Brown spots, acne, dry skin, wrinkles around your eyes...these are some of the many search terms that bring folks to our site. OK, great...but now you’re confronted with a bewildering range of choices. Where do you go from here? If you’ve never shopped for skin products before, this section is a good place to start. It will help you get a handle on the range of problems that can be treated with the products on this site, and give you some information about the products themselves, to help you choose the right one. Sun Damage: It’s Not the Age, It’s the Mileage As a dermatologist, most of the cosmetic skin problems I see—including wrinkles, freckles, and blotches—are usually thought of as having to do with “aging.” So, let me clear up a little misconception: Whenever we speak of aging, what we’re really talking about is sun damage. Other factors do take a toll (smoking in particular), but mostly it’s the sun that ages our skin. It takes many years for the effects of sun damage to become visible, which is why we associate it with age. In fact, though, the lines and spots you’re starting to see at 35 or 45 are the result of sun exposure that may have occurred in your teens. Using a daily sunscreen is a must at any age, but unfortunately it can’t change the past. So, we have to turn to medications and treatments aimed at undoing some of the sun’s damage. Prescription Treatments As background, it’s worth mentioning Retin-A, which is retinoic acid, derived from Vitamin A. Retin-A is still the top prescription treatment for wrinkles, and has set the standard that most other anti-aging products try to match. Retin-A was developed about 30 years ago as an acne cream. It works by microscopically peeling off the top layer of skin, keeping the pores from getting plugged up and preventing blackheads and whiteheads from causing pimples. Only recently were Retin-A's wrinkle-reducing properties discovered. It turns out it has the added benefit of stimulating certain cells (called fibroblasts) deep in your skin to produce more collagen, the substance that holds skin together. Retin-A, in effect, plumps up your skin by building more collagen. Retin-A's main drawback is that it can be irritating, particularly if you have dry or sensitive skin. For this reason, it is now formulated with a moisturizer under the name Renova. Non-Prescription Treatments In recent years, manufacturers have been hard at work trying to equal or surpass Retin-A with a variety of less-irritating, over-the-counter preparations. Today’s anti-aging products are quite sophisticated and offer a gentle, yet effective, way to counter the effects of sun and time. Four major types of over-the-counter treatments are: AHA’s (alphahydroxy acids, especially glycolic acid) Retinol Vitamin C Kinerase In general, there are two broad functions performed by these products (although not all products perform both functions). One is the exfoliation, or “peeling away” of surface cells. This has several benefits. As an anti-aging measure, it smoothes the skin and evens out surface discoloration. As a prelude to acne treatment, it cleans the pores of dirt and oil and allows treatment solutions better access to the skin. Similarly, as a prelude to bleaching, it peels back the surface layer and allows the bleaching agent to penetrate more deeply. Exfoliants: AHA’s, Retinol, Kinerase The second broad function performed by anti-aging products is the stimulation of collagen formation. Collagen, as I said, is the substance that holds skin together, giving it firmness and elasticity. Over time, sun exposure destroys collagen. The more sun you get, the worse the damage. The result is all too familiar: a slack, leathery appearance with noticeable wrinkles and blotchy discoloration. The good news is that certain products can actually rebuild damaged collagen and restore firmness and tone. Collagen Formation: Retinol, Cellex-C, Kinerase Skin Sensitivity Skin sensitivity to anti-aging products can occur, but with the right precautions it shouldn’t be a serious problem. Most of these products are available in different strengths. If you have dry or sensitive skin, I recommend starting at the lowest concentration available. (If your skin is oily, you can probably tolerate a higher percentage.) Some tingling is normal. If you experience significant redness, discontinue use for a couple of days to allow the irritation to go away, and then try again, this time diluting the product 50/50 with your favorite moisturizer. Even people with sensitive skin should be able to enjoy the benefits of these products on an every-other-day, or every-third-day basis. Creams vs. Lotions and Gels/ Skin Type Another decision you have to make in choosing skin care products is what form you’d like them in—-usually, it’s a choice between a cream or a lotion. Creams are thicker and have more heavy-duty moisturizing properties. Lotions are lighter. (Gels, when available, are lighter still.) Which one you choose depends on how oily or dry your skin is naturally and how much extra moisturizing, if any, it needs. This is what’s meant by “skin type.” Here’s an easy way to determine your skin type: Wash your face in the morning (with ordinary soap, for the purpose of this test), and then keep an eye on your skin as the day goes on. If it starts looking oily within the first 2 hours, your skin would be considered oily. If it stays relatively dry until midday (say 4-6 hours after washing), your skin is normal. If it’s still dry 6-8 hours or more after washing, you have dry skin. You sometimes hear the term “combination skin.” Fact is, just about everybody has areas on their face that tend to get oily faster than other areas. These areas, known as the “T-Zone” (forehead, nose and chin) have a higher concentration of oil-producing sebaceous glands. Since everyone has this T-Zone arrangement, some degree of “combination skin” is really the norm. Still, most skin can still be classified somewhere on the scale from generally oily to generally dry. Except in extreme cases, it’s not necessary to treat the T-zone any differently than other areas of the face, in terms of cleaning and moisturizing. So, if you’re confronted with choices between similar-sounding products, the best thing is just to carefully read the product descriptions. Most will offer specific recommendations such as “for normal or oily skin”, or “for dry or mature skin.” If not, the rule of thumb is: If your skin is oily, lean towards lotions and gels. Look for words like “non-greasy”, “light”, “fast-absorbing.” If your skin is dry (or sensitive), you’ll probably do better with creams. To get a better idea of what skin care products are best for you, check out our sample regimens. |
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| Glycolic Acid and AHA's | | | Retinol | | | Vitamin C Products | | | Kinerase | ||||
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| Sample Skin Care Regimens | |||||||||||||
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