Botox makers scoring successes with new wrinkle-smoothing cream

• Your skin is bombarded daily by the elements in the environment, with everything from sunlight to air pollution contributing to skin damage.
• A California company says it's come up with a cream that not only protects skin from the harmful effects of the environment, but also reduces fine lines and wrinkles.
• Health-care providers in the Des Moines area say they're seeing a surge of interest in the antioxidant cream Prevage, a new anti-wrinkle treatment released in early January from manufacturer Allergan Inc., maker of the beauty blockbuster Botox.
• What sets Prevage apart from other wrinkle-smoothers, providers say, is its active ingredient, idebenone.
• One major plus for this new cream, physicians say, is that it's milder than Retin-A, making it well-tolerated by most patients.
• Physicians in Iowa say the product is so new that few individuals have been using Prevage long enough to begin seeing results.
• But Dr. Ava Feldman, a dermatologist at Heartland Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center in Clive, said some individuals have called to "rave" about Prevage, claiming to see a reduction in fine lines in as little as three weeks.
• Research looking at idebenone has shown it to be more effective than antioxidants like vitamins C and E, coenzyme Q10, kinetin and lipoic acid, she said.
• What's still lacking are the long-term studies that show the effectiveness of Prevage, said Dr. Roger Ceilley, a West Des Moines dermatologist.
• Janet Hill, director of Tomorrow's Health Medical Spa in West Des Moines, said while her office will probably carry Prevage, she'd still like to see more research done on these antioxidant creams.
• One Des Moines plastic surgeon said he still considers the long-used treatment regimen of Retin-A and sunscreen superior to Prevage.
• Retin-A is well-tolerated if used correctly and in the right dosage, Carithers said.