Or why can’t any skin-care product work better than dermal fillers? Or laser resurfacing? Or chemical peels? Or face-lifts? Or eye lifts? Because no skin-care product can address the complex physiological processes that cause wrinkles. Even a specific medical cosmetic corrective procedure or surgery cannot address all the issues that cause the face to look older. Here are some of the factors we face that the cosmetics industry can’t fix.
Sun damage! The one thing the cosmetics industry can address to some extent is sun protection. Even so, the total damage caused by pervasive, recurring, cumulative, unprotected, or inadequate sun protection over the years adds up to severe damage that cannot be changed by a skin-care product. And there are limitations even with medical cosmetic corrective procedures. (Sources: Archives of Dermatological Research, January 2006, pages 294-302; British Journal of Dermatology, December 2005, Supplemental, pages 37-46; Journal of Dermatology, August 2004, pages 603-609; and Journal of Investigative Dermatology, September 2003, pages 578-586.)
Fat depletion and movement in the face. The fat pads of the cheek, forehead, and jaw move down and in on the face as the skin becomes less supple and firm, and the fat content also becomes depleted and deteriorates over time. Overall, a thinner face will be more wrinkled than a fuller face. Women who tend to gain weight and have it show on their face have fewer wrinkles than women who don’t. Products that claim they contain fat that can be absorbed into and build back the fat in your skin—if that were possible—would be something that could make skin look younger. But the cosmetics industry isn’t going to lie about that. Instead they lie about collagen in a product being able to build up collagen in your skin. What company is going to sell you the notion it can make your face fatter? So that’s one lie they won’t tell you though theoretically it could really help. (Sources: Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, November-December 2006, pages 959-964; Dermatologic Surgery, August 2006, pages 1058-1069; Annals of Plastic Surgery, March 2004, pages 234-239; and Dermatologic Surgery, October 2003, pages 1019-1026.)
Loss of estrogen due to perimenopause and eventually menopause. Estrogen produces healthier skin cells and collagen, and resilient elastin. As we lose estrogen our skin is less and less able to maintain these options. (Sources: Climacteric Journal of the International Menopause Society, August 2007, pages 289-297; Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, October 2005, pages 555-568; and Experimental Dermatology, February 2005, page 156.)
Genetics. The genes you inherit may hinder or help a great deal, but they too are only part of the picture given environmental influences and the other factors listed here. (Sources: Current Problems in Dermatology, 2007, volume 35, pages 28-38; and Journal of Investigative Dermatology, February 2006, pages 277-282.)
Bone loss. As the skeletal support structure of the face loses density and bulk, it provides less architectural support for skin so the skin becomes draped in a sagging manner instead of how it looked when we were younger. (Sources: Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America, May 2007, pages 221-228; Skin Therapy Letter, April 2006, pages 1-3; and Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, February 1998, pages 248-255.)
Cell senescence. As we age, skin cells eventually lose the capacity to divide and re-create themselves. The result is thin, inelastic, dry skin and impaired skin function in general. This process is known as the “Hayflick phenomenon,” named after Dr. Leonard Hayflick, who identified the condition in 1965; it has also been called genetically programmed cell death.
(Sources: Dermatology, August 2007, pages 352-360; Molecular Biology Reports, September 2006, pages 181-186; and Cell Cycle, September 2004, pages 1127-1129.)
Smoking. Smoking tobacco is the most preventable cause of skin aging. In addition to having a strong association with a number of systemic diseases, the effects of smoking are to blame for exacerbating or causing many dermatological conditions, including poor wound healing, premature skin aging, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, oral cancer, acne, psoriasis, and hair loss. People who smoke for a number of years tend to develop an unhealthy yellowish hue to their complexion. Even if you haven’t been a smoker for very long the damage still takes place very quickly and insidiously. A large panel study conducted in 2008 showed that facial wrinkling, while not yet visible, can be seen under a microscope in smokers as young as 20 years old. (Sources: International Journal of Dermatology, October 2008, pages 1086-1087; Journal of Dermatological Science, December 2007, pages 169-175; Archives of Dermatology, December 2007, pages 1543-1546; and Journal of Investigative Dermatology, April 2003, pages 548-554.) If you smoke, please do whatever it takes to quit, regardless of your age or how long you’ve smoked. Your body will thank you in numerous healthy ways.
Facia! expressions. Facial movement causes wrinkles. If you do facial exercises to reduce the appearance of wrinkles imagining that you’re building up the muscles underneath you would only be making matters worse. Repetitive facial movements such as smiling, frowning, and raising your eyebrows actually lead to more fine lines and wrinkles in those areas. Each time we use a facial muscle, a groove forms beneath the surface of the skin, which is why we see lines form with each facial expression. As skin ages and loses its elasticity and collagen content, the skin stops springing back to its line-free state, and these grooves become permanently etched on the face. Botox works because it paralyzes muscle movement where it is injected, preventing these creases from taking place. (Sources: Clinics in Dermatology, March-April 2008, pages 182-191; and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinics of North America, February 2005, pages 1-15.)
Gravity. Gravity constantly pulls on our bodies, and its effect on our skin becomes more pronounced as we age. By the age of 50 the elastin content in our skin can no longer take the strain: the nose droops, ears elongate, eyelids fall, jowls form, and the upper lip can disappear while the lower lip becomes more pronounced.
Regardless of the claim in the label, no cosmetic or skin-care product can address all of these physiological issues and problems. A combination of products and medical treatments can achieve a great deal of success against these issues, but to imagine that a single miracle cream or ingredient can do this all by itself is just not reality.