Skin care moisturizer creams include ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, plant extracts, sunscreens and sunless tanners. They may also contain ingredients that claim to boost your body's production of collagen and elastin, diminish stretch marks, smooth out wrinkles, paralyze muscles, unblock pores, and exfoliate dead skin cells.

There's no guarantee that any skin care moisturizer cream will live up to all of its claims. It may not even contain its advertised ingredients.

Moisturizers are considered cosmetics. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates moisturizers in a different manner than it does drugs. Basic skin care advice starts with a good quality skin care moisturizer and wrinkle cream. To make the most of your moisturizing routine:

1. Find a skin care moisturizer cream that fits your skin type and makes your skin look and feel soft. You may need to try several brands with differing ingredients before you find one you like.

2. Cost has no definite relationship to effectiveness. Just because a moisturizer is expensive, doesn't mean it's more effective than a cheaper product.

3. Apply moisturizers immediately after bathing. Pat or blot your skin until it's just barely dry, then apply moisturizer immediately to help trap water in the surface cells.

4. Apply moisturizer to your hands and body. Apply after bathing, showering, before exercising outdoors in cold weather, and every time you wash your hands. Although often ignored, your hands are more exposed to the elements, especially soaps and chemicals, than is any other part of your body.

5. Don't use heavy creams on your face unless you have excessive dryness. You can use heavy, oil-based creams on your legs, hands, and feet because those areas are drier.

Good skin care advice starts with avoiding the sun, washing the skin gently, and applying moisturizer regularly. These tips will help delay the natural aging process and prevent skin problems. This simple skin care advice will help you protect your skin to keep it healthy and glowing for years. The most important way to take care of your skin is to protect it from the sun. Ultraviolet light (the invisible but intense rays from the sun) damages your skin, causing deep wrinkles, dry, rough skin, liver spots, and more serious disorders such as noncancerous (benign) and cancerous (malignant) skin tumors. In fact, many of the changes seen in aging skin are actually caused by a lifetime of sun exposure. Smoking accelerates aging of your skin and increases wrinkles. Skin changes from smoking can appear in young adults after 10 years of smoking. Cleansing is an essential part of caring for your skin. The key is to treat your skin gently:

1. Use warm water and limit bath time

2. Avoid strong soaps

3. Avoid irritating additives

4. Remove eye makeup carefully

5. Pat dry

6. Moisturize regularly

Many wrinkle creams and lotions sold in department stores, in drugstores, and on the Internet promise to reduce wrinkles and prevent or reverse damage caused by the sun. They may improve the appearance of your skin, depending on how long you use the product and the amount and type of the active ingredient in the wrinkle cream. The effectiveness of anti-wrinkle creams depends in part on the active ingredient or ingredients. Here are some common ingredients that may result in slight to modest improvements in wrinkles:

1. Retinol - A vitamin A compound

2. Hydroxy Acids - Alpha hydroxy acids, beta hydroxy acids, and poly hydroxy acids are all synthetic versions of acids derived from sugar-containing fruits.

3. Coenzyme Q10 - is a nutrient

4. Copper Peptides - are a trace element found in every cell

5. Kinetin - A plant growth factor that may improve wrinkles and uneven pigmentation with minimal irritation.

6. Tea Extracts - Green, black, and oolong tea contain compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Start your program with a good quality moisturizer and an all-natural wrinkle cream. You must avoid the sun and cigarettes to ensure the products work effectively