Written by: Ashley Tibebe
The World Health Organization defines ageism as stereotyped, prejudiced, and discriminatory treatment of oneself or others based on age. Ageism affects people of all ages based on the society and culture they are surrounded by. In addition to affecting everyone, ageism is observed in various interpersonal relationships and institutions, one of which is dermatology. Since aging is a process often visible through a person's skin, the effects of ageism are abundantly clear in the dermatology field and skincare. Within the field of dermatology and through skin care, people take unnecessary and often damaging measures to prevent aging due to beauty standards influenced by ageism. Similarly, ageist beauty standards have infiltrated the skin care industry, allowing cosmetic and beauty companies to push “anti-aging” products while exploiting women and their insecurities. Moreover, society and skincare companies cause severe damage to women’s self-esteem, image, and worth, regarding their age, through different ageist ad campaigns and beauty standards. Therefore, the effects of ageism are apparent in skincare and dermatology through the dangerous measures people take to align themselves with ageist beauty standards, “anti-aging” products that exploit women’s insecurities, and age-exclusionary ad campaigns by beauty companies.
Ageism forces people to regard aging as a negative outcome that damages their outer beauty and skin. Although this belief is incorrect and unfortunate, it results in people seeking ineffective and often damaging solutions to reduce the effects of aging and meet unrealistic beauty standards. For example, CNN Health reports that in 2004, 56-year-old Hanneke Hops sought help from medical doctor Alan Mintz, who specializes in “age management medicine,” to reduce the effects of aging in her body. Doctor Mintz prescribed Hops a recombinant human growth hormone (HGH), which the FDA warns can have “serious health risks.” Unaware of this risk, Hops began injecting her thigh with HGH six times a week, which sadly led to her death six months later. Furthermore, the use of HGH has been linked to an increased risk of cancer, yet another risk Hops was unaware of. Hanneke Hops’ story perfectly exemplifies how ageism can push people to seek treatments that place their mental and physical health in danger, which often results in worsened health conditions and even death. Even more concerning is how thousands of physicians and dermatologists today cater to millions of patients who are victims of ageism and seek life-threatening treatments. Unfortunately, aging people feel so pressured to adhere to ageist beauty standards that they risk their life to reduce the natural appearance of aging skin.
Likewise, the beauty industry capitalizes on these ageist beauty standards in order to sell more products to insecure women. Ageist beauty standards have infiltrated the quickly growing global anti-aging cosmetics market, which is expected to reach $93.1 billion by 2027. This number continuing to increase demonstrates how ageism is prominent in the skincare industry and how cosmetic companies economically benefit from ageism. Surprisingly, many skincare products currently on the market that claim to be “anti-aging” products fail to deliver on that promise. For instance, on September 2, 2021, cosmetics company L’Oreal lost a lawsuit known as Lopez v. L'Oréal after falsely advertising their product as a moisturizer that smoothed wrinkles with the help of an ingredient known as collagen. Collagen is a protein molecule produced by the human body that helps to maintain the structural integrity of the skin and diminishes with age resulting in wrinkly and saggy skin. However, the collagen molecule is far too large to penetrate the skin’s pores and successfully reduce the signs of aging or smooth out any wrinkles. In addition to exploiting consumer insecurities, beauty companies hurt their customers economically by pricing ineffective products at an expensive rate and misleading their consumers to believe their products can improve their skin’s condition. Moreover, these “anti-aging” cosmetic companies have recently begun marketing their products toward other susceptible demographics, such as teenagers and young adults. Beauty industry manager Kayla Villena explains that “the target group for anti-aging products has gotten younger and younger.” By targeting younger women, cosmetic companies are preying on young women's insecurities and fears related to future aging and are profiting by making women become lifelong consumers. Ageism has caused women, who are too premature to experience signs of skin aging, start using anti-aging products that are often ineffective and expensive. Additionally, ageism causes women of all ages to experience a decline in their mental health, self-confidence, and self-worth.
Another notable contributing factor to ageism in skincare and dermatology is how society and beauty companies foster these ageist ideals through exclusionary ad campaigns that make aging women feel less represented. With the goal of selling more units, beauty companies use young models or extreme Photoshop and airbrushing to give consumers a false sense of how their products will work to make them look. This unfair and inaccurate depiction has led the American Association of Retired Persons to report that 61% of women nationwide, ages 21 to 72, feel unrepresented by images of women in media and advertisements. This underrepresentation can cause feelings of insecurity in women worldwide who feel like aging is a process they should be ashamed of and thus must keep hidden. To make matters worse, society reinforces this idea by participating in and spreading misinformation and stereotypes regarding aging and discriminating against older individuals.
In conclusion, society must work together to unlearn and reduce the stigma surrounding aging, especially in relation to women. All people are victims of aging in one way or another, and some seek dangerous medical procedures and ineffective “anti-aging” products with the hopes of aligning themselves with ageist beauty standards. Additionally, society and beauty companies foster these ageist beauty standards to make a profit. However, it is important to teach women that aging is a privilege, and instead of denouncing it, we should teach more healthy ways of avoiding premature aging. These include encouraging better lifestyle choices such as quitting smoking and tanning, eating healthier foods, and promoting sunscreen or other sun-protectant technology use. Lastly, educational initiatives can vastly improve the general perception of aging by enhancing empathy, discrediting social misconceptions, and bringing people together to combat ageism.
References:
"Ageing: Ageism." World Health Organization, © 2023 WHO, 18 Mar. 2021, www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/ageing-ageism.
Bonner, Kelly. "L'Oreal Case Highlights Legal Risks of Anti-Aging Claims." Duane Morris, Duane Morris LLP, 6 Dec. 2022,
www.duanemorris.com/articles/loreal_case_highlights_legal_risks_anti_aging_claims_12 06.html.
Curology Team. "Ageism and Anti-aging: Learn about Wrinkle Prevention." Curology, © 2023 Curology, 6 July 2023,
curology.com/blog/ageism-and-anti-aging-think-differently-about-wrinkle-prevention/.
Frey, Fayne. "Pricey 'anti-aging' Products Cannot Reverse Time. Let's Embrace Wrinkles, Not Fight Them." THINK, NBC News, 12 Feb. 2018,
www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/pricey-anti-aging-products-cannot-reverse-time-let-s-e mbrace-ncna846976.
Stewart, Emily. "How the Anti-aging Industry Turns You into a Customer for Life." Vox, VOX MEDIA, 28 July 2022,
www.vox.com/the-goods/2022/7/28/23219258/anti-aging-cream-expensive-scam.
Voss, Gretchen. "The Risks of Anti-aging Medicine." CNN Health, 14 Dec. 2016, www.cnn.com/2011/12/28/health/age-youth-treatment-medication/index.html.
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