No guarantees: Assessing safety and effectiveness

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies creams and lotions as cosmetics, which are defined as having no medical value. So the FDA regulates them less strictly than it does prescription medicines. And cosmetic products don't get the tests for safety and effectiveness that prescription medicines applied to the skin do. You might hear some of these products called cosmeceutical agents — a term used to capture the idea that these products are part cosmetic and part medicine.

Because the FDA doesn't evaluate cosmetic products or cosmeceuticals for effectiveness, there's no guarantee that any nonprescription product will reduce your wrinkles.

Consider these points when judging the merits of using a wrinkle cream:

• Cost. Cost has no relationship to effectiveness. A wrinkle cream that's more costly may not be more effective than a less costly product.
• Lower doses. Skin products that you can buy without a prescription contain lower concentrations of active ingredients than do prescription creams. So you might not see results, and any change you do see might be short-lived.
• Daily use. You'll likely need to use the wrinkle cream once or twice a day for many weeks before noticing any change in your skin. And once you discontinue using the product, your skin is likely to return to the way it looked before.
• Side effects. Some products may cause skin irritation, rashes, burning or inflammation. And some products cannot be used while pregnant. Be sure to read and follow the product instructions to limit side effects. It may help to select products that don't cause allergic reactions and acne. You might see these labeled hypoallergenic and noncomedogenic. Choose products that offer a consumer help line in case you have questions.
• Individual differences. Just because your friend swears by a product doesn't mean it will work for you. People have different skin types. No one product works the same for everyone.