Anti-wrinkle creams sound like something you'd leave for your grandmother to use, but the truth of the matter is, you don't want to wait for them to appear for you to start fighting them. And we all have fine lines anyway, no matter how old you are (remember those laughing lines?). Taking better care of your skin means incorporating the best anti-wrinkle cream into your skin care routine, sleeping right, drinking enough water, eating right, and lastly wear sunscreen and reduce sun exposure to protect skin.
As the largest organ in the entire body, the skin will require a fair amount of maintenance to function best. However, having healthy skin will improve the overall resilience of the skin's barrier against viruses, bacteria, and other external elements. Still, it will also help bring out the best of your appearance.
To reduce fine lines and deep wrinkles won’t necessarily require a trip to a cosmetic surgeon. However, regular use of anti-aging creams, such as night creams and eye creams, can make quite a difference on aging skin and how the skin looks and feels. Fortunately, tons of anti-aging creams work excellent, don’t require a prescription, or cost you a fortune.
Do Anti-aging Creams Really Work?
Absolutely yes! Cosmetic and clinical research this far shows that an anti-aging cream has immense and measurable improvements in the skin's firmness, skin's natural moisture barrier hydration, decrease in deep lines and wrinkles caused by the natural aging process.
The two categories of anti-aging cream products include ones that help treat and prevent wrinkles and ones that help minimize their appearance. The first category contains anti-aging ingredients such as Retinol, while the second has ingredients that give ample hydrating effects or temporarily 'plump wrinkles' to make them seem less noticeable.
Some of the powerful ingredients you should look out for when getting the best wrinkle cream include Retinoids, Vitamin C, Hyaluronic acid, Niacinamide, and Glycolic acid (or Lactic acid). However, at the end of the day, sunscreen is still the best line of defense that you have for anti-aging, no matter what anti-aging wrinkle cream you apply.
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Best Anti-wrinkle Cream
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Best Anti-wrinkle Cream - Reviews
This deep wrinkle night cream acne treatment and wrinkle cream used to be a prescription cream but now it's over-the-counter. Thanks to retinoid, this is the best wrinkle cream that fights acne and helps visibly reduce the signs of aging. In addition, it treats, decreases the number and severity of acne pimples by reducing inflammation that is deep in the skin and clearing clogged pores. It also promotes the quick healing of pimples.
As one of the best anti-aging products to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, Adapalene belongs to a class of retinoids that improve the growth of skin cells and decrease swelling and inflammation, especially on acne-prone skin.
Like many Retinoid wrinkle creams, it delivers the best results when used daily before going to bed. Before application, wash your hands, gently deep cleanse your skin as you would in your normal skin care routine, after, apply a small amount of the medication in a thin layer using your fingertips on the affected area. Then use ample hydrating creams.
Note that:
In the first few weeks of using this medication, your acne might appear worse. This is because the medication is working on acne and clogging already formed inside the skin in a process called 'Purging.' Remember, it gets worse before it gets better. For this reason, it may take 8-12 weeks to notice actual results from this anti-aging medication.
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When you think of anti-aging, think of protection, prevention, and correction. As one of the best wrinkle creams, La Roche-Posay's Vitamin C serum not only brightens your skin but also gets rid of those dark spots and stimulates the production of collagen. This makes the skin look fresh, dewy, and youthful.
This anti-aging serum hydrates, refines skin texture, brightens, and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles to enhances overall radiance. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that will help protect your skin against UV rays and other external aggressors. In addition, it works by stopping the overproduction of pigment from helping create a more youthful and even skin tone.
Unlike other wrinkle creams, use the face serum morning on the face and neck for best results. Incorporate it into your skin care regimen after cleansing; use it alone or with one of your favorite moisturizers.
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If you haven't caught up on The Ordinary rave by now, yes, you've been missing out on a lot (and probably live under a rock!). The Ordinary is a rave-worthy popular skin care brand under Deciem’s umbrella. Among other reasons, it was created to offer efficient, clinical solutions at such an affordable price tag.
The Ordinary is mostly known to offer a minimalistic approach to ingredients and features an impressive collection of treatments that meet most of our skin care needs. However, at times it's the few ingredients that are in a good stable concentration that actually do the trick.
The Ordinary 0.5% Retinol in Squalane is a highly stable, water-free solution that actively contains Bisabobol, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) seed oil, Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) fruit extract. This is one of the best wrinkle formulations known to reduce fine lines, photodamage, and general skin aging.
It comes in a moderate strength formula that should be used once, daily in the evening, before you sleep. The brand also has The Ordinary 0.2% Retinol in Squalane for people who have not used retinol formulas before to help the skin adjust to higher strengths and build tolerance. On the other hand, if you have used Retinol before and your skin well tolerates higher potency, they have higher percentage formulations.
This Retinol formulation has been clinically proven to minimize the visibility of fine lines and wrinkles, restore skin firmness, improve uneven skin tone, and shrink the size of enlarged pores. The science behind it involves Retinol which is converted to retinoic acid after being absorbed into the skin. This causes an interaction with the nuclear receptors, increasing the production of procollagen and reducing inflammation.
