Myths and Facts about Wrinkles

First of all, let me make it clear that I am NOT trying to sell any anti aging products. Neither am I a dermatologist who wishes to educate you with a miraculous discovery about wrinkle reducers. I am in fact just a writer who recently detected baby crow’s feet under my eyes and do not want to give up on my body yet. Yep, I have become quite interested in this enigma: how to preserve our fountain of youth?

There are myriad articles out there about facial wrinkles, and you will find pages of advertisements for anti-aging products in every fashion magazine. I was quite bewildered by such advertising hype and wondered which ones are truthful; which ones are the best; and why those products have to be so outrageously expensive, etc. After doing some library research and having a little chitchat with my own dermatologist, however, I found out that there is not really any secret in the anti wrinkle business after all. Most of those fancy advertisements for anti wrinkle creams are in fact only skin deep.

FACT: Exercising facial muscles may help prevent your jaw-line and neck from sagging, but it will not prevent facial wrinkles. On the contrary, too much muscle action on the upper face can lead to a noticeable increase of lines around the eyes and forehead. As for lower facial lines, they are caused by the loss of collagen and elastic tissues underlying your skin, which unavoidably happens with age and cannot be prevented by facial muscle toning. One thing you can do to postpone the lower facial wrinkles is to use sun protection products regularly and avoid sunburn, as too much sun exposure will hasten the breakdown of collagen and elastic fibers in your skin.

FACT: Consuming oily fish with high level of omega-3 fatty acids is certainly good for your heart, though it has not been scientifically proven that eating fish is really good for your skin or not. In fact, we should eat fish in moderation. The World Health Organization recommends that adults should not eat more than 12 ounces of fish per week. As for children and pregnant women, 5 ounces of fish per week is the proper amount.

FACT: Tanning machines are very dangerous. They produce long-wave ultraviolet (UVA) which is even worse than the UVB or the sunburn spectrum because the UVA can reach much deeper into your skin, causing sagging, wrinkling and a risk of some skin cancers.

FACT: Botox needs to be injected directly into the facial muscles that are producing wrinkles. Cream treatments with “Botox-like” ingredients simply cannot pull off the same stunt.

FACT: The truth is even on a cloudy day or when you are just sitting in a car, the UVA can still penetrate through to your skin, accelerating wrinkling and causing spider veins, sallowness and brown sunspots. Sunscreens should be applied daily to exposed parts of the body. Use a sunscreen with SPF 30 plus in the summer, and SPF 15 plus for other times of the year. The most important ingredient you should look for in a sunscreen is Avobenzone, which is the most effective UVA blocker. Some high-quality sun products recommended by dermatologists are Bain de Soleil, Clinique Sun Block, Coppertone Sunblock, Neutrogena Dry Touch and Shade UVA Guard.

FACT: You should moisturize your face and around the eyes before going to bed at night. It is the time when the barrier of the stratum corneum or the top layer of your skin is less exposed, and therefore the moisturizer can be absorbed more easily than during your daily activities.

FACT: These kinds of products are accepted by dermatologists to be great moisturizers, though there is hardly any scientific proof that they can reduce deep wrinkles or rejuvenate human skin. Their real benefits, so to speak, certainly don’t justify their high costs. If you try using them and feel some improvement, that is probably the result of temporary skin hydration, which you can also obtain from low-price skin care products. Some affordable anti wrinkle creams recommended by most dermatologists are Clinique Anti-Gravity firming cream and lotion, L’Oreal Line Eraser and Retinol Face lotion, Olay Total Effect cream, Vaseline Dermacare, Neutrogena Copper Visibly Young Eye and Face cream, Nivea Age Reversal night cream, and Roc Retinol Anti-Wrinkle moisturizing treatment. You can find them in your local pharmacy or supermarket. They are well-tested, cosmetically sound, and able to reduce some fine lines and give your skin a healthy look. And most importantly, they will not make you feel so ripped off.

FACT: Vitamin C is an antioxidant and a very important aid in the production of collagen structures. It impressively helps the skin heal from wounds and sunburn, and also contains some mild sun protection properties. However, there has been no scientific evidence that it can rejuvenate the skin or reduce wrinkles. Also, some anti aging creams that contain vitamin C are not always stable, meaning vitamin C in those skin care products does not always successfully penetrate the skin.

FACT: Anti aging creams with the word “organic”, “botanical” or “natural” somehow sound very alluring to consumers right now. But bottom line, it’s just a fad. Although some botanical ingredients such as green tea extract, ginkgo biloba, aloe vera and fruit acids have been proven to help improve smoothness and reduce irritancy in the skin, it does not necessarily mean that they are superior to synthetic ingredients. Some of the most toxic and allergenic substances are in fact derived from plants. If you like to buy skin care products with natural ingredients, try to choose them from respected larger companies whose products are well formulated and thoroughly tested for all skin types.

1. Always use a sunscreen.
2. Don't smoke.
3. Avoid excess drinking.
4. Always get enough sleep and try to be relaxed. Repetitive stress can result in accelerated aging.
5. Exercise regularly. Get at least 30 minutes of light exercise a day.
6. Drink plenty of water.
7. Cut back on simple-carb diet such as white bread and sugar.
8. Reduce intake of saturated fats.
9. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, beans and nuts.
10. Avoid sudden weight gain or weight loss.
11. Use good skin care products that are suitable for your skin type.