Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Style at Large
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    The ultimate daily digest for women of power, purpose, and style.


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Uniqlo x Cecilie Bahnsen
    • Perfume Necklaces
    • The Board Whisperers
    • Choulie
    • Holiday Movies
    1. Beauty

    The Internet Is Freaking Out Over This Young-Looking Grandma

    This is what happens when you use retinol for 50 YEARS.

    Alex Warner's avatar
    By Alex Warner
    Published 15 May 2018 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Hair, Blond, Hairstyle, Layered hair, Lip, Chin, Long hair, Beauty, Surfer hair, Hair coloring,
    (Image credit: Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    If I had a dime for every time I was too tired—or let's be honest, too damn lazy—to take five minutes to get up, wash my face, and slather on some moisturizer, I'd be a freakin' millionaire (and then I could pay someone to do all that for me, right?).

    And though I'm admittedly bad about my skincare routine—especially my anti-aging efforts—my entire tune has changed after seeing this picture of a 78-year-old woman with incredibly smooth, bright, and practically wrinkle-free skin. If you needed proof that taking care of your skin is truly worth it, look no further.

    Yesterday, Reddit user @ucancallmekt shared a photo of her grandma, writing "My 78-year-old grandmother is a poster child for Retin-A! She’s been using it since it was first released on the market." In the photo, a woman with great skin (and brows—I mean come on!) looks on, smiling. 

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    In the post, the user wrote, "My friend just started Retin-A and is complaining about the side effects, so I snapped this photo at Mother’s Day Brunch to prove to her it works!" She continued, "My grandma started Retin-A for adult acne right when it was first released on the market. She was one of her dermatologist’s first patients to try it."

    Face, Hair, Cheek, Head, Nose, Skin, Pink, Chin, Forehead, Lip,

    (Image credit: Reddit/@ucancallmekt)

    Retin-A is a retinoid (i.e. an umbrella term for all vitamin-A derivatives, including retinol) that's also FDA-approved for treating acne—though, technically, all retinoids will help treat acne. How? Retinoids sink into your skin and stimulate the production of new skin cells, which speeds up exfoliation, increases collagen production, brightens scars and dark marks, smooths fine lines and wrinkles, and, yes, destroys acne. Oh, and it can also make you look 60 years old when you're 78, apparently.

    You may like
    • woman with mature skin next to a night cream  on a lit background My 79-Year-Old Grandma Swears By This Night Cream for Mature Skin
    • a person with curly hair and perfect skin framed next to three retinol alternative skincare products I Don't Use Retinol—But These Alternatives Still Deliver Impressive Results
    • a mature woman framed out next to products to firm loose or sagging skin I Polled Derms to See if This Viral Serum Will Actually Firm Sagging Skin

    And clearly, I'm not the only one who's impressed. "She's glowing," writes one user; "I spent years in the medical field, so I treated a lot of elderly PTs (and I'd always know their exact age, unlike in a social situation)—you almost never see a 78-year-old looking like that. Amazing." Adds another, "Holy mother of cucumber! She sure is aging gracefully! I hope this would be me too when I am older."

    So basically, every single person should be using a retinoid (so long as your skin isn't crazy sensitive, like anyone with rosacea) if you care about boosting your skin's health. Ideally, you'd talk to your dermatologist to find the best over-the-counter or prescription formula for you, but if you're looking for a quick fix, you can try Kim Kardashian's favorite $10 anti-aging serum, or the cult-favorite Roc Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Facial Filler.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    The ultimate daily digest for women of power, purpose, and style.

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Of course, there's absolutely nothing wrong with wrinkles and fine lines—they're natural! Embrace them!—but if you're hoping to stave off the effects of aging for a little bit longer, try a retinol. Or, you can just defy the laws of science like this Reddit user's grandma. You know, whatever is easier.

    RELATED STORY

    skin care products

    (Image credit: Astrid Stawiarz)

    Tried-and-Tested Skincare Products That Work

    Alex Warner
    Alex Warner
    Social Links Navigation
    Editor

    I’m currently working at Dotdash Meredith as the Celeb & Entertainment E-Commerce Lead contributing affiliate content for People.com and InStyle.com. I’m basically like your personal shopper, from writing about that cozy loungewear set you didn’t know you needed to keeping tabs on the best sales and deals on the internet. I’m also a pro at finding affordable dupes for celebrity looks and I love to dig into the data to strategize content opportunities.

    Read more
    woman with mature skin next to a night cream  on a lit background
    Skincare My 79-Year-Old Grandma Swears By This Night Cream for Mature Skin Fine lines plumped overnight.
    By Marisa Petrarca
    Rodan + Fields
    Skincare A Beauty Director Just Gave Me the Tea on These Anti-Aging Products—I'm Impressed An official stamp of approval.
    By Aniyah Morinia
     
     
    a trio of images, one of a black and white photo of a woman's back, a close up of serum, and a woman with gray hair in a black dress
    Skincare Entering Perimenopause? These 6 Cosmetic Treatments Should Be on Your Radar Maturing skin needs a special type of TLC.
    By Lisa DeSantis
    a girl in a headband and camo sweatshirt framed out on a golden background next to two under-eye creams
    Skincare It Might Be Getting Darker Outside—But My Under-Eyes Have Never Looked Brighter Thanks to This Drugstore Formula Firm and depuff without the luxury store price tag.
    By Stephanie (Griffin) Napolitano
     
     
    Latest in Beauty
    deep burgundy red nails, côte peachy nude polish, blue and brown metallic star nails, essie dark berry polish, tiger print french tips with gold details, cirque colors muted rosy brown nail polish
    Nails Before Holiday Glitter Takes Over, Let's Talk About The Tiger Print Nail Trend
    collage of november nail trends
    Nails Jewel Tones Mixed With Pastel Polish Is the November Nail Trend I Never Saw Coming
     
     
    green background with holiday gift sets and a christmas tree
    Beauty Spending Under $20 on Holiday Gifts Has Never Looked So Expensive
    A woman wearing a blue blouse with frills at the neckline. She is next to a microcurrent device, a body lotion, and a face cream.
    Beauty My Wellness-Obsessed Self Is Loving These Ulta Sale Finds
     
     
    Latest in News
    Princess Kate and Prince William in 2025 in an outdoors setting wearing country inspired clothing
    Royals One of Princess Kate's Hobbies Started as an Unexpected Gift
    (L to R) Brittany Bianco, Wilnie Louis, Sarah Williams, Aneha Singh in episode 1101 of 'Love Is Blind.'
    TV shows The 'Love Is Blind' Season 11 Reunion Is This Weekend—Here's When You Can Watch It
     
     
    King Charles and Princess Diana embrace, Charles is wearing a yellow sweater with a shirt underneath and Diana has short blonde hair
    Royals Charles Begged People Not to "Say Bad Things About" Diana
    Selena Gomez's Ugg Elea Slippers are on sale for an early Black Friday discount
    Celebrity Style Surprise! Selena Gomez's Slippers Are On Sale for Under $90
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.