Posted by Spoc on March 31, 2005, at 13:01:06
In reply to Re: Strivectin? » partlycloudy, posted by rainbowbrite on March 31, 2005, at 11:03:18
Hi again!
You know, tretinoin (the active ingredient in Retin-A), at a percentage of at least .5 but preferrably 1.0, DOES work to reduce wrinkles!! (It is one of the few preparations that are well-documented by medical science to be effective. It requires an rx.) Have you used that yet? These days it's considered basic to any skin care program, if your skin can handle it. Use it nightly or frequently to begin with, then move to a couple times a week forever.
Another great thing I recommend that you check out, like at that YTF board, is a program called Obagi Nu Derm. It adds "bleaching cream," and an alpha hydroxy acid to the Retin-A use. And WOW, does it get rid of layers and layers of old skin. Very very effective. The actual Obagi program is expensive, so if you look into it and are interested, I can tell you which products you really need and how to substitute some of them for cheaper things. I researched it extensively.
The thing with these kind of products is, there ARE some that have been proven, so don't give up hope. Another type that seems to be gaining credibility is called copper peptides. You'll see that at the YTF site I'm sure. I'm not sure what I think of that one yet, but I think there may have been some research by now. But your best bet for actual wrinkle reduction at this time is tretinoin/Retin-A.
Retin-A is just a brand name of it btw. Now, retinol is an ingredient used in OTC/non-prescription products, and isn't strong enough to cause actual skin changes. The AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids, of which glycolic acid is the strongest) are good, but they more refresh the skin and pores than cause actual changes.
Just be sure to do searches there too, because if you only look at the threads that keep repeating the same questions, only a couple people may have answered that time and they may not have known the answer really. And of course you will see people posting that something is great or they heard it's great, just like you would have. Many think things work just from a placebo effect, that's what the biz is largely fueled by. So when you see a few raves, always look and search a little deeper before you decide who to believe (also might want to post a question to or email the person to ask how they know. You can do both of those without registering).
Eventually you'll often come across someone who cites or links to actual research, journal articles or dermatologic info, and you'll get to know and trust certain people. I think message boards are an excellent part of researching almost anything these days, as long as one can develop a good sense of what is a mostly reliable source and which posters are.
Ok, dang, there is more of this kind of info available all around us and at YTF than you could ever want, so I may as well shutup! See rainbowbrite? THIS HERE is the kind of thing I was talking about, with my posting! ;-)
poster:Spoc
thread:477945
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20050330/msgs/478155.html