Can Hemorrhoid Cream Help Wrinkles?
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Consider what hemorrhoid treatment does, it shrinks the area and reduces the hemorrhoid. It just makes sense that it can do the same for the skin on the face to remove wrinkles. The most famous type of hemorrhoid treatment is Preparation H, but there are differences in the new formula that might make you think twice about buying it.

History

Watch "Miss Congeniality" and you'll notice that hemorrhoid treatment for puffiness and wrinkles around the eyes isn't new. There's a scene in the movie where Sandra Bullock's pageant trainer hands her a tube of hemorrhoid cream. Her trainer explains that it's for the bags under her eyes. The beauty secret of hemorrhoid cream has been a legend that came from Hollywood gossip columns and make up artists throughout the years. There are several problems with the use of hemorrhoid cream today, though.

Types

Look for the original. The FDA required that several products change their formulation and hemorrhoid creams were one of them. Originally, the cream contained LYCD, live yeast cell derivatives, called Bio-Dyne. Today it contains a 0.25% concentration of phenylephrine. The FDA required that the manufacturers of Preparation H offer proof that the LYCD actually worked on hemorrhoids. Instead of going through costly long term studies, the company simply switched the active ingredient to phenylephrine as studies indicate that it constricts blood vessels.

Considerations

Expect the new Preparation H not to work like the old one. The new ingredients don't have the same wrinkle fighting power of the old. Watch out for the hemorrhoid creams that contain 1 percent hydrocortisone. The body absorbs the ingredients in the cream. If you use the product frequently then the skin develops a resistance to the cream and needs more applications for the same effect. Eventually you wind up either with no benefit or a stronger steroid for the same benefit. Stronger steroids carry with them great potential health hazards.

Geography

You can find the original hemorrhoid cream in Canada. The original Preparation H formula that was the hot beauty treatment for those in Hollywood is still sold, but not in the United States. It contains the ingredients that make wrinkles disappear. Studies done on the LYCD showed that it helped increase healing abrasions and cuts. Since it does help the skin to heal and regrow, it makes sense that aside from shrinking the skin to eliminate wrinkles, it's also quite good for the skin. Skin Respiratory Factor is another name for the Bio-Dyne because it helps replenish the skin with oxygen.

Effects

Choose your stink. The ointment smells like medicine, but is far more desirable than the fishy smell of the cream. The problem is that the ointment doesn't blend with makeup and leaves you with a greasy look. Some people use the hemorrhoid cream, wait a while and then wash it away in the shower, just leaving the beneficial effects.

Warning

Shop around on the Internet for Preparation H that contains Bio-Dyne. The prices vary dramatically. Most of the websites offer 25 gram and 50 gram sizes for the Canadian Preparation H but the price is not consistent. Some of the lower prices range about $13 for the large size while the higher cost sites offer the 25 gram size for $20 to $30.

Always read the label. One site showed the label of the "Canadian Preparation H with Bio-Dyne," however, the product was actually the American label with the words, "WITH BIODYNE" superimposed over the label. If the label shows "phenylephrine 0.25%" as an ingredient, it's not the original.