Few people over age 40 want to look their chronological age. For sure, no one wants to be taken for older than they are. Wrinkles may show that you’ve lived a full life, but premature aging of the skin leads to mirror avoidance.
There are many products on the market today that promise age-reversing qualities. Some of them are good, to a degree, and many just don’t do anything. However, all of them cost money and some are expensive.
When you read the labels on these small jars of wrinkle creams that cost more than $50 you’re going to find a list of terms that sound impressive but you may not know what they are. Terms such as peptides, ascorbic acid and antioxidants are frequently listed. You, however, want assurances that if you’re spending this kind of money for wrinkle treatment, the product will give you a more youthful appearance.
The products are labeled as cosmeceuticals, a blend of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Like cosmetics, cosmeceuticals are topically applied but they contain ingredients that should impact the biological function of your skin such as improving your appearance because they diminish wrinkles.
Cosmeceuticals are a fast growing segment of the natural personal care industry and are classified as cosmetics not medicines. As cosmetics they’re not subject to review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Even the term cosmeceutical is not recognized by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
In other words, cosmetics and cosmeceuticals are tested for safety, but testing whether they’re actually beneficial and perform as the manufacturer claims isn’t mandatory. Interestingly, vitamins, herbs and oils and botanical extracts may be used in cosmeceuticals, but the manufacturer can’t claim that these products penetrate the skin’s surface layers or have a medicinal impact.
A brief list of some of the botanicals used in skin care products and cosmeceuticals include teas, soy, grape seed, Pycnogenol, horse chestnut, aloe, pomegranate, curcumin and German chamomile. To date green and black tea, soy, and pomegranate have been studied in clinical trials to determine their anti-aging impact.
Some products can be both cosmetics and drugs such as an anti-dandruff shampoo or toothpaste that contains fluoride. These products must meet the standards for both cosmetics (color additives) and drugs.
In other words a product can be a drug, a cosmetic, or a combination of both, but the term cosmeceutical doesn’t mean anything under the law.
What does that mean to you?
Consumers beware. Learn all you can learn about the cosmetics you use: ingredients, where they are manufactured, your risk for a sudden reaction or allergy, or will they cause any problems with the medications your taking. There’s lots of information on the Internet.
And I invite you to find out more about avoiding and getting rid of wrinkles by going to [http://antiagingskincareforwrinkles.com] This Anti Wrinkle Handbook is clearly written with no sales hype and has accurate and reliable information. Reading the 10 Steps to a Winkle-Free Face guide is a must.
Ruthan Brodsky, mentor for The Upside of Aging.
