A. About 6 pounds of our body weight is skin. Skin is not only the largest organ in our body, but it is also one of the busiest, protecting us from germs and infections, as well as being a barrier to the environment.

General guidelines for skin care are:

Drink plenty of water.

Cleanse daily (Cleanse the face twice — morning and evening.).

Moisturize.

Eat good food. Fresh fruits, vegetables and fish are all good for skin health.

Unfortunately for those of us who love to be outside, sun exposure does the most damage. Great strides have occurred in the past decade (thanks, no doubt, to all of us aging baby boomers) in the creation of viable sunscreens and effective — even stylish — clothing that blocks the sun without making us look like walking cabanas.

Manufacturers know that wrinkle-and age-spot reduction are concerns as we age and spend billions trying to convince us that their particular potion will return your skin to the dewy youthfulness of a 16-year-old. Most claim to “reduce wrinkles” and/or “reverse damage caused by aging and sun exposure.” To see if this is true, the Mayo Clinic took a look at the various ingredients in many of the over-the-counter skin creams and provided this assessment:

Alpha-Lipoic acid penetrates skin-cell membranes and boosts the effectiveness of vitamins C and E. It can act to exfoliate dead skin cells and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Products containing this do appear to reduce fine wrinkles and brown spots. A side effect can be inflammation, however.

Coenzyme Q-10, copper peptides, growth factors (kinetin) soy isoflavones and tea extracts all seem to improve fine wrinkling, diminish age spots and even protect against sun damage. Long-term effects are not known, and the Mayo Clinic feels more studies are needed.

The four most popular additives — vitamin A (retinol), vitamin C, vitamin E and collagen — seem to be the least effective. Vitamin A is an antioxidant, which neutralizes free radicals (unstable oxygen molecules) that cause wrinkles. In spite of claims that retinol “works deep below the skin’s surface to smooth wrinkles,” the FDA warns that many OTC preparations contain no retinol.

Vitamin C is hard to keep stable and degrades rapidly unless it is stored in an airtight container that is also light-resistant.

Vitamin E can cause contact dermatitis (swollen, red, itchy skin). Also, the type of vitamin E most commonly found in cosmetics (tocopherols and tocopherols acetate) is poorly absorbed.

Collagen is not absorbed through the skin and does not increase the body’s production of collagen.

When it comes to questions on the best solution for your particular skin situation, see a dermatologist. Doctors are better equipped to handle serious skin questions, not Madison Avenue.

As for supplements specifically marketed for wrinkle reduction, buyer beware. The skin is a complex organism, and no artificially assembled product is a cure-all. Eat wholesome foods in a wide variety to get all of your nutrients, and take a good (inexpensive) multivitamin as a backup. Use the money you save to purchase sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat.

The entire Mayo Clinic report can be read at: http://www.mayoclinic.com/h...
Linda Buch is a fitness trainer in Denver, Colo., and Lancaster County native. Send your questions to: Linda@LJBalance.com or c/o “Body Language,” Lancaster New Era, P.O. Box 1328, Lancaster, PA 17608.

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