The second group of ingredients you need to look for are peptides.

The third group is antioxidants. Antioxidants reduce free radicals, which destroy collagen…Use a host of antioxidants. Don’t buy a product with just one ingredient in it; you’ll be missing out on half a dozen others. That’s why I consolidate them. I like products that contain multi-active ingredients. The antioxidants to look for are green tea, vitamin C (which also serves as an antioxidant), coenzyme Q10, emblica (used in ayurvedic medicine), grapeseed extract, selenium and lycopene. I put all of these in my products, in the same concentrations that you would find in a single-ingredient product.

And finally, there are enzymes in the skin that break down collagen. Retinol helps block this degradation, so it’s the final key ingredient to look for.”
—Dennis Gross, MD: Manhattan-based dermatologist, creator of MD Skincare, and author of Your Future Face

Morning and night.
“Everyone in my office, male or female, regardless of age, is advised to use sunscreen with zinc oxide in the morning and a retinoid in the evening. The retinoid I choose depends on the skin they have. With acne, it’s Retin-A, which kills two birds with one stone: It addresses acne and stimulates collagen. If a patient is in her thirties, then maybe it will be a retinol, which is less irritating. For a more mature woman, with dryer skin, I might prescribe Renova, which has mineral oil.”
—Jessica Wu, MD: Harvard-educated dermatologist and well-known media personality