 40, wrinkles and pigmentation - in the form of melasma, where the skin develops brown patches, freckles or age and liver spots - start to set in.
Dr Andrew Khoo, consultant plastic and aesthetic surgeon at Aesthetic & Reconstructive Centre in Mt Elizabeth Medical Centre, says it is not possible to pinpoint exactly when a woman's skin will start to deteriorate drastically, and cites factors such as race and climate as variables in the formula of ageing skin.
For example, Asian skin - comprising almost everyone from East Asia to South Asia - generally ages less quickly than Caucasian skin. This is because biologically speaking, Asian skin is thicker, oilier and contains more melanin, which protects against damage from the sun, than Caucasian skin.
Photo-ageing for Asians can be delayed by about 20 years compared to Caucasians, says Dr Helen Knaggs, a skincare expert on scientific innovations for Asian skin at the Nu Skin Center for Dermatological Research in Stanford University School of Medicine.
Dr Khoo notes: "Some individuals in their 70s have lovely skin and some 20-year-olds have bad skin. Clearly, it is a mix of genetics, skincare and exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays that determines when the skin starts to go downhill.
The march of time cannot be controlled, he says. However, one can maintain good general health, keep well hydrated, have a sensible skincare programme appropriate for his age and keep his exposure to ultra-violet light to a reasonable level.
Says Dr Knaggs: "Asian skin tends to be very sensitive, has larger pore size and is more prone to acne and blemishes. Because of this, Asian women should avoid beauty products that have high contents of preservatives, fragrances and alcohol."
But the best way to prevent premature ageing, says Dr Yeoh, is to take care of yourself.
"Beautiful skin is seldom achieved by just applying a cream. The skin is like a mirror that shows up imbalances in the body. A comprehensive anti-ageing programme would involve having a nutritious diet and healthy lifestyle," she says.
And in case you didn't hear Australian director Baz Luhrmann's Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) song in 1999, here's a personal testimonial from one of Singapore's most glamorous aesthetic doctors.
"Ultimately, I still find sunblock the most effective anti-ageing cream. It is the only thing I have applied that has slowed down the appearance of pigmentation and loss of collagen on my skin," says Dr Lee.
