What's the most overrated wrinkle treatment?

There are some aesthetic treatments, lotions and potions that are sold, either on the Internet or at cosmetic counters where you might see advertisements: "Better than Botox," "Same as Botox," those kinds of things.

I think that you certainly can improve your skin by doing all kinds of treatments if you've never done anything before for your skin. If you start doing something healthy and good for your skin, cleansing it with a good cleanser, start applying moisturizer when you haven’t, your skin will look better. But doing those things alone are nothing in comparison to what you can do with laser and light devices, medical grade aesthetic treatments, medical grade products, antioxidants and good sun blocks.

I think that’s where the rip-off is. A lot of these products may have small amounts of wonderful ingredients in them but the concentration is so low, that although there is science out there that says it is a good ingredient, there is not enough in the product to be active. That is how they make a profit.

I believe that there are numerous anti-wrinkle creams, eye serums, etc. that may offer some value depending on the person and their goals. Granted, some products have much marketing behind them that may make it difficult to live up to consumer expectations. For the cost and easy availability to the consumer, over the counter eye serums (Strivectin and others) are a good place to start. In my personal experience and those of my patients,the products are very similar without having to spend a lot of money. Med spas, dermatology offices, etc. all may offer effective treatments depending on the patient's goals and whether or not they are willing to have downtime. There is no "one shoe fits all" in this industry. Non-ablative (meaning no downtime) lasers are also a good place to start for fine lines and skin tightening. In our experience, periorbital (around the eyes) lines respond the best to these treatments.