Beauty & Body

Turn Back the Clock: Our Picks For the Top Anti-Aging Products of 2006

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It seems that you can’t go even one day without seeing a commercial or reading an article about a new “miracle” anti-aging product claiming to save you from old age or save your face, at least. With the ever-expanding availability of anti-aging skin care products found over-the-counter, in doctors offices, and with prescriptions, it can be confusing deciding what to choose and what to leave sitting on the shelf. To make life a little easier, here’s a low-down on key ingredients to look for, and some to stay far away from.

Two key ingredients to look for are retinoids or retinol, and glycolic acid, also known as alpha-hydroxy acids. Retinoids/retinol and glycolic acid have been shown to reduce fine wrinkling, build collagen and elastin, even skin pigmentation, and improve acne and precancerous lesions. Antioxidants are also very important in anti-aging skin care, because they help prevent and reverse free-radical damage to skin caused by sun and aging. The best known are derivatives of Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Green Tea, Grape Seed Extract, Coenzyme-Q10, and idebenone. Vitamin C also has the added benefit of lightening the skin, and Green tea has the added bonus of having potential anti-cancer properties.

Watch out for heavy fragrances and preservatives, as they are the two most common ingredients known to cause allergic and irritant reactions. Some patients develop this problem out of polypharmacy, or in other words, using too many products. Make sure to consult a cosmetic dermatologist to sort out the root of the problem, and bring the products and a list of their ingredients with you. As always, the other key ingredient to healthy skin is a healthy lifestyle. Good nutrition, including fruits, vegetables, calcium, Vitamin D and trace minerals, is important. Most importantly, always use sun protection, the number one defense against anti-aging.

To help you even further, we have chosen some of the top new anti-aging products available on the market today. All are available without a trip to the dermatologist, and all include one or more of the most effective ingredients to combat aging. It might not be the fountain of youth, but it’s a start. Here are our fresh picks:

Skin_Revolution.jpgSkin Revolution
Wrinkle Defense Night Cream and Rejuvenate Day Cream
Canadian-based Skin Revolution has revitalized the anti-aging industry by launching a new line of anti-aging skin care products containing Seabuckthorn Oil, a natural ingredient proven to nourish, revitalize and restore damaged or aging skin. Biological studies suggest the restorative properties of Seabuckthorn Oil may be due to its high content of essential fatty acids, carotenes, Vitamin E, flavonoids and phytosterols all of which are important to maintain healthy, young-looking skin. These compounds are depleted with age, and particularly with stress, says Skin Revolution creator Tony Caruso, but Seabuckthorn Oil can help give skin back the nutrients it may be missing. Both the Day Cream and the Night Cream contain the Oil and promote tissue regeneration to enhance the growth of healthy cells, while anti-oxidant properties help reverse the damaging effects of the sun. The Skin Revolution products also include Bio-Transderma, an ingredient that assists in the proper absorption and quick assimilation of the product into the skin. Skin Revolution is dedicated to providing products that utilize historically proven natural ingredients for skin care remedies. Choosing facts over hype, Skin Revolution offers products that are geared specifically for healthy skin, easy to use and safe for the body.
www.skinrevolution.ca

Kate_Somerville.jpgKate Somerville
Deep Tissue Repair with Peptide K8
Adored by Hollywood elite, Kate Somerville has been working her skincare magic in Los Angeles for years. For those who can?t get an appointment at her chic Melrose Place skin clinic, there?s her namesake line of skincare products. The Deep Tissue Repair with peptide K8 is a powerful anti-aging moisturizer that uses some of the most advanced anti-aging ingredients available. The treatment was formulated by Kate with her philosophy of ??Renew, Restore, Results?? in mind. It instantly softens & strengthens skin, promoting a supple & velvety complexion. The proprietary formulation, blending Peptide K8 with collagen builders, penetrates deeply to encourage cellular repair & reverse damage, making surface lines and wrinkles disappear. It?s the next best thing to having Kate in a box in your medicine cabinet.
www.katesomerville.com

