Everyone is looking for a simple and inexpensive solution to fix wrinkles. 

WWL-TV

British doctors, who were at first skeptical, say one over-the-counter product stood up to testing against proven prescription products.

An inexpensive face cream caused a frenzy in England recently.  Every minute 13 bottles of "Boots No. 7 Protect and Perfect serum" flew off the shelves until it was gone, creating a 2,000 percent increase in sales in a day. People in the U.S. couldn't wait to get their hands on it.

“In our department we love it,” said Genevieve Monsma, the beauty editor of Shape Magazine.   “In fact one of my colleagues was in London last fall and somehow got her hands on some over there and brought some back and was distributing it around the office. She was very popular so we certainly are all fans.”

The fuss started when the BBC documentary "Horizon" aired a story showing that the Boots No. 7 product works. Dermatology experts at the University of Manchester say it reduces sun damage - the main cause of aging skin.  And it does so just as effectively as products you buy from a doctor or get by prescription.  In scientific studies they could actually see it repair photo-aged skin and decrease the depth of lines and wrinkles.  So at just more than $20 a bottle British women cleared the shelves.

“That's why the product has been so popular, it's like a one-stop shop for $20,” said Tulane dermatologist Mary P. Lupo.

One stop because it combines many different active ingredients like antioxidants to protect from cell and tissue destruction, peptides to stimulate new collagen growth, Retinol to reverse sun damage, and a patented ingredient called Lupin to prevent break down of collagen. It also includes silicone lubricants to give you temporary but instant gratification by filling in wrinkles so your make up glides on more smoothly.

“It's sort of like a combination product and this concept is becoming very popular,” said Lupo. “Companies like to combine ingredients in one product for maximum benefit.”

Local dermatology experts with international credentials think that Boots No. 7 product is okay to use but nothing spectacular.

“People are looking for the miracle in the jar and I don't think this is it,” said LSU Health Sciences Dermatologist Elizabeth McBurney. “I think it's a good product. I have no problems with it, but I don't think it's any better than anything else.”

“The Retinol over time is the best and most proven over-the-counter ingredient that you can use,” said Lupo. “We must always point out that over-the-counter Retinol is not as effective as the prescription retinoids.

The prescription retinods are found in Retin-A, Differin, Avage, Tazorac and Renova.

Retinoid is the active "vitamin A" ingredient in some acne medicines that for decades have been proven to reverse skin damage. And it is much more powerful than over-the-counter Retinol, giving much faster and more dramatic results.

“Retinol is a mild anti-aging cream,” said Dermatologic Surgeon William P. Coleman III. “It's about one-1000th of the strength of Retin-A.”

But doctors say some people don't like getting flaky occasionally with the prescription version so they may like Boots No. 7 or one of the hundreds of other over-the-counter cosmeceutical products with Retinol. But remember with any cosmeceutical the healing results take time and they only help if you're using them along with sunscreen to prevent more damage.

“The key is consistency and realistic expectations,” said Lupo. “They are going to make your skin feel softer and smoother and when you use them over many years it will significantly cut down on your wrinkling.”

The product is now in the U.S. and has been renamed "Boots No. 7 Restore and Renew Beauty Serum."

In July, in Manhattan people lined up at dawn and stood in the rain for hours to buy out the first shipment at a pharmacy.

The Iinternet is also loaded with sellers and with the low price for this over-the-counter cosmeceutical. It might cause the same excitement on this side of the ocean.