Monday, March 2, 2009

How To Pick The Right Wrinkle Cream For You

By Jen Hopkins

There are so many wrinkle creams out there that picking one can be a difficult task. Any drugstore or even grocery store is likely to have shelves full of creams to choose from. Add to that the ones that you can find in online stores. Then there's the wrinkle cream that your friend swears by, that is only sold through network marketing. Finding the one that works for you can feel like a game of blind luck.

Almost all wrinkle cream marketing contains the same claims. There isn't a manufacturer that doesn't think their cream works to reduce fine lines. They all say that their product will delay signs of aging. Every anti aging cream is meant to make you look younger in a relatively short time. Therefore, going by the manufacturer's claims doesn't help you very much.

Then there's word of mouth. This approach seems more promising, since you are at least hearing from people who have tried the product. If they say it works, they are basing it on personal experience. Ideally, they would be people you trust, so you can believe in their endorsement.

But realistically, how many friends and relatives can you ask? No one has tried every product out there, and there are probably plenty of products no one you know has tried. Also, the fact that a certain cream has worked for someone else is no guarantee that it will work for you; everyoneas skin is different.

Scientific tests have been performed on some wrinkle creams, but you only hear about them as part of a productas marketing. A manufacturer will promote a product that performs well, but thereas no way to compare it to any other product. Thereas no place to go for independent information.

Prescription products are required to be compared to a simple moisturizer in order to demonstrate their effectiveness, but the over the counter wrinkle creams that can be found in drugstores are usually only tested in before-and-after studies that donat compare products.

Fortunately, there are some test results regarding the effectiveness of ingredients commonly used in anti-wrinkle creams. Manufacturers of drugstore creams have started including retinoids, a type of vitamin A found in some prescription products. Although retinoids can take up to a year for their maximum effect to be seen on skin, they do work for many people. Other ingredients that have been tested include hydroxy acids and antioxidants, though these may not hold quite as much promise.

The important thing to know about wrinkle creams is that most of their effect comes from the fact that they are designed to moisturize and protect the skin. Why spend 200 dollars on a fancy product when a less expensive one may work just as well? Perhaps the best option is to try an inexpensive drugstore product to see whether it gives you the result you are hoping for. You may be pleasantly surprised to discover that drugstore creams and exclusive anti-aging products show little difference in tests that have compared them. - 16083

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