Chanchi_Soma.jpgChanChi
“OM” Alpha Lipoic Acid Skin Perfecting Creme and Soma Eye Creme
ChanChi has combined the best of the best anti-aging ingredients with their nighttime Savasana regiment of Soma Eye Creme and OM Skin Perfecting Creme. Created by yogini Clara Chan, ChanChi is designed to cultivate the same benefits yoga has for the body, but for your face and skin: reduce stress while increasing balance, suppleness, and tone. Soma Eye Creme is a powerful anti-aging treatment for the delicate eye area. Alpha Lipoic acid, DMAE, glycolic acid, and vitamin C are combined with naturally active botanical mushroom extract and arnica extract to stimulate circulation, promote removal of waste from the skin and aid in new tissue growth. OM Skin Perfecting Creme uses the same active ingredients as the eye creme, combined with palmarosa and basil essential oils, to increase skin’s circulation and balance the oil glands for moisturizing and cell-regeneration. DMAE and active botanical mushroom extract promote firm, toned skin while diminishing fine lines. Alpha Lipoic Acid increases the production of cells, while Glycolic and Vitamin C smoothes away wrinkles, brown spots, and other skin irregularities. Now your face can be as calm as your spirit.
www.chanchiliving.com

Avance2.jpgAvance
Cerum Vitamin C Therapy, Potion, and Age Defyer
Avance has formulated an advanced skincare system to combat the aging process. When used together, the three-step system is deigned to reverse, prevent, and control the signs of aging. Cerum Vitamin C Therapy repairs sun damaged skin and prevents further damage by protecting against pollution, age and future sun exposure. Its blend of vitamin C/L-ascorbic acid and Maxogenol creates new skin cells and has a clarifying effect upon acne-prone skin. The Potion is an intense anti-aging treatment that works with the Cerum to restore skin’s natural wrinkle-reducing power, smoothing skin and diminishing fine lines. Its powerful mix of Co Enzyme Q10, vitamin C ester, and green tea extract does it all: it stimulates the production of collagen to keep the face firm, stops free radicals that cause wrinkles, sunspots, even skin cancer, increases moisture retention, controls blemishes and revives estrogen-deprived skin. The final step in the system is the Age-Defyer, a daily anti-aging cream that keeps skin firm while preventing the formation of wrinkles. Its active ingredients, including DMAE, refines skin’s texture and promotes a more radiant complexion. Talk about a triple threat!
www.avanceskincare.com

LizGrant_Biocollasis.jpgElizabeth Grant Skincare
Biocollasis Advanced Cellular Hydration
A leader in luxury anti-aging skincare for years, Elizabeth Grant has just unveiled her newest age-defyer: Biocollasis Advanced Cellular Hydration. The Biocollasis compound of tri-peptides, micro-encapsulated proteins and Elizabeth Grant’s exclusive Torricelum dramatically helps to reduce the appearance of aging making the skin look and feel visibly rejuvenated. Like most anti-agers, it works as a daily moisturizer to instantly boost hydration levels. What makes Biocollasis different, however, is that through the exclusive compound, hydration is replenished during the day providing exceptional long-lasting nourishment. Biocollasis works at the cellular level to help increase oxygen consumption, which is essential for cell regeneration. This high performance treatment also helps to stimulate and strengthen the collagen and elastin fibers to plump up the skin?s appearance and eliminate the look of lines and wrinkles. To top it all off, it prevents further damage by creating an environmental shield to protect the skin from pollution. This advanced protection helps the skin lose the tired, grey look and regain a fresh tone and youthful luminosity.
www.elizabethgrant.com

MenScience.jpgMenScience
Anti-Aging Formula
Attention all men: we’re looking out for you too! The men’s skin care gurus at MenScience Androceuticals have spent that last two years in their lab coats, intensely researching and testing, and have finally introduced the Anti-Aging Formula, a light-weight, non-greasy formula which utilizes the latest dermatological advances in anti-aging ingredients. It combines the four most powerful anti-aging substances available to dermatologists (Idebenone, Peptides, GABA and Alpha Lipoic Acid) into the most effective anti-aging product for men on the market today. And it’s just for guys (although the ladies can feel free to raid their man’s medicine cabinet). Each of these individual ingredients is powerful enough to stand on its own, but the combination of all four in a single formula delivers a unique solution that effectively improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, revitalizes skin tone and texture and helps protect against the visible signs of aging. Like all MenScience products, the Anti-Aging Formula was developed for the unique needs and characteristics of men, meaning its 100% free of fragrance, dyes and irritants, not to mention girly packaging.
www.menscience.com

