How do anti aging wrinkle creams work? Are they effective? In this article we’ll try to answer these questions and give you the information you need to decide if you should use a wrinkle product. We all feel the effects on our skin as we age, some more than others. there is no doubt that genetics plays a part in how early you experience wrinkles but the way you look after your skin has a huge effect as well. Too much sunbathing, smoking and excess use of alcohol will all lead to your skin aging more rapidly. Can you reverse the effects of both age and the environment on your skin?
Let’s look first at why skin loses its elasticity and begins to sag and wrinkle as we age. Two proteins in the skin help to keep it looking younger, elastin and collagen. Elastin provides the elasticity and collagen provides a firm foundation for the epidermis. As we age, or when skin is exposed to environmental pollutants, both these proteins are damaged, the skin becomes less elastic and, without a firm foundation begins to sag. If we could repair this damage we could improve the appearance of the skin by making it more elastic and giving it back its firm foundation.
However, just applying collagen or elastin to the skin won’t have any effect as they are large molecules that cannot penetrate the epidermis. What’s needed is a smaller molecule that can penetrate to the deeper layers of the skin and repair the damage. One chemical that can do this is retinol which is included in many anti-aging wrinkle creams. It has been shown to be effective at removing wrinkles as it is small enough to penetrate the epidermis and reach down into the dermis where it can repair the damaged elastin and collagen.
Retinol anti wrinkle creams won’t work overnight, it takes time to repair years of damage, but in two or three months daily use you should see a good improvement in the appearance of wrinkles and your skin should be tighter and younger looking. Anti wrinkle products are not all hype, they can be effective if used regularly, but the wrinkles will return if you stop using them.