There I am, sitting in one of five barns on the property of a couple who live between a hill and the gully near the lake, when I comment on her age.
“Okay, Robin. You’ve never told me how old you are.” She smiles coyly.
“How old do you think I am?”
“63,” interjects my 12 year told daughter.
“Yeah, about that,” I chime in.
Robin gives us a modest grin. “I’m 74.”
We both exclaim and when enough time has passed that I think it won’t be rude, I ask how she has gotten to her seventh decade with so few wrinkles, for in truth, she has a few around her lip lines, but zero on her cheek, other than a moderate smile line between her mouth and cheek.
“Preparation H,” she replies with a straight face. My mouth drops. My eyes widen.
“You are kidding.”
“Nope,” she says without a hint of embarrassment. “I was told forty years ago to use it and I have.”
Mystified, I later ask my husband about it and he nods his head, in a “of course,” kind of way. Apparently, certain ingredients exist within the Prep H that tightens the skin. Seriously.
As any woman determined to look younger for as long as humanly possible, I hit the Internet. Sagging skin and Preparation H I query. Sure enough, up comes an article on Livestrong about tricks to tightening sagging neck skin (always a lovely visual). If you are like me, and hate clicking on all the various links: here’s the skinny, directly from Livestrong.
“Because Preparation H contains Phenylephrine HCl 0.25 percent, a vasoconstrictor drug that causes blood vessels to constrict, it is also a popular remedy for swollen eyes and puffy skin, according to the Preparation H website. However, there are no clinical studies to prove alternative uses for Preparation H. When applied to affected areas, Preparation H forces excess water out of the skin, creating a smooth and lean appearance.”