Face creams are a broad category of skin preparation. Choosing the best one for you can be baffling if you're not sure what you need, or you easily (and understandably) buy into today's very sophisticated marketing and advertising claims. But if you consider your age and your skin problems, and arm yourself with some knowledge about the best substances for your issues, you can weed through the claims and find what you need.
And a word about face creams: the term as used here means a preparation you use on your face to correct something, to avoid confusion with facial moisturizers (in which the purpose is clear).
What to Look for
What does your skin need? And considering your age and skin type, what is the most important thing to prevent? Maybe your problem is easily defined; for instance, if you have acne. For many people, reversing the effects of sun damage and aging are at the top of the list. Several substances can help.
Antioxidant creams contain selenium, CoQ10 or alpha-lipoic acid, all of which protect against sun damage in ways that even a sunscreen can't. They accumulate in the skin and don't just wash off when you jump into the pool or the shower.
Other substances available in face creams contain antioxidants as well. Vitamin A is another sun- and age-reversing agent. It may show up in a product as retinol, retinaldehyde, tretinoin or tazarotene.
Tretinoin is perhaps the most familiar. It has been approved by the FDA in prescription form as Retin-A.
But what Retin-A gives, Retin-A also may take away, at least for sunbathers. While it likely reverses damage, it also makes the user more sensitive to sun damage. So definitely counteract that by using sunscreen. Also, most doctors will tell you to avoid any type of Vitamin A preparation, whether orally or topical, if you're pregnant or trying to conceive.
Vitamin C has been studied extensively for its skin-restorative properties. It's been shown to reverse swelling, protect against sun damage and may lead to firmer skin by boosting the body's own collagen production.
Common Pitfalls
As with many skin preparations, a higher price does not always signify a better product. You may be paying for the prestige of a brand name rather than something more effective than what you'd find on a drugstore counter.
Apply cream at night, to give it plenty of time to do its work. And don't keep a face cream forever. If it's outdated or has been left open to collect dust or otherwise been compromised, throw it out.
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