How Do Topical Wrinkle Fillers Work?
WrinkleYou may have heard the hype around cosmetic wrinkle fillers. Purported to be the safe, pain free way to eliminate wrinkles instantly - manufacturers claim that you can get the same anti wrinkle effects from a topical wrinkle filling cream as an in-office procedure like a dermal filler.
Like many of us you may have wondered just how any topical cream can deliver instant anti aging effects as the makers claim and still be available over the counter to ordinary consumers without any special license. If these products can penetrate skin and eliminate wrinkles how come they are not sold under prescription and administered by doctors? The claims made seem to go against plain common sense - so just how do topical wrinkle fillers work?
An over the counter wrinkle filler will either be marketed as a cosmetic wrinkle filler or a product which combines a cosmetic effect with longer term anti aging benefits. Cosmetic wrinkle fillers do exactly what that implies - they disguise the appearance of wrinkles usually with light reflecting particles or by temporarily plumping out the lines on your face.
Wrinkle fillers are usually applied under makeup and over your normal moisturizing cream after cleansing and toning. They should be applied carefully to the wrinkled areas of your face that concern you. Wrinkle fillers should stay effective all day and some manufacturers say that they can be topped up over makeup as the day progresses. At the end of the day when you take your makeup off any anti wrinkle effect disappears.
Topical wrinkle fillers that claim to have an anti aging effect as well as merely a cosmetic effect will usually contain added active ingredients. It is these added actives that work on the wrinkles longer term and - according to the sales pitch - reduce them over time.
The wrinkle filling action of all the creams sold comes from small spheres of silicone - invisible to the naked eye - which expand in contact with the heat from your body and push out the wrinkle from within. The light reflecting particles also contribute to the effect by bouncing light off the wrinkle and making it appear to be reduced. This latter strategy is quite effective in other cosmetics - for example foundation and under eye concealers are both sold with light reflective particles to create the illusion of radiance and smoothness. Light reflective particles literally bounce light off the blemish or wrinkle and make it vanish.
The most successful of the topical wrinkle filler products use silicone which is microencapsulated or combined in nanoparticles to enable it to penetrate and perform its filling action.
If you are considering a wrinkle filler and unsure about how effective it might be - bear in mind that any moisturizing cream will 'fill' out wrinkles though the simple tactic of adding moisture to the skin. Skin that is moisturized will appear less wrinkled, dewy and radiant. Dry skin wrinkles more easily and looks more lined and dull. If you already moisturize your skin you have to try to work out how much more of a wrinkle filling effect you are going to get from the addition of the silicone.
But what about the wrinkle fillers that offer a long term anti aging benefit as well - how do they work? The simplest answer is - exactly the same as any other anti wrinkle cream. Many topical wrinkle fillers include the same ingredients you will find in any skin care product for mature skin: hyaluronic acid to attract moisture and enhance cell renewal and essential fatty acids like avocado oil to strengthen the skins natural moisture barrier and retain hydration in the skin cells. If you already use an anti aging moisturizer or a good hydrating cream you are unlikely to gain much benefit from adding another cream with more of the same ingredients.
Most topical wrinkle fillers are more properly thought of as cosmetic products - although there are some exceptions and the technology is advancing all the time. Certainly as things stand at the moment no topical wrinkle filler can deliver the same instant anti aging effect as an injectable filler. But then the cosmetic filler comes at a much lower price and without the discomfort or the risk of a cosmetic procedure like a dermal filler.
In the end as a consumer you should make up your own mind after careful research and based on what you want to get from your anti aging product.
Eileen Gravelle is an author and web publisher who writes extensively on all aspects of skin care for older women including advice when considering anti aging products like a wrinkle filler. Eileen's website: Simply Anti Aging is a complete anti aging resource and includes an extensive anti aging skin care section with articles, product reviews and features for women in their forties and beyond who want to look younger and feel great as they get older.