What to Look for in the Best AntiAging Skin Care Products
The Proof is in the Active, Effective Ingredients
When searching for the best antiaging skin care products for your particular skin and age, it’s easy to get lost in the blizzard of ads and promises. And when you decide to add a new product to
your beauty routine, it’s tricky to know how to combine it with the products you already use.
Many people end up taking advice from friends; but just because a product is beneficial to them, doesn’t mean it will work for you. The key to choosing a skin care routine that works is to understand your own skin and then identify the active ingredients that address your particular concerns.
The Tip Sheets that follow are designed to help you put together a beauty routine based on your skin’s type, condition, and what you would like to achieve. They are by no means exhaustive; but rather focus on the best and latest active antiaging skin care ingredients – the ones that actually deliver results.
So you won’t find fragrances, colors, fillers and such here. Each Tip Sheet ends with a few products that contain adequate amounts of the active ingredient.
When checking other brands, look for the active ingredients to be fairly high in the list, unless the ingredient has been shown to be so potent that it is effective even in small amounts.
In some categories, there are preferred ingredients that are significantly more effective than the others. These are indicated by an *.
Finally, there is a Tip Sheet of products that do double or triple duty, addressing more than one of your skin care concerns with the best ingredients currently available. If any of these suit your needs, you may be able to simplify your skin care routine and save money as well.
Skin Care Tip Sheet 1 Goal: Sun Protection
Action: Liberally apply a broad spectrum sunscreen at least 30 minutes before sun exposure.
Result: The sun’s UV rays are prevented from accelerating free radical damage to your skin. Photoaging is stopped dead in its tracks, allowing the body to repair some prior damage. Your risk of skin cancer is significantly reduced.
Active Ingredients: Be sure your sunscreen has both UVA and UVB protection. SPF is a measure of UVB protection only.
SPF of at least 15
Zinc oxide and micronized zinc oxide
Parsol 1789 (avobenzone)
Cinnamates such as octyl methocinnamate and cinoxate
Salicylates such as octyl, homomenthyl, or triethanolamine salicylate
Mexoryl
Helioplex
AntiAging Skin Care Products Containing These Ingredients
Skin Care Tip Sheet 2
Goal: Moisturize and Prevent Wrinkles
Action: Lubricate with emollients. Bind water to skin with Natural Moisturizing Factors (NMFs). Use a.m. and p.m. after cleansing. Moisturizing is not just a temporary fix. It supports the skin’s matrix and allows the skin’s natural moisturizing system to work more efficiently and even repair itself to some extent.
Result: Smoother, moister skin; repair of skin’s moisture retention system; minimal reduction in fines lines.
Active Ingredients: Be sure your moisturizer has both emollients and NMFs.
Emollients:
Silicone
Lanolin and other animal oils
Mineral and plant oils such as shea butter, cocoa butter and petrolatum
Cholesterol
Stearates, myristates, palmitates and triglycerides
NMFs:
Collagen
Elastin
Hyaluronic acid* (a.k.a. sodium hyalurate, sodium hyaluronate or trademarked variants such as Avon’s Bo-Hylurox) and other glycosaminoglycans
Urea*
Niacinimide*
Glycerin
Glycogen
Glucose, fructose, or sucrose
Polysaccharides
Amino acids
Cholesterol
Lipids
Ceramides
Lecithin
AntiAging Skin Care Products Containing These Ingredients:
Skin Care Tip Sheet 4
Goal: Get Back that Healthy Glow and Make Skin Act Younger Again
Action: Exfoliate dull, dry surface cells and speed up natural production of new healthy skin cells. Apply exfoliant at night before moisturizing. Do not over-exfoliate. Discontinue use once glowing skin is achieved. Then use as needed. Be especially diligent using sunscreen to protect the more delicate new skin brought to the surface.
Result: Skin that feels, acts and looks younger; faster cell turnover; some stimulation of collagen and elastin production; removal of early pre-cancerous lesions.
Active Ingredients:
Vitamin A derivatives called retinoids and including retinol and retinyl palmitate
AHAs like glycolic, lactic, tartaric, malic, alpha-hydroxyethanoic or alpha-hydroxycaprylic acid and sugar cane
BHAs such as salicylic acid (less irritating than AHAs and also used to treat acne)
Beta-hydroxybutanoic acid
Tropic acid
Trethocanoic acid
AntiAging Skin Care Products Containing These Ingredients:
Skin Care Tip Sheet 5
Goal: Erase Wrinkles and Reduce Sagging Skin
Action: Use “skin remodeling” creams once a day. I prefer morning because of the instant firming effect. When you stop
seeing improvement, discontinue use for two weeks; then resume. This seems to shock the system back into high gear. Note: copper peptide has been known as a scar healing agent since the 70s. It reduces or erases even old scars and stretch marks. Other polypeptides are newer to the market but have proven effective in clinical trials.
Result: Thicker skin that plumps out lines from within; refined chin line contour, reduced depth of naso-labial folds; reduced bags both above and below the eyes, reduction of old scars; scar-less healing; tighter, firmer skin.
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Your Choices
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