Encouraging Health

Tired of skin products that sound too good to be true — and are? Then check out the only proven wrinkle reducer on the market: retinoids.

Retinoids can do amazing things, according to Dr. Amy Wechsler, dermatologist, psychiatrist, and author of RealAge’s new skin-care book, The Mind-Beauty Connection.

Beauty in a Bottle
Better skin can come in a bottle — well, actually, a tube. But it’s a tube your doctor has to prescribe. Wechsler recommends two kinds of retinoids in particular — tretinoin (Retin-A, Avita, Renova) and tazarotene (Tazorac, Avage). “These are FDA-approved, rub-on treatments that rank high on my list of skin-renewal candidates,” writes Wechsler in her new book. “Prescription retinoids can transform your skin, smoothing wrinkles, unclogging pores, lightening superficial brown spots, and improving the texture of the skin. It takes several weeks to start seeing results, but it’s so worth it.” (Learn more about our new RealAge skin-care expert.)

Ask your dermatologist if retinoids are right for you.

Did You Know?
Retinoids are vitamin A derivatives, and vitamin A can help your skin from the inside out as well as the outside in. Sweet potatoes are a great source of this skin-friendly vitamin. Here is one more antiwrinkle food to stock up on:

Chocolate:

The Truth About Chocolate and Your Skin

Here’s a formula for sensational skin: cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen, and . . . chocolate?

You heard right. When eaten, flavanol-rich cocoa, the main ingredient in dark chocolate, improves skin’s texture, thickness, hydration, and blood flow. It may even boost your skin’s defense against the sun by up to 25 percent! How? It packs serious antioxidant power. Just don’t overdo it — chocolate is high in fat and calories, too. And you still need to wear sunscreen every day.

Chocolate’s good for your skin? It’s true! Antioxidant compounds in cocoa, called flavanols, improve artery health by boosting blood flow, and that boost may be good for your skin, too.

Researchers discovered this chocolate benefit in a study of women who consumed half a cup of cocoa (containing 329 milligrams of flavanols per serving, the amount in a 3-½ ounce serving of dark chocolate) daily for 12 weeks. At the end of the study, the women experienced less skin dryness, scaling, and roughness compared to the beginning of the study. Also, their skin was thicker, exhibited improved blood flow, and was even more resistant to sun damage. Pretty amazing.

Still, don’t toss your sunscreen and indulge in mass quantities of chocolate. Consume the sweet in moderation and apply sunscreen every day when you’ll be outdoors for 20 minutes or more.