Wrinkle Creams and Wrinkle Removers: Forever Young...

Wrinkle creams and wrinkle removers of all sorts have sprouted in health and drug stores all over the world. Why this frenzy to slow aging? Wrinkles are an inescapable fact of life - a visible sign that we have, in fact, experienced a lot in our lives. With so much emphasis in today's culture on the need to remain youthful, whether in advertising or in general media, it's not hard to imagine why so many of us have an obsession to thwart the visible reminders. But with such an abundance of wrinkle cream and wrinkle remover product choices, it's pretty hard to identify which ones are good and which ones are bogus.

Typically, your dermatologist can best prescribe the right wrinkle cream formula for your skin. Does this mean that over-the-counter wrinkle removing products are not effective? Not at all, there are some good over-the-counter wrinkle cream products out there that do not cost a fortune and are easy to buy. It is a matter of knowing which wrinkle removing brand has the best reputation, and knowing which ingredients are the most effective in this war against aging.

Wrinkle Creams: Banishing Age from your Face

Vitamin A – This ingredient has been around for quite some time now and is present in some of the most effective wrinkle removing products today. Originally used for acne treatment, it was eventually discovered to be quite effective with reducing wrinkles too. There are various types of Vitamin A used in wrinkle cream products. Among them, retinoic acid is probably the most effective. It is classified as a drug and is available only by prescription. It has been known to reverse the effects of aging by stimulating the dermis into producing new skin cells.

Other types of Vitamin A include retinol, retinyl palmitate, retinyl acetate and retinyl linoleate. All of these are available without a prescription and occur in many over-the-counter wrinkle cream products. It should be noted, however, that the amount of these vitamins should be about 0.025% for them to have any effect. If such information is not indicated in the wrinkle removing product, the quantity may well be too small to have any positive effect.

Alpha Hydroxy Acids – These are naturally occurring acids that stimulate the dermis to slough off dead skin cells faster. In higher dosages, alpha hydroxy acids can also stimulate the dermis to produce new collagen, elastin fibers, and glycosaminoglycans which help prevent water loss in the skin. In various studies, concentrations of about 5% have been shown to decrease the appearance of wrinkles. Alpha hydroxy acids are not prescription drugs, hence, are readily available in most wrinkle cream products. However, their effects are considerably less effective as a wrinkle remover and are much suited to address acne problems or other dermal blemishes.

Beta Hydroxy Acids – These are chemically different from alpha hydroxy acids but work very similarly to them. Salicylic acid, related to aspirin is one of the most used beta hydroxy acid. Concentrations between 1.5–2% are said to be effective. Beta hydroxy acids are less irritating than alpha hydroxy acids because it does not penetrate the skin as deeply, but they can increase the skin's sensitivity to the sun's rays. Although relatively new, these acids are already in a number of over-the-counter wrinkle removing products already.