Do anti-aging creams work?

Any moisturizer, regardless of ingredients, will improve the skin's appearance for a few hours. To really turn back the clock requires something more advanced, such as injecting the popular ingredients in anti-aging creams beneath the skin. Topically, the only anti-aging ingredient proven to have some effect is retinol, according to a 2008 University of Michigan study. People who use retinol report a significant change in the appearance of brown spots and wrinkles. Also effective, this study says, are carbon dioxide laser treatments and injections of hyaluronic acid, which plumps skin tissue under wrinkles. Treatments aside, two other proven ways to slow the signs of aging are avoiding smoking and wearing sunscreen. Smoking and sun damage advance the skin's loss of collagen, a protein that keeps the skin firm.