RodanFields.jpgRodan + Fields
Anti-Age PM Serum Night Treatment Capsules with Retinol-Peptide Blend?and Anti-Age PM Cream with Skin Recovery Complex
Say “Goodnight Wrinkles” with Rodan + Fields new breakthrough nighttime skincare regimen, the newest additions to their best-selling Anti-Age line. Created by Stanford-trained dermatologists Dr. Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields, the one, two punch of Anti-Age PM Serum and Anti-Age PM Cream works synergistically to renew and repair the skin. Rodan + Fields is the first skin care line to launch the patented capsule formulation of retinol and biopeptides in the PM Serum. The formulation increases cell turnover and stimulates collagen production. It is also developed with sustained release to give you continuous results well into the day. The PM Cream is loaded with Ultrasomes – a breakthrough technology that helps reverse the damage that daily environmental exposure has on your skin, such as UVA radiation and pollution. Hexapeptide technology stimulates natural collagen production while Mimosa Bark Extract prevents the natural breakdown of collagen to smooth away lines and wrinkles. These products work together at night, when the skin has the most energy to repair daily damage and renew itself, leaving you a more resilient, youthful complexion to wake up to. It’s bringing new meaning to getting your  beauty sleep/ www.rodanandfields.com

Relastin_Skin_Revitalizer.jpgRelastin
Eye Silk and Skin Revitalizer
Bring the spring back to your skin with the hottest new breakthrough in skincare: Relastin. It’s a known fact the body virtually ceases production of elastin the essential element for youthful, firm skin at the age of 12 or 13, which over time results in the tell-tale signs of aging including fine lines, wrinkles and sagging. Relastin is the first product on the market that actually fosters the re-creation of elastin in the skin, increasing its ability to spring back to a smooth appearance after years of stretching, smiling and frowning. The proof is out there: clinical data indicates that skin treated with the patent-pending Zinc Firming Complex found exclusively in Relastin contained more elastin than untreated skin. Ingredients in both the Eye Silk and the Skin Revitalizer stimulate the function of a gene in the body that is responsible for making elastin, and studies have found that the eye cream improves that dreaded crepeyness around the eye area after two weeks. Testers also said they saw a visible difference and experienced a decrease in dark circles, a reduction in eye puffiness and diminished fine lines and wrinkles. The Skin Revitalizer has the same effects, but for the entire face. It’s like Botox, but without the risk and discomfort of needles or other invasive procedures.
www.relastin.com

RosaFina.jpgBarefoot Botanicals
Rosa Fina
If you’re looking for a more holistic, natural approach to beauty and age-reversal, London-based Barefoot Botanicals is one of the best. Eight years ago, two homeopaths, Jonathan Stallick and Hilery Dorrian, established a range of 100% natural organic skin care products that are a fusion of botanical extracts, vitamins and pure essential oils, uniting nature’s best beauty boosters with their Pure Plant Alchemy. Their rejuvenating Rosa Fina range with pure rosa mosqueta oil and silica-rich herbal extracts moisturizes, firms and tones the skin. It also softens fine lines and lessens rosacea and scarring. The line is made up five super products that work together to lessen the signs of aging and other skin problems for your whole body. The toning, firming Body Conditioning Lotion is particularly good for stretch marks. The anti-aging Intensive Facial Radiance Cream helps ease acne and reduce rosacea while the Intensive Radiance Face Oil restores radiance and diminish wrinkles, scars and blemishes. The Ultra Firming Eye Cream banishes dark circles and puffy eyes and the rejuvenating Cleansing Milk and Facial Toner both help combat spots and blemishes.
www.barefoot-botanicals.com

