The desire for youthful skin dates back thousands of years. Whether it was searching for the Fountain of Youth back then or the best anti-aging creams and treatments today, the quest for youth continues. 

With so many products and treatments available on the market, many wonder if products like anti-aging creams really work. The effectiveness of anti-aging treatments has a lot to do with their ingredients and your skin’s needs. So how do you know the right one for your skin and the one that will give you real results?

The Ingredients That Actually Work

Most anti-aging creams simply claim that they are anti-aging but don’t contain any scientifically-backed, active ingredients that truly target sagging skin, fine lines, and wrinkles.

In addition, there are anti-aging creams that do contain active ingredients, but also contain a bunch of irritating nasties that overload your skin’s barrier, causing inflammation, redness, and other symptoms that make your signs of aging look worse. If you’re trying to combat any issue in your skin—such as acne, dryness, sensitivity, and even aging—it’s best to steer clear of commonly irritating ingredients. For example, fragrances, whether natural or synthetic, are the most common irritants. So the next time you’re choosing an anti-aging cream, it’s best to stay away from options that contain essential oils or “parfum”.

Our Code to Youth Cream is one of our top anti-aging picks, containing proven ingredients.

But which ingredients actually work to smooth wrinkles, fine lines, and sun spots? Vitamin A is probably our favorite. Arguably the most effective anti-aging ingredient, vitamin A comes in many different forms from a chemical standpoint. The one you’ve probably heard the most about is retinol. While your skin has to do a little work in order to get the full benefits of the ingredient, it’s available OTC and much gentler than its prescription-only counterpart, tretinoin. 

On the whole, however, there is more than enough research and data to back up vitamin A as a star ingredient. It’s important to note that it’s most effective in leave-on treatments, such as serums and moisturizers, instead of cleansers.

Anti-Aging Creams: Our Top Picks

That’s why we love utilizing retinol in our leave-on products, such as our Firming Retinol Body Lotion. This redefining body lotion features all-trans-retinol in a powerful delivery system for maximum penetration and age-defying results. It’s specifically formulated to help lift and tighten skin, improve skin texture and tone, and provide intense hydration and fortified with powerful antioxidants to soothe and protect skin from free radical damage.

We recommend applying this at night and applying sunscreen during the day, as retinol makes the skin more sensitive to the sun. Sun damage can bring on more signs of aging, such as sunspots, fine lines, and wrinkles.

Remember, it’s essential to moisturize your skin well when using retinol in your skincare routine. This ingredient is notoriously drying and irritating, as it’s common for patients not to use the proper amount of the ingredient, not moisturize enough, and not apply sunscreen daily. That’s why we really do believe the right anti-aging cream can work best for you. An easy way to make sure you’re getting enough hydration while still fighting wrinkles is simply through using an anti-aging cream containing retinol.

If your skin isn’t too keen on retinol, we have other options! One of our best anti-aging creams for the face is our Code to Youth Cream. This triple antioxidant moisturizer combines the power of effective, science-based green tea polyphenols, caffeine USP, and resveratrol to give our patients unprecedented antioxidant protection. This formulation visibly reduces the signs of redness and inflammation, reduces the appearance of fine lines and surface wrinkles, and is moisture-enhanced with hyaluronic acid. Resveratrol is a naturally occurring antioxidant found in red grapes while caffeine is used to enhance the antioxidant properties of the cream as a whole.

Book an appointment with us right here on our website, or give us a call!