Which is most effective topical anti-aging, collagen production agent?

The most effective topical antiaging collagen production that we are aware of is tretinoin. It has been studied extensively with numerous biopsy studies. Derivative products and retinoids are thought to be also effective although probably not as effective as 0.1% tretinoin.  There are many other topical agents that may be effective but there are not enough studies of sufficient quality to significantly state that they are as effective. Remember, most studies you may read about many products have inherent biases as the studies are performed by the manufacturer for are sponsored by the manufacturer. Future studies may also indicate if combination agents may be better than single agents.

Hi, skin care is a complicated subject so please establish a long term relationship with a cosmetic dermatologist/medical aesthetician. I recommend 1. medical grade sunscreen with zinc/titanium and 2. tretinoin such as Renova or Tazorac is an alternative as the foundation for most patients. Then, additional topical are customized per individual patient and skin type. For example, antioxidants, growth factors, and peptides are possible additions. An example of an all inclusive product to add to 1 and 2 is Skinmedica TNS Essential Serum. Products like this are well studied and scientific data showing collagen production is important. Alastin Skin Nectar is a newer product that some patients of ours are adding to also support elastin production. Elastin and collagen are both important in anti-aging of skin.