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Best New Drugstore Cream of 2011: Dr. LeWinn for Kinerase Lift & Resculpt Serum XK Daily Treatment

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If you buy one drugstore product this summer, make it Dr. LeWinn for Kinerase Lift & Resculpt Serum XK Daily Treatment ($33.99, Walgreens.com). Although it is a bit more pricey than other drugstore products, it costs considerably less than other Kinerase products, yet contains about the same concentration of kinetin (N6-furfuryladenine).

Kinetin

A couple of years ago, kinetin was available in both Almay products and Kinerase products, but the Almay Kinetin line has since been discontinued. It was rumored at the time kinetin had similar efficacy to retinoids, because a study at the time suggested 0.1% kinetin improved skin mottling, roughness, and fine wrinkling similar to 0.02% tretinoin (Skin Medicine, 2004). However, later reviews showed 0.1% kinetin was not as effective as 0.04% or 0.1% tretinoin, as stated in a 2007 review, “Over-the-counter non-retinoid treatments cannot [yet] produce the dramatic results obtained with [0.04%] tretinoin.”

Yet, even though kinetin is not as effective as 0.04% tretinoin, I still like it. Kinetin mimics superoxide dismutase, a powerful antioxidant within the skin, activating superoxide dismutase and catalase and quenching free radical species. In fact, in a 1995 study by Sharma et. al., kinetin-fed fruit flies had a 55%–60% increase in the activity of the catalase, which breaks down hydrogen peroxide (a free-radical creator) in the cells.

In addition, kinetin can induce the synthesis of repair enzymes, which either remove modified bases from DNA and/or protect against oxidative stress (Cosmetic Dermatology). Kinetin has also been found to stimulate transcription in plant cells and increase the rate of cell cycle. According to the a review by HA Epstein, collective kinetin studies on human skin cells and fruit flies have shown that it can delay onset of several cellular and biochemical characteristics associated with cellular aging in long-term cultures of human skin fibroblasts via antioxidant and DNA repair enzyme activity.

Resveratrol

Another reason I like Kinerase Lift & Resculpt Serum XK Daily Treatment is its inclusion of a very high concentration of resveratrol – amongst the highest I have seen in any products in the department store or the drugstore.

The idea is resveratrol turns off NAD, which normally inhibits sirtuins. The double-negative means resveratrol, in essence, activates sirtuins. Yet sirtuins turn off unnecessary gene expression, meaning that the cells should theoretically save energy on unnecessary processes and be able to live longer.

I never really bought into this theory. I always believed, for one, more active cells live longer. (I’m starting to believe more active organisms, not individual cells, live longer, but that’s another blog post). Secondly, retinoids, the gold standard in anti-aging dermatology for the past three decades, are well-known to increase cellular turnover. Which makes sense, considering that cellular turnover naturally decreases about 7% every 10 years after age 20. Yet sirtuins are claiming to make your old cells live longer, which suggests the rate of cell turnover would be decreased as the old cells release less “death signal” cytokines to trigger the next round of cellular replication.

On the other hand, DNA shortens with each round of cellular replication, so perhaps extending cellular life and reducing the rate cellular turnover is a good thing. This raises the question of whether or not potent retinoids and other ingredients that increase cellular turnover are ultimately best for the skin. I suppose this does not matter at all if you are considering purchasing Kinerase Lift & Resculpt Serum XK Daily Treatment, as kinetin has been found to increase the rate of cellular turnover and sirtuins decrease the rate, so there is likely to be less net effect anyway!

Perhaps then the strongest proven benefit of resveratrol in Kinerase Lift & Resculpt Serum XK Daily Treatment comes through a surprising 2008 study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, in which a cream with 1% resveratrol was found to have 17 times the antioxidant effects of 1% idebenone. Very impressive indeed!

Bottom Line

If you purchase one new drugstore product this year, make it Kinerase Lift & Resculpt Serum XK Daily Treatment. While all of the products in the Dr. LeWinn for Kinerase line are fairly exceptional, only Kinerase Lift & Resculpt Serum XK Daily Treatment contains a high concentration of resveratrol and an optimized concentration of kinetin. I am very satisfied with the product and give it an emphatic 10/10 (High or optimized concentration of well-proven ingredients: 3/3. Unique formulation or new technology: 3/3. Value for the money: 3/3. Sunscreen or UV protection-boosting ingredients: 1/1).

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