Picking Your Anti-aging Creams by Ingredients not Brand Names

With so many different anti-aging product lines available, it is very difficult to distinguish the "highly effective" from the "hardly effective". What makes the selection process even more challenging is not being able to use price as a barometer of effectiveness. So many people have paid $300-$400 for a jar of "miracle cream" that has below par ingredients.

First, make sure a physician developed the anti-aging line you select for your skin and it is physician recommended.

Then review the following key anti-aging ingredients. Determine what ingredients you would like to have in your skin care products and then go find them. Help your skin look beautiful and youthful by doing your homework first and staying in the parameters of the experts (the M.D’s)

Allantoin: Healing properties, regeneration of skin cells. Smooth the surface of the skin.

Alpha-Hydroxy Acids (AHA): CLINICALLY proven to be highly effective. Deeply cleanses, exfoliates dry and damaged skin cells. Smoothes out fine lines and wrinkles. Types of AHA’s: Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Tartaric Acid, Malic Acid and Citric Acid.

Alpha Lipoic Acid: Repairs sun damaged skin. Protects skin. Diminish fine lines and wrinkles. Improve shin tone. Decrease large pores.

Azelaic Acid: Controls oil and bacteria that cause skin problems.

Beta Hydroxy Acids: (Salicylic Acid): Exfoliant that improves skin texture, tone and acne. Usually used as an alternative to AHA and is particularly beneficial for oily skin types. (Effective at concentrations of 1%-2%.).

Coenzyme Q-10 (Ubiquinone): Inexpensive. Fairly new. Effective antioxidant that repairs sun-damaged skin energizes new cell growth, possess firming properties, and smoothes skin.

Collagen: Fairly new. Increases skin hydration and has firming and plumping properties that decrease fine lines and wrinkles. Formulations need to be specific for adequate absorption into the skin.

Copper Peptides: Fairly new. Antioxidant. Protects, firms. Healing properties. Stimulates collagen formation, improves the skin’s elasticity and promotes elastin production.

DHEA: Not clinically proven yet. Growth hormone believed to improve shin texture. Usually taken as an oral supplement.

DMAE: No extensive studies yet on anti-aging effects. Believed to firm moisturize and aid in sagging skin. Benefits are believed to be more effective when used in conjunction with Vit-C and Alpha Lipoic Acid.

Estrogen: (Estradiol .01% or Estriol .3%): Topical use is still in the preliminary study process. Believed to Firm, moisturize and increase collagen production.

Green Tea: Preliminary studies are indicating a reduction in puffiness and inflammation. Antioxidant. Aid in healing, reducing large pores, fine lines and wrinkles. Unsure whether concentrations levels in topical creams are high enough to produce adequate results.

Hyaluronic Acid: Proven Effective in diminishing fine lines and wrinkles by maximizing the absorption of Vitamin C.

Hydroquinone: Clinically proven to effectively bleach age spots, dark spots, and hyper pigmentation. Concentrations levels should be 1%-2% for effectiveness.

Licorice Extract: Exfoliates, bleaches and inhibits hyper-pigmentation

Kinerase and Kinetin (N6-Furfurladenine): Prelim studies are promising cell aging retardation. Expensive ingredient. Improves tone and decreases fine lines and wrinkles. Great alternative to Vitamin-C and Retinol for sensitive skin. Can be used as an intensive skin rejuv. Rx around the eye area. Not readily available in retail yet. Concentration should be .1% to be effective.

Kojic Acid: Lightening treatment for skin pigmentation problems. Clinically proven. It inhibits melanin (brown skin pigment) production. Often used as an alternative to hydroquinone.
Liposomes: Prelim studies show effective skin rejuv by improving skin hydration, reducing fine lines and wrinkles and improving texture of skin. Aids in the delivery and absorption of nutrients to the skin. Used in anti-aging treatments to facilitate the delivery of the active ingredients through the layers of skin and directly to the cells.

Lycopene: Prelim studies. Believed to improve texture. Most commonly used as an oral antioxidant.

Pal-KTTKS: No independent clinical studies to prove reduction of fine lines and wrinkles. This is the active ingredient in Strivectin and StriVectin-SD.

Palmitoyl Pentapeptide: Prelim studies. Believed to stimulate collagen production, improve elasticity, repair sun damage and diminish wrinkles. Sufficient concentrations are necessary for results.

Progesterone: Not clinically proven effective as a topical skin rejuv crm. At a concentration of 400-500mg/oz. it is believed to diminish fine lines and wrinkles and improve texture. Hormone with potential side effects.

Tretinoin (Retinoic Acid –Retin A/Renova): This is a form of vitamin A. Clinically proven anti-aging ingredient. Available only in Rx. Reduces fine lines and wrinkles, increases collagen prod, smoothes texture, increases skin thickness, improves elasticity, improves acne, exfoliation, overall skin tone, decreases hyper-pigmentation and increases skin hydration. Strongest form of vitamin A. Can be irritating.

Retinol (a form of Vit A) clinically proven. Less absorption into skin than Tretinoin, so less significant effects. .3%-.6% concentration for effectiveness. Can cause skin irritation. Gradually increasing the concentration is ideal (especially for sensitive skin), as this will gradually let the skin adjust. (i.e. 1x, 2x, 3x)

Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A derivitive) Prelim studies show similar skin rejuv effects to that of Tretinoin. Is non-irritating, therefore considered a milder, more viable alternative to Tretinoin.

Spin Traps: This ingredient is hard to find. Prelim studies. Suggests significant rejuv results by trapping and detoxifying free radicals. Has skin protective properties. Described as an "Intelligent Antioxidant" b/c it turns skin damaging free radical activity into productive regenerative activity. Touted as the next generation of anti-aging treatments.

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid): Clinically proven. Increases collagen prod, has powerful antioxidant properties, healing properties. Reduces fine lines and wrinkles. Minimizes scars. "Vitamin C Ester (ascorbyl palmitate)" is a stable and absorbable version. "L-Ascorbic Acid" (at 5%concentration) is also widely considered to be an effective version. Most effective is in a gel/serum delivery system with 20%potency.

Vitamin E (Trocopherol): Clinically proven. Effective antioxidant. Improves moisture content. Has protection properties and smoothing and healing properties. Ingredient description should state "High-Potency E".

Vitamin K: Clinically proven. Effective treatment for broken capillaries and bruising. "Super K". Used in treating spider veins and dark circles under the eyes.

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