Buying Your New Face

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One of the least invasive dermatological treatments is GentleWaves, an FDA-approved technique developed by Virginia Beach, Va., dermatologist Dr. David McDaniel. GentleWaves, a 45-lb., 15-in. machine with two panels consisting of 2,000 tiny light-emitting diodes, flashes an amber light at a patient's skin for 35 painless seconds. Cells aren't damaged, as in some treatments, but they are energized, says Dr. McDaniel. The result is that the skin, over time, produces more collagen, a protein that disappears as we age, and less collagenase, an enzyme that degrades collagen. "Photo-modulation uses light to prevent, heal and reverse some of the damages of time," he says.

That reversal will cost you $800 for the eight-session course of treatment over four to eight weeks. Light BioScience, the privately held company that makes GentleWaves, is working on the home version, says president and CEO Rick Krupnick.

• COSMETICS: Under Pressure

The cosmetic giants were the first ones in the wrinkle war, and they're still pouring money into it. L'Oréal's research team, for example, spent seven years developing Pro-Xylane, a modified version of xylose, a sugar molecule that helps the skin's moisture reservoirs, called glycosaminoglycans. The new patented ingredient graces what the company immodestly touts as "the most technologically advanced antiaging treatment around": Lancôme's Absolue Premium bx ($132 for 2.6 oz. of the night formula). Alan Meyers, L'Oréal USA's senior vice president of research and development, says, "The real question--and it's not a trivial one--is, Where should we look next to develop new technologies?"

No doubt, the effectiveness of Botox and other procedures has pressured the industry to devise new products and at-home dermatological kits. Last year, says Carrie Melage of Kline & Co., more than 1,000 antiaging treatments were launched; Clarins alone has 32 antiaging items in its line, up from nine in 1985.

But with the pressure has come opportunity, according to Virginia Lee, an analyst for Euromonitor, who estimates that the antiaging segment of the cosmetics-business accounts for almost $11.4 billion worldwide--and could grow to $15.8 billion by 2010. "Not everyone, after all, is interested in having an injection," she says.

To echo the instant effects of nonsurgical treatments, some antiaging products use ingredients that make you look better seconds after application. How? They use optical elements that reflect light (Definity by Olay), pink pigments that enhance skin tone (Clarins' Night Wear) and micro-size sponge-like pearls that fill in pores (Instant Smooth by Clarins). Boutique product Freeze 24/7's claim to fame: gamma amino butyric acid, a natural muscle relaxant that temporarily eases the appearance of fine lines.

Some cosmetics firms are even veering into nonsurgical services themselves. Osmotics, a boutique brand, offers LED treatments at the cosmetics counter in some Nordstrom stores. In January, Olay, a mass-market brand, will roll out free drugstore skin scans with a device that shows sun damage. The hope--the eternal one in the beauty business--is that more customers will buy Olay products to help reverse the damage, or even better, to stop time, at least for a while.