All About Anti-Wrinkle Creams

A good wrinkle reducer will stimulate new cell production and keep your skin from thinning. But finding a good skin wrinkle cream is no easy task, considering the number of products, each making a slew of beauty promises.

    Every wrinkle cream promises visible, transformative results,but the truth is, most tubes and tubs of wrinkle reducer creams being sold over the counter don’t make a dramatic difference.

That’s not to say that there’s no help for wrinkles. There is. The challenge is wading through all the products that have a minimal effect on any skin wrinkle and finding the ones that have big anti-wrinkle benefits.

How Do Wrinkle Creams Work?

    The average over-the-counter wrinkle cream works by moisturizing the skin, which reduces the appearance of fine lines by improving skin texture and helping to reflect light, says Richard Eisen, MD, dermatologist and founder of South Shore Skin Center in Plymouth, Mass.

    Wrinkle creams also tend to include alpha hydroxy acids, which help slough away dead skin cells and exfoliate, Dr. Eisen says. As a result, your skin will look smoother.

Some anti-wrinkle creams contain antioxidants, such as coenzyme Q10, kinetin, or green tea. Antioxidants can destroy free radicals, the unstable molecules are created by sun damage and can cause skin wrinkles. However, antioxidants work better at preventing future wrinkles than as a wrinkle reducer, Eisen says. So, if you’re going to use a wrinkle cream with antioxidants, wear it under sunscreen to help prevent further sun damage.

Retinol: The Wrinkle Cream Wonder Ingredient?

    Wrinkle creams that offer real benefits include retinol, which you can find in products sold over the counter, and prescription retinoids such as tretinoin (Retin-A and Renova) and tazarotene (Tazorac and Avage). They’re all derivatives of vitamin A, used to stimulate the production of collagen and reverse thinning of the skin, which helps smooth wrinkles. Retinoids even improve the pigment of your skin by lightening brown spots.

    The biggest reason to use a retinoid: They really do work. Retinoids have been studied and shown to be effective in reducing the wrinkles you already have, Eisen says. They also can help prevent new wrinkles. It takes about 10 to 12 months of treatment to see the full results.

Retinol, which is sold over-the-counter, can give you some benefits, but it’s not as effective as prescription retinoids because it’s a less potent form of vitamin A.

The Downsides of Wrinkle Creams

While skin wrinkle creams do offer benefits, there are some negatives to consider:

• Limited results. They may help your skin look better, but over-the-counter wrinkle creams aren’t going to give you dramatic results.
• The cost. Prescription tretinoin can cost $55 for under an ounce, which may or may not be covered by insurance. However, this is far less than some cosmetic-counter creams that don’t deliver on their promises, and it works. Also, because you apply just a pea-sized amount, a small tube lasts quite a while. Drugstore over-the-counter wrinkle creams can cost $15 for less than an ounce and a half, but may give you limited benefits.
• Pregnancy caution. Because there may be a risk of birth defects, doctors don’t recommend using retinoids during pregnancy.
• b Retinoids can cause redness and irritation. If you tend to have irritated or dry skin before starting treatment, retinoids may cause more problems. To get around that, Eisen often recommends that his patients either start with a retinol and move on to prescription tretinoin as their skin gets more accustomed to retinoids, or use tretinoin only every third or fourth night until their skin learns to tolerate it.

    Retinoids aside, by far, the most important anti-wrinkle product you can use is sunscreen. Choose one with an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 30 that protects against both types of ultraviolet rays, and you may not have to rely on wrinkle creams quite so much as you get older.