Preventive care Archive

Dermatologists tell us what ingredients to look for in a skin serum to treat a variety of skin conditions.

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As you get older, you might start to look a little more intently at the rows of lotions and potions at the drugstore and the beauty counter. You may wonder which ones can really help your skin look more like it used to — minus the wrinkles, dark spots, and other signs of aging.

One word that's showing up on labels a lot these days is "serum" — typically on products that promise to brighten and smooth your skin and help roll back the clock. These little glass bottles contain a host of impressive-sounding ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and L-ascorbic acid. But do they really work?

The right combination of components is essential to get the results you hope to see.

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Serums can be used to treat a wide range of conditions, including brown spots, wrinkles, and dry or acne-prone skin. Below are the ingredients that Harvard dermatologists Dr. Abigail Waldman and Dr. Maryam M. Asgari recommend for various skin conditions.

Problem: Dry or sagging skin

If your skin is dry, tight, and flaky, look for serums that contain vitamin E, niacinamide, and glycolic acid. Also look for ceramides, which are fatty molecules that help hold the skin together and keep moisture from escaping. Other good options are serums that contain hyaluronic acid, or those with collagen peptides, epidermal growth factors, or stem cells.

Eating these selections often will pack more nutrients into your diet for better overall health.

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You don't need a whole-life overhaul to improve your health. Sometimes it's small changes that make the biggest difference. This is definitely the case when it comes to your diet. Eating better shouldn't require you to purge your refrigerator and subsist on kale shakes. Simply adding a few nutrient-rich foods to your regular rotation can give your body a boost without making you miserable in the process.

We asked Teresa Fung, adjunct professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, what foods you should try to squeeze in every day — or at least every week — for better health.