If you are getting older and are starting to develop sagging skin and wrinkles have you thought about trying an anti aging wrinkle cream? You will see a huge selection in any pharmacy or advertised on TV. Are they effective? Do they really get rid of all the wrinkles and return your skin to its youthful appearance? Is it worth buying an expensive anti wrinkle cream or will a cheap one be just as effective? We hope to answer some of your questions in this article.
The first thing to think about before you go to buy any of these creams is to look at the ingredients and consider which ones are actually effective. There have been many clinical trials of anti wrinkle ingredients which have shown that some ingredients are definitely effective and some do nothing at all. The most effective of these is retinol, a vitamin A derivative and a small enough molecule to penetrate the epidermis of the skin. Copper peptides and CoEnzyme Q10 are also effective and are often included in retinol products to boost its effect.
How does retinol work? One of the problems with skin creams is that the skin is protected from absorbing unwanted substances so large molecules just sit on the skin’s surface and cannot penetrate deep into the skin. Only small molecules, such as retinol, are able to penetrate the upper layers and reach the layers deep in the skin where they can do some good. In these deeper layers are the two large proteins that give the skin support and elasticity, collagen and elastin. When these are damaged by exposure to environmental pollutants such as smoke and UV light from the sun, or from age, the skin sags and wrinkles. Retinol is superb at reaching these proteins and repairing this damage. It takes some time, so don’t expect overnight results, but if used for a few months you will see a good improvement in lines and wrinkles as well as discoloration of the skin and dark spots.
Copper peptides, which can be used in conjunction with retinol or on their own, have healing properties and CoEnzyme Q10 is a good free radical scavengers and helps to prevent further damage.
Many of the over the counter retinol products give the percentage of retinol which is important as you will want to start with a lower concentration at first. You can find products with between 0.3 and 1% pure retinol and the lower level is a good place to start. You can experience some redness and irritation when you first use any of these creams which is usually temporary. If you start with a low concentration you can gradually increase the amount of retinol without too much discomfort.
Retinol can also cause your skin to become very dry, especially if you have more sensitive skin, so you will also want to use a good moisturiser. Many people recommend using the cream every other day to start with until you see how your skin is reacting. It is important to use an effective sunscreen when you use a retinol anti aging wrinkle cream as this ingredient makes the skin more sensitive to the sun.
As we said earlier using any of these anti aging products will not make your wrinkles disappear overnight. It took years for these to develop and it will take some months to undo the damage. You may see some beneficial effects in about eight weeks but to really see a big improvement you should allow at least three months or more. In addition the damage will return if you stop using the creams and your wrinkles will slowly come back.
One ingredient you may see in anti wrinkle creams is collagen. As we know, it is the damage to collagen which is a major part of the cause of wrinkles but just putting a cream containing collagen on the skin’s surface is not going to have any effect at all. Collagen is a very big, structural molecule and cannot penetrate the epidermis so it can’t replace the damaged collagen deep in the skin.
Overall then anti wrinkle products can be effective if you choose one with ingredients that are known to be effective and use it regularly.
