On Picking a Night Cream - Plastic Surgeon Dreaming

Another important part of skin health and maintaining a skin glow is a nightly skin cream. This is a good time to put on something a little thicker than during the day when you can look a little greasy or shiny. Also if you are using Tretinoin a good night cream can help with some of the dryness that can happen, especially early in its use.

There are many options when it comes to night cream, and I have tried a bunch. When it came down to it I went back to the primary literature and looked more for the ingredients that would give the biggest bang for the buck.

This is what I found:

Niacinamide, which is a form of vitamin B3: There have been studies looking at topical niacinamide and the improvement in wrinkles, skin tone, and elasticity. (articles are below for the brave that want the primary literature).

Hyluronic acid: Studies with topical hyaluronic acid showed improvement in skin hydration and elasticity but I have to admit most are rather limited. (See articles below).

Vitamin C: Limited good quality studies available but a few which show improvement in wrinkles, skin pigmentation, and increased amount of collagen.

***NOTE*** Using Vitamin C will deactivate Niacinamide so these cannot be used at the same time.

My personal favorite is Olay Regenerist Micro-sculpting Cream, I have used it for years. Olay has been around since the 50’s and it is truly a great product, and if they ever change it I will die. Regenerist’s main ingredients are niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, which is how I originally found it. Regenerist is reasonable when compared to other much more expensive brands with similar ingredients. It runs less than $30 for a jar that typically last me ~2 months. It is also in basically every drug store, but don’t let its availability and reasonable price deter you. They have a fragrance free version, which I really like because I do not like strongly fragranced things, especially if they are on my face. It is a thick cream that comes in a jar. It goes on smooth and while I do sometimes use it also during the day, I tend to get a little too shiny for daytime use. Olay also has a Regenerist serum that I use on and off during the day as well.

But the results:

I use it everyday for a reason. It definitely comes through in giving well-hydrated skin, I do notice subtle improvement in wrinkles around the eyes but much less than what I get from using Tretinoin, but the two make a killer combination.

I have dabbled with Vit C serums but my daily skin care regimen has many products with niacinamide in it and they do not play well which each other. I think that Vit C containing products are a great choice as well but I cannot speak personally to their results.

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