We've all heard of the Fountain of Youth - that mythical spring that grants eternally supple limbs, dewy skin, and vibrant hair to all who drink from it. Unfortunately, such a fountain is only the stuff of legends, or it certainly would have been drained by now!

We would all like to recapture our youth, if not eternally at least for a time. While The Fountain may be the stuff of legend, we've created a variety of products designed to accomplish much the same. Anti-aging products ranging from vitamins to wrinkle creams and a host of other concoctions sell at a brisk pace as not just women but men as well try to keep their youthful looks for many years to come.

One of the hallmarks of youth is soft, smooth, moisturized skin that is free of laugh lines and creases. Since wrinkles have come to be viewed as one of the "dead giveaways" of a person's age, manufacturers have developed many varieties of anti-aging moisturizers to launch an all-out attack on encroaching crow's feet.

Now most consumers are probably a bit suspicious, perhaps very suspicious of the claims made for the products on the shelves. Some of the "magic" ingredients are well known, others are not. In any event a good question to ask is how is the product going to react on my skin? There does not seem to be a simple solution to what is really the best product for the individual.

There are several things you can look for. Retinol, a form of vitamin A is the active ingredient in many anti-aging products. Retinol promotes the production of new surface cells as the skin absorbs vitamin A and also increases the amount of collagen in the skin. The net result is more elasticity in the skin and a reduction in the severity of wrinkles. Wrinkle creams based on retinol are often more effective than non-retinol based creams.

Reduction of wrinkles is one step towards achieving more youthful skin. Another popular active ingredient is alpha hydroxy acid - AHA. AHA is a peeling agent. It is present in a very low concentration to avoid damage to the skin, AHA removes the dead skin cells at the surface, exposing new cells beneath. The result is the adding of a glow that we associate with youthful skin.

The mere presence of one or both of these active ingredients does not answer the question of which product is better. The degree of concentration of the active ingredients is much more likely to determine the effectiveness. A product with a higher concentration of retinol may be much more effective in producing a more youthful look than a product containing only a small amount of retinol.

Asking the question leads to gaining the facts you are after. Asking "Which wrinkle cream is best?" leads you to doing some investigating. The result may not be as good as the Fountain of Youth would provide but may still be the best choice available.