The Four Worst Wrinkle Fighters

Few of us embrace the signs of aging skin--those fine lines and creases that creep up after 30. Eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep and using a moisturizing sunscreen will help preserve complexions, but they won't make a 50-year-old look 35. And for those who want a dramatic age reversal, there are plenty of medical solutions—from face-lifts to injectable treatments for lines and creases. But there are also any number of tricks you can do at home or find at a beauty salon or drug store that are reputed to reduce lines with scant (or no) science behind them.

Here's a short list of some popular wrinkle-fighting moves that doctors say are useless, unproven or harmful—and some real tips from dermatologists for keeping your skin young:

1. Food Masks. Egg whites, mashed banana and honey—no, we're not talking about baby food. Each of these has been touted as a beauty treatment that will make skin appear more youthful, although dermatologists say there's no good reason why they would. Then there's citrus fruit and oils. Rubbing your face with pineapple—the most commonly used fruit—will, in fact, exfoliate dead cells, which improves the skin's appearance temporarily. But a castor or olive oil treatment can plug up pores and cause acne.

2. Exercising the Facial Muscles. Actually, making faces aggravates, rather than prevents, wrinkles. There is no evidence that you can build up the small, thin muscle fibers in facial skin the same way you tone biceps.

3. Electricity. Some beauty practitioners apply small jolts of electricity to facial muscles to "reprogram" them to lift. But the effects are brief, says Dr. Susan Weinkle, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of South Florida: "You need to kill the nerve to stop it from contracting for any length of time." The FDA is currently evaluating technology that will kill the nerves.

4. Vitamin E Creams. In any beauty-supply store, you'll see dozens of creams with long lists of ingredients, often including vitamin E. Alas, the vitamin E in these creams does not prevent wrinkles and can cause an allergic rash.