Lifting the lid on wrinkle reversal
Expensive or cheap, the price of the cream you slap around your eyes to iron out those wrinkles makes no difference to the final outcome, consumer watchdogs have discovered.The Consumer Council also said one of the best ways to put wrinkles into reverse is to eat well, sleep well and drink plenty of green tea.
Separately, a dermatologist suggested Botox or laser treatment might be the way to go.
The council and International Consumer Research and Testing carried out tests on eight popular anti-wrinkle eye cream products sold in Hong Kong and overseas.
They found Nivea Visage anti-wrinkle Q10 Plus eye cream and Olay total effect 7-in-1 eye transforming cream, which cost HK$159 per 15 milliliters and HK$150 per 14 grams, respectively, are two of the three top performers.
Another top performer is the much more expensive Dr Brandt Lineless Eye Cream, which sells at HK$650 per 15 grams.
These three are more effective than the luxury brands – Clinique Repairwear Intensive Eye Cream (HK$320 per 15ml), StriVectin-SD Eye Cream (HK$695 per 38.45ml), Clarins Advance Extra-Firming Eye Contour Cream (HK$440 per 20ml) and NV Perricone MD cosmeceuticals Advanced Eye Area Therapy (HK$1,300 per 15ml).
The test for each product involved groups of nine to 11 users aged between 35 and 65. Over a period of six weeks, panelists observed the differences using high-definition photos.
RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream from France, at HK$360 per 15ml, was the poorest performer in the trials.
The council admitted there are only a few sure ways to minimize wrinkles, such as wearing sunglasses, wearing a hat or carrying an umbrella, applying sunscreen to the face and eye areas, avoiding smoking, having plenty of rest and eating a balanced diet.
However, dermatologist Henry Chan Hin- lee said there are no established studies to show creams can reduce eye wrinkles despite claims by manufacturers.
According to Chan, the most effective way to reduce wrinkles is using medical knowhow and technology such as Botox injections and lasers.
Chan said wrinkles are the result of aging and harm caused by ultraviolet rays and smoking.
He added eating more anti-oxidant foods rich in vitamin C, such as oranges, and drinking green tea could help.
Patsy Moy and Beatrice Siu
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
