Does regular use of makeup cause the skin to age early? Manu

Dear Manu,

Yes, it is a fact. Regular use of makeup, particularly in excess, can lead to early aging of the skin. Mothers and grandmothers have been routinely warning young adolescent girls about excess use of makeup, saying it can be harmful. Now it is being substantiated.

Using makeup on the face, particularly oil based ones can clog the skin pores leading to acne and pimples. It can also aggravate fine lines below and around eyes, which is a sign of aging. Talc based make up products when used, cause dryness of skin and early and more rapid wrinkling. Mineral make up products may contain bismuth oxy chloride. This can cause dryness, irritation and peeling of skin. In addition, various kind of chemicals present in different makeup products can cause loss of tone and elasticity of skin, resulting in early wrinkling, again a sign of aging.

If one applies any cosmetic product roughly over the skin or applies it many times by rubbing, this itself may irritate the skin making it lose and wrinkled. Thus it can be seen that due to multiple reasons, regular use of makeup can cause the skin to age early. Eating much sugary or fatty foods, lack of exercise, physical and mental stress, overall health status, are other factors that can contribute to it.