How to Find the Best Anti-Wrinkle Cream

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Finding a good cream to fight wrinkles is challenging enough. Finding one we can all agree is the best is impossible. Simply put, what's great for one person may not be right for somebody else. Our expectations, needs, body chemistry, skin sensitivity and any number of other factors can all vary wildly. So how do we decide what the best cream is for fighting wrinkles? We don't. YOU decide what's right for yourself.

Of course, that doesn't mean you run out without some solid information to guide you in making your decision. Your first step is to determine what you hope to accomplish. Your choice will be entirely different if, for example, you want to simply mask your wrinkles in the short-term for a date or meeting or if you want to settle in for a prolonged battle to actually get diminish winkles. With that in mind, here's your first rule to remember - If you buy it from a department store, it's a cosmetic and its claims should be scrutinized with skepticism.

I'm not saying that every cosmetic anti wrinkle cream on the market is lying to you. I am saying that there's plenty in the marketing print that is open to misinterpretation. For example, you'll often find the word "appearance" in the sales pitch. Such and such product will eliminate the appearance of wrinkles in minutes. Ladies (and gentlemen) that does not mean that it will eliminate your wrinkles. No, it means exactly what it says - it will eliminate the APPEARANCE of wrinkles, perhaps by filling them or changing light reflectivity in such a way as to make them less visible. For my money, something that simply hides is hard to categorize as the best wrinkle cream, but that's not the point.

The point there is to understand that you are buying something that delivers on its promise providing you understand what it is really promising you; an illusion rather than a cure. The product may, in fact, include beneficial vitamins, antioxidants and moisturizers that really are great for your skin but, as far as wrinkles are concerned, you're purchasing a quick solution in the form of sleight of hand. Why is knowing that important?

My wife and I both write for several cosmetic and beauty blogs and sites. She generally covers the actual results she's experienced with a specific product while I usually focus on the science behind it (and you'd be surprised how much science there is behind this stuff). My point, though, is that her experience has taught her that it is seldom wise to break the bank on a cosmetic that really only masks the appearance of wrinkles because, absent any prescription medication or medically backed results, the difference between cosmetics is only sometimes notable enough to warrant spending more money. In other words, one illusion of youth is pretty much worth the same as another. Shelling out hundreds of dollars every month for a particular brand doesn't make much sense when its results are hardly any more noticeable than another brand.

The exception, she feels, is when the product contains additional benefits that add to its worth. For example, two similar products may both instantly mask the appearance of wrinkles, but one wrinkle cream may also include vitamins, moisturizer and UV protection. If that's the case, it's worth a little (not a lot) more money.

Now, having written about the cosmetic considerations, you may be asking if my opinion is that cosmetics are NEVER worth the expense. I'm not prepared to go that far. The truth is that even cosmetics are beginning to show SOME promise in actually diminishing wrinkles and smoothing skin. Those findings, though, are not medically backed. Why not? Well, the minute a product begins to make medical claims, it changes categories. It evolves from a cosmetic into a drug. In the US, that means FDA involvement and, depending on ingredients, can even involve a prescription.

While that might be a turn off for some, the point shouldn't be lost on you that prescription cosmetics (drugs) can actually change what you've been trying to mask. Retinol, for example, a Vitamin A antioxidant found in some cosmetics, might be replaced by a more affective prescription level vitamin A antioxidant in the form of Tretinoin. Claims of results in the form of "appearance" will be replaced with medically backed results that actually result in a change (rather than the illusion of change). If that's what you're after, consider asking your doctor. If your doctor's office is anything like my wife's, you may find a mountain of brochures in the waiting room for products that actually work and which she can prescribe to you.

So why would anybody opt for a masking cosmetic over a results-driven cosmetic drug? Well, there are several good reasons. First and foremost, prescription cosmetics designed to reduce wrinkles will likely NOT be covered by your insurance and can be pretty costly. Additionally, their results are measured in terms of weeks and months rather than minutes. In addition, a prescription anti wrinkle cream may well get the job done, but some of us simply don't want to deal with the hassle of a doctor's office or, perhaps, we're the kind who prefer to avoid drugs in favor of "natural" or "organic" solutions to our body's needs.

Whatever your turn offs, the simple truth is that a substance that can make medical claims is a drug and, therefore, has to undergo greater scrutiny and scientific peer review. That alone makes it far more likely to offer up measurable, lasting, real results rather than an illusion. You'll have to decide for yourself if that's the solution you want. While you're thinking about it, remember this; there are some of us out here who think those lines in your face are a map of your personality. Those lines around your mouth tell us you smile a lot. Those crow's feet tell us those smiles light up your whole face. Annoying as you may think they are, to some of us, you're all the more beautiful for having them. Perhaps the best wrinkle cream for you is no wrinkle cream at all.