We all know the natural progression of the signs of ageing: first, we experience dullness and uneven skin tone, followed by fine lines and enlarged pores as we enter our 30s. Then these wrinkles deepen before our skin starts losing its elasticity and volume as we approach menopause. And while there are endless anti-ageing salves that promise to plump, smooth, brighten, firm and lift your skin, there’s nothing quite as instantly gratifying as running to the doctor’s office for a hit (or two) of Botox or fillers to freeze and plump up those wrinkles. Botox (as well as other botulinum toxins like Dysport and Xeomin) have the ability to act directly on your nerves to paralyse facial muscles and make them unable to contract (and further deepen wrinkles), while fillers deliver large hyaluronic acid molecules beneath skin surface to fill “dents” where wrinkles have formed or add volume to sunken areas like under the eyes or around the cheeks.
Yet, despite their prevalence, many women are still nervous when it comes to needles. So if you belong to the above-mentioned but wish to achieve smoothing and firming benefits, there are topical products you can try. Most of these products work by stimulating skin’s natural collagen-producing ability to improve skin firmness from inside out, as well as to reduce the appearance of wrinkles as skin gets plumped. Plus, since it takes at least four weeks for skin to renew itself, most topical products take around the same amount of time to show visible results. However, some products might contain special ingredients that can have an instant but temporary smoothing effect, which makes them great for use before makeup application. Here, the top products that firm and plump skin so you can put off that trip to the doctor’s office, at least for a couple more years.