Retinol also works as an antioxidant that helps the skin fight free radicals that contribute to the development of some premature fine lines and wrinkles. It is best applied in the evening, right after light water-based serums but before applying heavier treatments.
Avoid same time using other retinoid treatments or other active ingredients like Alpha Hydroxy acids (AHAs), Beta Hydroxy acids (BHAs), or Vitamin C. Also, make sure you wear enough sunscreen during the day.
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CeraVe is a dermatologist-founded skincare brand widely known for its simple, effective, yet affordable products. As one of the best wrinkle creams, it contains hyaluronic acid, a non-exfoliating acid humectant that impressively hydrates by absorbing and holding 1,000 times its weight in water. This acid is naturally formulated in our skin, but it decreases with age.
For this reason, it works great for any skin type, especially if dehydration is a skin issue. The serum also has a lightweight formulation that doesn't leave a greasy residue like most hydrating creams. This works well for any oily dull skin or sensitive skin for hydrated skin.
The formula also contains ceramides and vitamin B5. Ceramides form a protective layer that prevents water loss and protection against external aggressors. Like hyaluronic acid, ceramides are naturally produced by the body but reduce with age causing dryness and irritation.
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) mainly helps the skin retain more water for plump, soft skin. Overall, its effects help reduce the appearance of visible wrinkles and fine lines.
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Heavy creams can lock in the much-needed hydration. However, if you're like many people, you probably want a lightweight moisturizer, still does what it's meant to do. One that leaves your skin soft and supple without making you feel like a greasy mess; then enter the world of Neutrogena Hydro Boost water gel.
Its popularity rides on the fact that it’s both lightweight yet really hydrating, thanks to hyaluronic acid. It moisturizes, plumps up your skin, and hydrates it. This formulation comes in the form of Sodium Hyaluronate (a derivative of HA) that penetrates even deeper than pure Hyaluronic Acid.
This is also an ideal choice for the humid summer weather or oily skin that hydrates without being heavy on your skin's surface. Allowing you to wear make-up that won't cake through the day comfortably.
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Key Factors for the Best Anti-wrinkle Cream for You
A) Always Scan the Ingredients
Most dermatologists recommend incorporating products that contain these ingredients into your anti-aging skincare routine:
- Hyaluronic acid, Ceramides, Shea butter, and other hydrators boost and lock in moisture to help reduce the drying and irritating effects of most anti-aging ingredients such as Retinol
- Retinol/Retinoids (vitamin A derivatives) promote cell turnover, stimulate collagen production, reduce acne, dark circles, and even out the skin tone
- Antioxidants; Vitamin C and Vitamin E help fight against free radical damage and even out the skin tone
- Peptides help repair skin damage
B) Know and Work with Your Skin Type
If you have oily skin or live in humid places, lightweight cream will work best for you since it prevents skin from being weighed down or shiny. On the other hand, rich hydrating creams are more appropriate if you have dehydrated skin or live in a dry or cold area.
C) Great Packaging
Ingredients such as Retinol, Vitamin C, and Peptides can become unstable when exposed to air or light, so they'd be best packaged in dark opaque tubes with air-tight pumps preferably.
Frequently Asked Questions on the Best Anti-wrinkle Cream
1. Can sleep wrinkles be reversed?
Sleep wrinkles should disappear immediately on younger plump skin, but they eventually become permanent with constant compression and the decreased skin elasticity that comes with age. So the key to prevention is switching up your sleep position, sleeping on your back. Other than better back alignment, sleeping on your back also has other great beauty benefits, like helping you have clearer and firmer skin.
2. Which works better for wrinkles, Hyaluronic acid, or Retinol?
Hyaluronic acid and Retinol are two of the best and most common ingredients used to help keep the skin healthy, supple, and youthful. If you're looking to moisturize, skin especially dehydrated skin, Hyaluronic acid is best. Dry skin is the major cause of premature aging, wrinkles, and unhealthy skin.
On the other hand, Retinol works better to help remove wrinkles and smooth fine lines majorly because it encourages dead skin cells turnover and boosts collagen and elastin production for skin regeneration, youthful skin, and even skin tone. Both are active ingredients in the best wrinkle creams and skin rejuvenation products which work together to give you even better results.
Retinol
- Increase collagen production and new skin cells
- Has some side effects if applied wrongly
- Best used as a night cream
- Reduces signs of wrinkles, smooth fine lines, sun damage, etc.
- Results are relatively slow (months)
- An over the counter product (stronger concentrations will require a prescription)
- Comes in the form of serum, gel, cream, moisturizer, or some skincare/make-up products
Hyaluronic Acid
- Moisturize and hydrate skin
- Few to no side effects
- It can be used whatever time of the day
- A great antioxidant that speeds up the skin healing process
- Instant visible results (minutes), depending on the brand
- Over-the-counter product
- Comes in the form of a serum, moisturizer, oral, injection, and is found in some skincare/make-up products
3. Vitamin C vs. Retinol, which is better for anti-aging?
Overall, Vitamin C is packed with great benefits such as helping with hyperpigmentation for healthy, clearer skin but isn't as effective in anti-aging or collagen synthesis as Retinol. Although used interchangeably, you'll get a better result when using both.
