Best Wrinkle Cream: Facelift in a Jar

Is a facelift in a jar available at your local drugstore? Can you find the best wrinkle cream over-the-counter at your favorite drugstore or pharmacy? That depends on the approach you feel may best suit your skin's needs. There are many products sold at retail that promise to smooth out your wrinkles through the use of certain ingredients within the creams, but do they really work?

To answer that question, one needs to look at the main ingredient contained in each preparation, then make a judgment as to whether those ingredients are likely to keep their promise, and more importantly, just how they intend to do that.

The competition for the best wrinkle cream title has been hot and heavy for many years, so what do we base an intelligent decision on?

Well, let's take a look at some of the ingredients that are listed on the more popular anti-wrinkle cream labels. We will then attempt to explain why and how they might work.

Hydroxy Acids

Hydroxy Acids are plant-based compounds that act as exfoliants. They help improve the skin by acting as scrubbers to remove the thin upper layers of the skin, thus exposing the new layers underneath for a healthy, young glow.

Retinol

Retinol is an antioxidant which is designed to work by neutralizing the free radicals that accelerate skin aging. It is a Vitamin A derivative, and as such, is not recommended for use by pregnant women, as Vitamin A derivatives have the potential to cause birth defects.

Tea Extracts

Various types of tea leaves -- green, black and oolong -- contain compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Green tea extracts are the ones most commonly found in wrinkle creams. Some people report a daily tea face washes have improved their skin's condition better than the best wrinkle cream on the store shelves.

Kinetin

Kinetin is a plant-based substance and although it's role as an anti-wrinkle product is not clearly understood, it is believed to help improve uneven skin pigmentation and help reduce wrinkles with minimal irritation. It is also thought that Kinetin can be helpful in assisting the skin in retaining its natural moisture, neutralizing free radicals as an antioxidant and increasing collagen production which helps the skin retain its firmness and elasticity.

Copper Peptides

Copper peptides are believed to accelerate the healing of skin and other tissues. Copper is a trace element that exists in the body naturally, and when combined with peptides, which are tiny proteins, may also improve antioxidant activity while increasing the production of collagen.

CoEnzyme Q10

This substance is thought to help the skin as well as other organs in the body by helping improve the cells' production of energy, which in turn, keeps the organ healthy because of its ability to move nutrients and waste matter in and out of the cells efficiently.

View the original article here