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When it comes to antiaging creams, there is so much out there it makes your head spin. How many times have we run out to buy the latest "amazing" skin innovation, got all excited for a week, only to throw it in the bathroom cabinet when nothing miraculous happens?Not only are you back to square one, but you are also £££s lighter.
The basics of skin care are actually fairly straightforward. If you suffer from a particular skin condition such as acne or rosacea, they will need to be addressed separately another time.
For now, lets talk about skin with no complications other than wanting to delay skin ageing, or to improve skin that is already showing signs of ageing.
So, what’s the difference between all the choices out there?
There are 3 types of skin care to look out for: -
Over the counter (OTC)
These are the skincare products found in any shop ie Boots, Tescos, Superdrug etc. These products fit most skin types and generally work the skin's outermost layer(epidermis). This means they sit on the surface of your skin but will not penetrate any deeper. In addition to this, they don’t contain active ingredients at a level that will bring about long-term skin changes. Often containing fragrances, they will smell and feel good on your skin, but that’s pretty much as far as they can go. Whilst its lovely to use skin cream that smells gorgeous and leaves your skin feeling silky smooth, it isn’t actually doing anything long term.
Cosmeceuticals
These include products with a level of active ingredients. Vitamin C, peptides, or retinol for example. In high enough concentrations, these ingredients are able to penetrate deeper into your skin to bring about skin improvement. These are a good investment if you are younger and are looking to keep the signs of ageing at bay. Although OTC creams may contain these ingredients too, the concentrations are much lower.
Pharmaceuticals
These include prescription only products which will only be available from a skin care professional or dermatologist. They must be backed by scientific studies which demonstrate beneficial effects on skin structure.
If you really want to get to the nitty gritty of anti-aging, address age spots and hyperpigmentation, or bring about positive cellular changes to your skin’s structure, these are the bad boys to go for.
In summary, it is the potency of the active ingredients, along with commitment (that bits up to you) that will see long lasting and effective results. Price points vary, but if you are looking for value and effectiveness, it is worth investing in products with clinical benefits (cosmeceutical or pharmaceuticals)
It could save a fortune in the long run, not to mention an end to the face cream graveyard that is so often what our bathroom cabinets become.
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