I always say you have to choose the right cream for your skin type and for the problem you have or you will not be satisfied with your purchase.

Moisturizing, anti-aging, and brightening creams are the most looked for creams in the market. But they are so many, right? It’s confusing when it’s time to choose.

I will give you a mini guide on what to look for in creams and why. In this article I will discuss over the counter face creams that are for non-disease problematic skin (excluding dermatologic conditions such as acne, eczema and psoriasis).

The most purchased creams in the market. They make the skin hydrated, softer, and more glowing especially if you have dry skin or skin that has been damaged by environmental factors such as dry cold weather, or too much sun exposure.

Naturally, the outer part of the skin is coated by a fatty layer that fills the spaces between the cells. When moisturizers contain this fat it helps the natural functions of skin cells and normalizes dry damaged skin. When that natural fat content on the outer part of the skin is reduced you will have rough, scaly, uncomfortable skin with lots of fine lines.

Glycerin: It is a substance naturally found in the skin and present in all natural fats. It is one of the most popular ingredients in moisturizing creams. It helps by absorbing water from the environment (outside the skin) and from the inner lower part of the skin and brings it to its outer most layer. Usually combined with other ingredients such as silicone so that it absorbs the right amount of water. It fills the spaces in between the outer skin cells and helps the natural skin fat layer perform its function.

Shea butter: A natural fat from plant origin. It mimics the fat content of the skin. It is widely used in moisturizing creams and it is known to contain antioxidants which gives it an added effect to its moisturizing function.

A naturally occurring skin fat layer. When added to skin products it helps restore the natural skin barrier.

The new kid on the block in moisturizing creams. It is one of the natural skin ingredients. It helps preserve the skin’s own moisture.

There are many other ingredients, but the list is endless. Examples include phospholipids and linoleic acid. Examples of natural oils include coconut oil, jojoba wax, lanolin, and sweet almond oil.

What causes our skin to age and develop wrinkles? It is a number of factors including our chronological age, fat and bone loss, hormone loss, genetics, muscle movement and laxity, and most important are sun damage and disturbance of the natural skin barrier which makes it more exposed to the harsh environmental factors such as heat and wind.

My all time favorite. It is a vitamin A derivative and you will find it in many anti-wrinkle creams because it helps the skin to create better, healthier cells and structural elements such as collagen which gives the skin its firmness along with its antioxidant effect. It is effective also as a brightening cream, and helps reduce oiliness in oily skin.

My second favorite ingredient, it is Vitamin B3. It has many beneficial functions when added in creams. In some studies it has shown anti-tumor activity on skin cells, and a decrease in the photo carcinogenic effect of damaging sunlight. Some of its beneficial effects are: it exfoliates the skin, has an anti-aging effect, increases the natural fat layer in the skin, prevents water loss and enhances the circulation to the skin. All these functions help hydration, improving the appearance of wrinkles, and decreases skin discoloration.

Hydroxy acids or better known as fruit acids have been shown to decrease the signs of aging. It has a peeling effect on the skin, giving it a smoother, softer skin with less wrinkles. There are some claims that it improves skin elasticity.

It regulates skin collagen formation, repairs sun damaged skin, has antioxidant effects, and evens out skin tone.

Other examples of important ingredients are allantoin, vitamin E, coenzyme Q10, and peptides which all are also antioxidants.

I think it is worth mentioning the importance of antioxidants. The skin is always exposed to damaging agents from inside and outer assaults such as sunrays, air, heat, cold, drugs which can change the quality of our skin by forming something called ROS. To counteract this effect, the skin has an antioxidant system that normalizes these harmful assaults. Antioxidant ingredients help in this skin protective action.

Changes in skin tone and discoloration are due to changes in the amount of melanin (which gives the skin its color) in the skin layers. It can be as simple as uneven skin tone or brown spots which has many reasons (in these cases I advise patients to have a medical examination by a dermatologist to determine what type of spots they are, and if it might need more advanced medical intervention because they can be due to dermatologic conditions such as melasma or post inflammatory pigmentation). If you are considering over the counter creams then look for one of the key ingredients which have been already mentioned above. They also function by affecting melanin distribution in the skin and help brighten the overall skin color. Most effective ingredients in this category are creams containing retinol, niacinamide, AHA and vitamin C.

Other effective ingredients are kojic acid, arbutin, soy and licorice extract.

Chronic skin sun exposure causes the skin to age faster and makes it prone to skin cancer. So the use of daily sunscreen is important to protect your skin from its harmful effects.

It has to be a broad spectrum sunscreen, meaning it has to have protection against both UVB (burning sun rays) and UVA (aging sun rays).

It has to be rated at least SPF15. A useful tip is to try to choose a day cream with SPF 15, that way you get one cream with dual action.

Apply it 30 minutes before you go out in the sun, and make it the last cream you apply on your face in the daytime after you apply your day cream or your makeup.

Most sunscreen formulations lose its sun protective effect after two hours so you have to reapply it again if you are still, or will be, exposed to the sun.

Some of the common ingredients in sunscreens are what we call physical blockers that work by reflecting the sun rays such as titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide. There are also chemical blockers which absorb the sun’s rays and scatter it, for example avobenzone.

I think the most effective creams are creams that work on different levels of your skin and caters to its needs by combining key active ingredients in one. That’s the cream that I would choose!
 
Dr. Lillian A. Khan is a certified dermatologist practicing at

Silky Image Clinic,

Etoile Center, Malik Road, Jeddah

Tel: 02-639-0123