Our face wrinkles because as we age, our body gradually stops producing collagen, the protein our skin needs to stay firm and fresh. Other factors we expose our body to over the time also accelerated the loss of collagen in our body like smoking and sun. Although we cannot stop aging; yes we cannot, but what we thought we can do is at least try and slow down its effect on our body. To reduce or stop wrinkle formation on the face, people turn to anti-wrinkle cream, but the question is “do wrinkle creams work on the face?”
There are lots of anti-wrinkle creams products out there promising to reduce wrinkles, firm up skin that has sagged, eliminating the spots and leave your face several decades younger. It is hard to prove their effectiveness as they are not classified as a drug; therefore they do not undergo scientific research to determine how they work or if they actually work. But we cannot dissolve the possibility that using some of these wrinkle creams might have some health benefit to the skin, considering the ingredients used in making them.
The effectiveness of this wrinkle creams depends on the active ingredient or ingredients in them and how long and often you use them. Here are some common ingredients use in wrinkle creams and believe to have improvement on the appearance of wrinkles.
Hydroxy acids
Alpha hydroxy acids in wrinkle cream act as an exfoliant, the substance remove dead skin cells from the upper layer of the skin and reveal the new skin cells. Other Hydroxy acids that can be found in some wrinkle creams include polyhydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids or salicylic acid.
Retinol
Retinol is a type of vitamin A compound, an antioxidant that is commonly used in wrinkle creams. Retinol tends to boost skin elasticity and improve the skin’s retinoid receptors which neutralize free radicals, soothing texture and also stimulating collagen production to boost skin cells generation.
Vitamin C
This is used in wrinkle cream as another potent antioxidant, Vitamin C help protects our skin from sun damage. To protect the Vitamin C antioxidant in wrinkle cream, you need to protect the cream from air and sunlight.
Peptides
This ingredient is well known in the cosmetic industry due to its ability to boost production of collagen. There are used in products for stretch marks, wound healing and also wrinkles.
Coenzyme Q10
This ingredient is also believed to protect the skin from sun damage and reduce fine wrinkles around the eyes.
Niacinamide
This another antioxidant commonly used in wrinkle creams, it is related to vitamin B-3 and used in cream to improve skin elasticity by reducing water loss in the skin.
There are other Antioxidants commonly used in wrinkle creams such as Tea extracts like Green tea, oolong tea and black tea and Grape seed extract_ which also promote wound healing.
It is well said that “Prevention is better than cure” because once the damage is done on the skin, it is nearly impossible to reverse it. Wrinkle creams might be able to improve the appearance of wrinkles on your face, depending on the amount of active ingredient in it and how often you use it but it cannot remove wrinkles. It is recommended to prevent wrinkles early by protecting your skin from the sun, use skin products with built-in sunscreen, Use moisturizers and Don’t smoke