By Jennifer Abney Anchor
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Published: Tue, May 13, 2008 - 6:59 am
Last Updated: Mon, July 28, 2008 - 10:49 pm
Jennifer Abney
Whether it is fine lines or deep wrinkles, many women and men have something about their appearance they would like to perfect. Suzy Radcliff has a specific area she is concerned about, "fine lines around my eyes, i would love something for that," she said.
With so many products on the shelves that claim to defy age and target your wrinkles, how do you know which ones are nothing but a waste of your money. We asked a local expert. Dr. Haley agreed to help us decipher the marketing claims made on these products.
Another buzz word you hear when you cruise some of the beauty aisles is anti-oxidant and age reversale. What does that mean and is that something to sink our money into?
"They are talking about green tea and vitamin c and all these anti oxidants, the problem is these molecules are so big they have a hard time penetrating the skin," said Dr. Haley.
We asked Dr. Haley about the products with collagen filler on their label.
"You have to look at the active ingredients, because the best will be the first one." The product we checked out had water as that ingredient.
Dr. Haley says, "It's just not going to do anything."
"That's 20 dollars you would have wasted by trying that," said Haley.
Dr. Haley also says exfoliating the skin is important. But, of course she has her likes and dislikes with these products too!
Dr. Haley does like the power treatments. She says, "With this (Neutrogena) you get the pads to exfoliate the skin, and with the dead skin cells off the surface of the skin your next ingredient is going to penetrate better."
Dr. Haley is not a fan of the popular facial scrubs. One in particular gets her veto.
"A lot of people go for this apricot scrub, i really don't like it," she said, "Those harsh scrubs are actually going to damage the skin and a lot of fruit extracts can be irritating as well as the crystals in there can irritate."
Dr. Haley also says your alpha hydroxy acid can exfoliate on a daily basis. And, she says the older you get the more damaging a manual scrub can be. She also warns that it can even cause redness, irritation and tiny broken blood vessels.
Dr. Heather Haley will be on WKRG News 5 Friday morning in the 6am hour. If you have a skin care question email it to
mornings@wkrg.com and she just may answer it on the air!
Smart and Savvy Skin Solutions Part 1: Cleansers
Smart and Savvy Skin Solutions Part 3: Moisturizers and Make-Up
Smart and Savvy Skin Solutions Part 4: Sunscreens
Additional information provided by Dr. Heather Haley:
Alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA): Glycolic acid is the most common AHA. It is found in topical preparations and chemical peels.
Benefits: Improves skin texture by shedding the outer layer of the skin. Helps dislodge blackheads and whiteheads. Monthly peels may help acne and rosacea and improve fine lines and skin texture.
**Dr. Haley’s favorite OTC glycolic product is Aqua Glycolic or Neutrogena Pore refining cleanser.
Beta-hydroxy acids: Salicylic acid reduces the thickness of the outer layer of skin and it is commonly found in acne preparations because it helps break up blackheads and whiteheads. It is also used in some chemical peels and medicated shampoos.
Retinoids: vitamin A derivative used in many cosmetic products. Prescription strength products go by the names Retin-A, Renova, Tazorac, and Avage. The active ingredient is tretinoin which is superior to the over the counter retinol ingredient, but can be irritating for sensitive skin types.
Benefits: Tretinoin has many important effects that are supported by research! Antioxidant; reduce oil glands and blackheads; improve skin thickness and texture; promote collagen formation; decrease unwanted pigmentation; decrease fine lines and wrinkles; reduce pre-cancers and cancers.
**ROC has the highest concentration of retinol available OTC, per Dr. Haley.
Antioxidants: There are many antioxidants out there but many of them cannot penetrate the skin and get to where they need to be to do the things they claim to do. Most over the counter preparations are not effective. Stick with the physician dispensed products that have studies to support the claims!
Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) stimulates collagen repair and protects against sunburn and skin cancer. The problem with Vitamin C is that it is easily degraded by heat and light, so most vitamin C products are not effective. Skin Medica and Obagi Vitamin C products are more stable and effective and have clinical studies to support their benefit.
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) reduces sunburn and UV damage to skin cells.
Furfuryladenine (Kinerase and Almay product) natural plant growth factor that slows cell aging
Polyphenols (green tea, soy)powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
Niacinamide is very stable and exfoliates and reduces UV damage
**Most OTC products with these antioxidants are not effective, they cannot penetrate the skin, so don’t waste your money!
Depigmenting Agents: Hydroquinone (HQ) is available in over the counter strengths, but we recommend Rx preparations that are much higher concentrations and therefore more effective.
Mequinol claims to be less irritating and more stable than HQ. (Solage by prescription)
Retinoids, Vitamin C and azeleic acid also have depigmenting benefits.
**Most OTC products are ineffective in fading sun spots.
Copper peptides: Copper is known to play an important role in collagen formation and may help in the production of new collagen in aging skin. Great for mature skin!
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Dr. Haley,
Thank you so much for doing such an important piece for people with these difficult problems. It is sometimes hard to find the right product for the right skin problems. My question for you would be; What is your advice or opinion about the product Pro-Active? Myself and my son are currently using it and we seem to be having good results so far. Any suggestions or opinions on the product? Please we need all the help we can get..
Thank you so much,
roni webb