 Anti-aging creams are moisturisers marketed with the promise of making the consumer look younger and reducing visible wrinkles on the skin. Despite great demand, many such products and treatments have not been proven to give lasting or major positive effects. A decrease in wrinkle depth of 10% is typical. However, recent studies show that some ingredients have an effect. There are a range of cosmetic treatments for the appearance of wrinkles on the skin such as plastic surgery and botox injections. Advertising sometimes presents anti-aging creams as an alternative to these more costly and invasive cosmetic treatments.
Traditionally, anti-aging creams have been marketed towards women, but products specifically targeting men are increasingly common.
Ingredients
Some anti-wrinkle creams contain some form of retinol (for instance, in the form of retinyl palmitate) which in various formulations has been shown to give a "rejuvenating" appearance to the skin, in that it stimulates the renewal of skin cells and reduces dark spots. Alpha hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids have a peeling effect when used as chemical peels. However, the effects of these compounds likely depend on their concentration and mode of application, making the effects of the commercial products less certain. Some other common ingredients are Boslowox, Peptides, Q-10, anti-oxidants, and sunscreens.
Wrinkle
A wrinkle is a ridge or crease of a surface. It usually refers to folds on fabric or clothes, or on the skin of an organism; the folds are generally random and do not exhibit any repeating pattern. In skin or other foldable material a wrinkle or fold may be permanent if the material is folded the same way each time.
Skin wrinkles typically appear as a result of aging processes such as glycation or, temporarily, as the result of prolonged (more than a few minutes) immersion in water. Wrinkling in skin is caused by habitual facial expressions, aging, sun damage, smoking, poor hydration, and various other factors. With prolonged water exposure, the outer layer of skin starts to absorb water. The skin doesn't expand evenly, however, and this causes your skin to wrinkle. Deplation of water in the body, as occurs with dehydration, can also cause this puckering of the skin.
Aging wrinkles
Smoking is a key factor in the development of wrinkles. Treatments and products (including anti-aging creams) promising to reduce, remove, or prevent age-related wrinkles are big business in many industrialized countries. Despite great demand, most such products and treatments have not been proven to give lasting or major positive effects. Stretching the skin via a face lift will remove some wrinkles.
Tretinoin
Although the exact mode of action of tretinoin is unknown, current evidence suggests that tretinoin decreases cohesiveness of follicular epithelial cells. Additionally, tretinoin stimulates mitotic activity and increased turnover of follicular epithelial cells.
Botox
Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxin protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Botox is manufactured by Allergan Inc (U.S.) for both therapeutic as well as cosmetic use. Besides its cosmetic application, Botox is used in the treatment of other conditions including migraine headache and cervical dystonia (spasmodic torticollis) (a neuromuscular disorder involving the head and neck).
Prune fingers
The wrinkles that occur in skin after prolonged exposure to water are sometimes referred to as prune fingers or water aging. This is a temporary skin condition where the skin on the palms of the hand or feet becomes wrinkly. It is caused when the keratin-laden epithelial skin is immersed in water. The skin expands and the resultant larger surface area forces it to wrinkle. Usually the tips of the fingers and toes are the first to wrinkle because of a thicker layer of keratin and an absence of hairs which secrete the protective oil called sebum. Wrinkled fingers often occur after taking a shower or bath and last up to fifteen minutes afterwards, until the water has evaporated or is absorbed into the body.
Prune fingers is named for the skins' resemblance to the wrinkled, rough surface of a prune.
Plastic surgery
Plastic and reconstructive surgery is a medical specialty that uses a number of surgical and nonsurgical techniques to change the appearance and function of a person's body. Plastic surgery procedures include both cosmetic enhancements as well as functionally reconstructive operations. In the former case, where aesthetics are considered more of the concern than changing the functionality, plastic surgery is also sometimes incorrectly referred to as "cosmetic surgery". Some procedures however involve both aesthetic and functional elements. The word "plastic" derives from the Greek plastikos meaning to mold or to shape; its use here is not connected with the synthetic polymer material known as plastic. Plastic surgeons typically mold and reshape the following tissues of the body: bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, and skin.
Botulinum toxin
Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxin protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. It is one of the most poisonous naturally occurring substances in the world, and it is the most toxic protein. Though it is highly toxic, it is used in minute doses both to treat painful muscle spasms, and as a cosmetic treatment in some parts of the world. It is sold commercially under the brand names Myobloc, Botox and Dysport for this purpose. The terms Myobloc, Botox and Dysport are trade names and are not used generically to describe the neurotoxins produced by the clostridia species.
Retinol
Retinol (Afaxin), the animal form of vitamin A, is a fat-soluble vitamin important in vision and bone growth. It belongs to the family of chemical compounds known as retinoids. Retinol is ingested in a precursor form; animal sources (liver and eggs) contain retinyl esters, whereas plants (carrots, spinach) contain pro-vitamin A carotenoids. Hydrolysis of retinyl esters results in retinol while pro-vitamin A carotenoids can be cleaved to produce retinal. Retinal, also known as retinaldehyde, can be reversibly reduced to produce retinol or it can be irreversibly oxidized to produce retinoic acid. The best described active retinoid metabolites are 11-cis-retinal and the all-trans and 9-cis-isomers of retinoic acid.
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