Kama_Aurvedya.jpgKama Ayurveda
Miraculous Beauty Fluid
Kama Ayurveda, an authentic Ayurvedic product line, has revealed the Indian secret for an exotic golden glow, Kumkumadi, or Miraculous Beauty Fluid. With a balanced combination of herbal organic ingredients including vetiver, lotus, extracts of Banyan tree, Indian madder, licorice and rare saffron, this golden beauty fluid cleanses, helps smooth the appearance of fine lines and illuminates the complexion. The key ingredient, saffron, is considered a royal spice in Ayurveda, the oldest documented body of holistic medical knowledge, with a system of plant oils and herbs originating in India over 6,000 years ago. Saffron saturates the skin to give it a natural golden glow. Lotus, sandalwood, and vetiver plump the skin, diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, while extracts of Indian Madder and Banyan tree lighten the appearance of brown spots caused by acne scarring, the sun or aging. Licorice, known for its antiseptic and microbial properties helps to protect blemish-prone skin from bacteria and other impurities. Kama’ Miraculous Beauty Fluid is 100% natural and highly concentrated so only a few drops are need daily for glowing, young skin.
www.kamaayurveda.com
NeoStrata_Exuviance.jpgNeoStrata
Exuviance Skin Healthy Home Resurfacing Peel
Don’ have the money or the time for an expensive facial peel? The Exuviance Skin Healthy Home Resurfacing Peel System offers an alternative to visiting a doctor’s ffice or spa for a peel, and at an affordable price. It gives results comparable to a professional facial peel in the comfort of their own home.

This breakthrough kit is not just a peel, but a true skincare system. While the peel instantly exfoliates the damaged, dead, dull surface skin layers and stimulates cell renewal, the Purifying Cleansing Gel, Fundamental Multi-Protective Day Creme and Evening Restorative Complex work in tandem to help improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, refine pore size, and intensify skin clarity.
NeoStrata is a medically based dermatological company dedicated to the advancement of skin care and treatment, and the recognized worldwide leader in Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) formulations for the medical community. NeoStrata?s founders, dermatologist Dr. Eugene Van Scott and dermatopharmacologist Dr. Ruey Yu, hold over 100 patents in AHA technology. The Skin Healthy Home Resurfacing Peel Kit is part of the advanced and patented Exuviance by NeoStrata line of products, introduced in 1996 in order to allow all people access to the full-strength benefits of alpha and polyhydroxy acids.
www.neostrata.com

EpiRenewal.jpgEpiRenewal
EpiRenewal Anti-Aging System
Exfoliate your way to younger skin and restore its youthful glow with The EpiRenewal four-step system. The first step is the EpiRenewal cleanser that uses anti-aging ingredients such as Alpha Hydroxy and salicylic acid along with other natural unique enzymes to exfoliate the skin leaving the skin supple and smooth. This step is important, because with age the skin?s natural ability to exfoliate slows down. The second step is the UVA /UVB sunscreen. Although it is too late to take back years of bathing in the sun, sunscreen can still stop additional damage. This one protects the skin from the harmful raise while treating the damaged skin. The third step is the EpiRenewal moisturizer that stimulates collagen and elastin in the skin.? The moisture also adds strength to the cells, which in turn help the cells withstand the stress of free radicals. The fourth and final step in the EpiRenewal System is the Antioxidants. Antioxidants help the skin cells bind the free radicals that contribute to the aging or cell death. Antioxidants stop the oxidation process, which leads to the visible effects of aging. These four elements combine to create healthier, clearer, more youthful skin.
www.refreshskin.com

Neaclear_Facial_moist.jpgNeaclear
Liquid Oxygen Facial Moisturizing Cream
Neaclear harnesses the power of liquid oxygen to promote healthy, younger looking skin naturally. Hydration is key to a youthful complexion, and Neaclear delivers exceptional hydration for very dry skin. Glycerin, sweet almond oil and aloe vera give the skin a satiny feel while providing a breathable barrier against the skin to lock in hydration and soothe irritated and environmentally stressed skin. All Neaclear products are hypo-allergenic and fragrance free, so it won’t clog pores. In addition to the innovative liquid oxygen, the cream (and all products) is infused with vitamins C and E, two of the most effective anti-aging supplements, and vitamins A and D which the skin often loses to the harsh and sometimes toxic conditions we are exposed to everyday. Neaclear is a clinical skin care company offering both cutting edge physician-strength skin care solutions as well as innovative over-the-counter skin care products. They work closely with plastic surgeons and dermatologists, to create clear, natural and healthy skin and hair care products.
www.neaclear.com

About the author

Amy Grensted