| | Health Hint #278
Don't Be Duped by Antiwrinkle Creams | |
Excerpted from "A Year of Health Hints"
365 Practical Ways to Feel Better and Live Longer
Don't be misled by over-the-counter skin care products that claim to get rid of wrinkles. There's no such thing. The closest
thing to a wrinkle-removing cream is retinoic acid, a synthetic form of vitamin A.Applied to the skin surface, retinoic acid
increases blood flow and stimulates skin cells called fibroblasts to produce new collagen (a protein that keeps skin smooth).
This process can help to eliminate tiny wrinkles and make deep wrinkles less noticeable. Retinoic acid also speeds up the rate
that your skin's cells move to the surface and die off to be replaced with new cells, so your skin looks younger.
Retinoic acid is available by prescription only under the trade name Retin-A. Regular vitamin A has no effect on wrinkles,
whether it's taken orally or applied directly to the skin.