Addicted to the Best Wrinkle Creams in America

Blatant examples of addiction to appearance enhancement stream across mainstream media. We have all seen the notorious "Cat woman", who’s face looks somewhat like a cat now, after way too many plastic surgeries. We’ve winced at the images of Michael Jackson’s disfigured face and nose, after too many surgeries to fulfill his desired look that would appear unattainable for him. Some of us might see these images as a reflection of people with too much money to burn, or of people collapsing under the pressures of the paparazzi. However, this author sees the exact same phenomenon all across America. Not in the lobbies and waiting rooms of plastic surgeons, but in the e-commerce boom of women experimenting with wrinkle cream after wrinkle cream. The fundamental basis for wrinkle cream addiction is the same as that of plastic surgery. The difference is that the wrinkle creams are much more accessible to most Americans, and the results of addiction are much less noticeable. These products are not physically addictive like a drug, so let’s examine the forces behind this type of dependence.

Heavy pressure from the media to remain young, beautiful and wrinkle free:
This is probably the most obvious pressure causing women to feel helpless to the pull of purchasing wrinkle creams. Just like images of being skinny, the images of smooth young skin pulse across television commercials and magazine ads. Any type of advertising that is trying to sell a product to women, tries to associate their product with youth, happiness and beauty. The way they draw this picture is via skinny bodies and young, tight skin. We may never know how the picture of beauty became skinny and young, but it is undeniable that the media force-feeds us these identifications, and is a driving force behind women being "addicted" to wrinkle creams and other beauty or weight related products.

The craving for results as powerful as they were on that first use:
Even the best wrinkle creams in the world will provide a much more visible result on your first few uses than they will after months of use. This is only because the skin, after the first month of use, is in a much better state, and simply doesn’t have as much improvement to make. An example can be a dried out sponge. When water is poured on a dried out, stiff sponge for the first time, it will make a dramatic change to the sponge’s texture and appearance. However, if water is poured on the sponge again in a few hours, the results will be much less visible… simply because the sponge already had some moisture in it. It is this less visible result on secondary applications that causes women to go "on the hunt" for that same excited feeling they had after that first, drastic application of product. It will, of course, never come again. However, the powerful craving for amazing results will steer her toward more and more purchases of wrinkle creams.

Laziness in taking preventative measures before trying the best wrinkle creams:
A very simple force driving the seemingly unquenchable thirst for wrinkle creams in America is the fact that most people simply do not take care of their skin and prevent these wrinkles before they rear their ugly heads. Women lying in the sun all summer, drinking alcohol, and not properly hydrating themselves is guaranteeing a future for these expensive wrinkle creams. If proper action was taken before the wrinkles became visible, then the addiction of the masses to the best wrinkle creams would dramatically lessen.

The constant flood of the "Next big breakthrough" of the best wrinkle cream:
This last cause of wrinkle cream addiction is the fault of the marketing companies behind the creams. Let’s face it, there is a new wrinkle cream hitting the market practically every day. Each new one is promising that they are the end all to wrinkle creams. They promise that women will get the elusive results that they’ve been stalking since the first time they used the best wrinkle cream of its day. Women are so eager to get the results they want, and their minds are so etched with the images of "beauty" that the media engrains upon them, that they fall victim to these zealous ads. Even after buying wrinkle cream after wrinkle cream, and not getting the results they had hoped for, it seems that this wave of advertising promising the "Next big thing" strong arms women into buying again.

This article uses the term, "Addiction" on several occasions. Certainly the phrase, "Inability to resist" might be more accurate and certainly softer. However, the premise is the same. The driving forces that we examined above are causing women across America to be unable to resist buying the latest and best wrinkle cream. It seems like it would be easy to put down a credit card and refuse another purchase, but it just isn’t. Combining the external and internal forces that we took a look at in these paragraphs, makes wrinkle creams and certainly a quest for beauty, an irresistible power.

The author is an avid participant in the research and development of wrinkle creams, and contributes to a review website, helping consumers do real research on the Best Wrinkle Cream.