The Truth About ‘Wrinkle’ Creams

Finding the perfect product and skin care routine to fight off wrinkle woes has become nearly impossible nowadays with companies and ‘experts’ throwing their juxtaposing opinions into the air. So who do we trust? When it comes to something as important as skin care, it is important to not only know the causes of those ridges carving their way through our skin, but it is also important to know how to prevent them and avoid treating them with disappointing and deceitful products. We need to stay away from those products that claim they do it all, emptying our pockets with no results to bag. Here are a few important myths that we believe are the foundation knowledge needed to improve your wrinkle and skin care woes.

Myth: Wrinkle Creams Reduce Wrinkles

Sorry ladies but that wrinkle cream you just bought may be making your skin lovely and soft but, unless it contains retinoids, it is doing nil for those wrinkles. And just because it is expensive does not mean that it is working! These creams may be brilliant moisturizers and even help to fade your fine lines (not to be confused with wrinkles – fine lines are caused by dry skin) but I’m afraid they are nothing more than that; great moisturizers. Retinoids exfoliate the skin and when used regularly can actually reduce wrinkles. Unfortunately there are many adverse side effects including; acne, allergic reactions and increasing skin sensitivity to the sun (do make sure you follow up with a high SPF sunscreen if you are going to use them). If use is stopped it can also host an array of issues as the skin is not used to being without it– yikes. So unless you are willing to have a long-term relationship with these babies then may we suggest that you invest your money in a well-formulated sunscreen (and try not to tan too often) as these are the best two things you can do to prevent wrinkles. Wrinkles are caused not only by the inevitable degradation of collagen in your skin but also cumulative sun damage.

Myth: Always Look for Elastin and Collagen When Choosing Anti-Wrinkle Creams

Both elastin and collagen can serve as decent water-binding agents, however they cannot bind with and neither can they permanently change, the actual structures within your skin. This is mainly due to the size of the collagen molecules being too large to penetrate the skin. Even if the collagen is made small enough for skin absorption, it cannot actually bind to the collagen in your skin, rendering it absolutely useless. There is not a scrap of scientific evidence indicating otherwise. So if your eyes widen and light up when spotting collagen on the tin, just think to yourself, why spend all this money on a “collagen” product if the collagen cannot actually reach the area needed? Sure the collagen will act as a great moisturizing ingredient, in fact it is a brilliant one but do not be fooled into buying these products for anti-wrinkle purposes.

Myth: Sunscreen is Not Necessary on Cloudy Days

No, clouds are no excuse to skip this vital part of your skin care routine. Wrinkles are caused not only by the inevitable degradation of collagen in your skin but also cumulative sun damage, and therefore it is of the upmost importance to focus on sunscreen no matter the weather. That fluffy marshmallow wall can be extremely deceiving; shining through are harmful, invisible UV rays dancing around on your unprotected skin. If UV rays were visible you would find it very disturbing to even consider not putting on protection before leaving the house. Think of your skin as a bank – Every time you draw money from the bank i.e. expose your skin to the sun, you are depleting your funds, or in this case, diminishing and aging your skin. Clouds or no clouds, the sun isn’t going anywhere (yet). Keep that skin protected, future you will be very grateful!

Myth:  Age Spots Are Due to Getting Older

The fact that they are called “age spots” is a highly misleading name to begin with and whoever came up with the term has without doubt caused for a lot of puzzled individuals. He got one thing right though, older people do tend to have more “age spots” possibly where he coined the term from, but this is not as a result of age but rather down to prolonged years of unprotected sun exposure. Sun spots can in fact show up at any age ranging from the freckles speckled across a young child’s face to the flat brownish discolorations you may notice as early as your 20s. Treating sun-induced discolorations takes scientifically proven ingredients including niacinamide, hydroquinone and forms of vitamin C and of course daily and sufficient sun protection for future prevention.

So there we have it, the tip of the ice berg, the beginning of your knowledgeable anti-aging journey. Do not fear, we’ll be back with much more to come!