The gold standard of skin care is backed by hard science.Drug store shelves and cosmetic counters are lined with potions and elixirs that promise the fountain of youth. They claim to rid wrinkles, rejuvenate skin and turn back the clock. It’s hard to know what works and what doesn’t amid all the lofty claims.
But if you want something scientifically proven to take off years on your face, there is one ingredient shown to work: Retin-A.
It stands so far above other products that doctors routinely refer to Retin-A as the gold standard among all the anti-aging creams and gels.
“There’s nothing else that’s been shown to be as beneficial,’ says Michel McDonald, an assistant professor of medicine and dermatology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Ordinary moisturizers are good but they’re not doing anything scientific, she says.
The doctor, who is 41, not only recommends it, she uses it to keep her own skin looking young and healthy.
Retin-A, strips away the top lawyer of the skin and causes a light chemical peeling.
“This exfoliation has several benefits, including: smoothing roughness, increasing brightness, decreasing sallowness, helping to decrease pore size, decreasing brown spots, decreasing fine lines, and decreasing acne …, says Dr. Karyn Grossman, a dermatologist who practices in New York and Los Angeles. “Retin-A also helps to increase the collagen in the deeper parts of the skin, further decreasing fine lines and wrinkles.”
The drug is available by prescription in a cream or gel and is marketed under the brand names Retin-A Micro, Avage, Tazorac and Renova. Some formulations are stronger than others.
Prescription Retin-A became popular decades ago as an acne treatment. But patients began noticing some beneficial side effects: The drug smoothed out the skin and minimized wrinkles. To this day, it’s still one of the most widely prescribed treatments for acne.
The cost runs anywhere from $120 to $180 a tube, but it lasts a long time. Two prescriptions should be enough for a year’s supply. Most insurance companies, however, will not pay for it for patients over the age of 18, even if it is prescribed for acne, because of the drug’s cosmetic use.
Pregnant women and anyone planning on having a baby are warned not to use the drug because it can be harmful to a fetus.
Retinol is the drug’s less potent cousin, and is found in many over-the-product creams and lotions. Their reliability, Dr. McDonald says, can’t be guaranteed because these products aren’t regulated by the FDA.
Retin-A may be stronger but it can also be more irritating. It can cause redness, dryness and flaking of the skin.
“It may take some time, especially if your skin is dry or sensitive, but most of my patients over time will tolerate these products,” says Dr Grossman.
The drug also makes your skin more sensitive to the sun, so it’s important to use sunscreen.
For a woman who wants science on her side in the fight to turn back the clock, Dr. McDonald says this: “The combination of (Retin-A) and a good sunscreen is what I recommend.”
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