Anti-wrinkle Creams and Aging

Wrinkles happen, it's an aging thing. You've read about wrinkles... avoid the sun, stress and smoking. However, if your not one of the wealthier ones who can afford a visit to a plastic surgeon, as you get older your going to get wrinkles just like everyone else. And like most, you'll spend a lot of time and money trying to find that one perfect anti-wrinkle cream.

Anti-wrinkle Creams

I've tried many brands of anti-wrinkle creams only to discover most don't deliver what they promise and I ended up going back to using Estee Lauder. I use the Advanced NIght Repair and my fines lines have almost disappeared. I follow that with Time Zone for my heavier wrinkles and although they are still there they don't seem to be as deep. My skin stays smoother and more even in tone so I'll continue with Estee Lauder. I'm happy with my skin and have no intention of looking years younger or the same age as my daughter! Amazon seems to have the best prices but shop around on their site because the prices vary greatly for the same product.

If you visit a skin care forum you'll find many young women still in their twenties frantically trying find the "magic" anti-aging cream to get rid of their barely there wrinkles. Anti-wrinkle cream ads are everywhere and an estimate of over $800 million a year is being spent on those creams. Many of the anti-wrinkle creams promise wrinkle reduction in as little as 6 weeks. (Of course if you read the small fine print it usually states that the results will vary depending on the skin type, etc., of the user.) Women aren't the only users and companies are also focusing on ads catered to men.

I also visited various anti-wrinkle cream product forums or review sites so I could read what the users of these creams were writing and also to find out the approximate ages of these users. At Sephora I visited the reviews of: Clinique, Lancome, Peter Thomas Roth, Perricone MD, Philosophy, Shiseido, and StriVectin. I then went to the websites of Estee Lauder, Olay, and Neutrogena (no ages given). The average ages of the users were 25-44 years old but I was amazed to see gals from 18-24 using anti-aging creams. The fewest writers and users were 44 years old and above. The reviews were mixed, some highly impressed to those who wouldn’t use it again. Since no skin is alike it's not surprising one particular cream will not work magic on everyone.

Most anti-aging creams can be beneficial in keeping the skin hydrated and soft. Anti-wrinkle can creams soften and plump lines or wrinkles so they may not be as noticeable. They may eliminate fine lines but they aren't going to erase heavy wrinkles.

The Mayo Clinic site says: Research suggests that certain ingredients may improve the appearance of wrinkles. However, most anti-wrinkle creams haven't been subjected to the comprehensive, objective research required to prove this benefit.

Stress, too much sun and smoking are blamed for causing wrinkles but let’s not forget genetics also plays an important part. Just as some are too tall, too thin, too short, too fat, etc. some are going to sail through life with few wrinkles while others who stay out of the sun, don’t smoke and are happy as a lark are stuck with many wrinkles. It’s a guessing game isn’t it?

Wrinkle Fillers
I then decided to check on wrinkle fillers. They are temporary and made to pump up the skin. How long they last depends on the brand and skin type. It great varies. Some fillers contain silicone that fill in lines or creases while others use optical pigments containing light reflecting particles which may help in making wrinkles less visible.

Sleeping Those Nasty Wrinkles Away!
Now for a bit of dry humor... I visited a few sites that had articles on keeping those nasty wrinkles away with most promoting facial exercises that involved lots of smiling and frowning to keep our face “toned” just like we need to do with the rest of our body. I did find one article funny when it suggested to avoid sleeping with your cheek on the pillow because it “scrunches” up the face. Your suppose to look at yourself in a mirror when you lie down in bed to see how your face “scrunches” and change your sleeping position.

Hmmm, So, you need to change your sleeping position to get rid of those nasty creases... Since we all seem to move around and roll over a bit while we’re sleeping I’m not sure how we can subconsciously control staying away from sleeping on that one cheek on our face that wakes up wrinkled. I’m really open to suggestions...

Worrying about wrinkles started centuries ago... Cosmetic and skin cream use dates back to the Egyptians and I suspect creams and oils from the aloe plant and coconuts were used even before the Egyptians in Africa and Asia. Worrying about those pesky wrinkles isn’t a new problem, both sexes have been experimenting with various creams for centuries and not one person or company has yet found the magical cream or the legendary “Fountain of Youth” for eternal youth.

My mother was a working mom who was greatly concerned about getting wrinkles. On weekends she was a walking advertisement for Crisco. It must have worked because she had very few wrinkles when she died at the age of eighty-six. Finding the anti-wrinkle cream that works the best for you is a matter of trial and error. Be patient and don't expect miracles to happen within a few days... good luck and if you do find the "magic" cream please let me know!