Can You Banish Wrinkles with Hemorrhoid Cream

Aside from the obvious cringe factor of not wanting to rub booty cream into ones delicate eye area, this beauty tip from the junior nursing fraternity seems like just another urban myth. However, being the curious type I thought that it was about time I did some investigating…

Say What?

Apparently it is true and many people dab on a bit of hemorrhoid cream around the eye area as a quick fix to wrinkles.  A trip around google finds numerous tributes to the American brand “Preparation H” which claims to be able to shrink, soothe and smooth in one quick application. Wow!

So,  Can it work?

Now, having not tried this for myself I can’t give you a “before” and “after” testimonial. However, I can review the ingredients listing and shine a little light into what may or may not be possible.

There are many creams on the market containing many different types of ingredients – hey, there are even 100% natural butt creams to satisfy our environmentally aware side.  Some ingredients are just in the product to give it structure and stability while others perform one or another function:

Phenylephrine HCL – This is a pharmaceutical grade active that can be inhaled to help decongest the nasal passage or topically applied to help reduce swelling.  It is actually a vasoconstrictor which means it shrinks down the blood vessels a little – something that could be helpful in reducing the appearance of swollen, puffy eyes as well as other things. This seems to be the main active and technical literature about this drug explicitly states that it can reduce swelling around the eyes. Therefore it is reasonable to expect this to have some visible effect on puffy eyes. Just not so sure on the wrinkle thing….

Witch Hazel – This is an astringent which works to close the pores and give the skin a taught look.  This is also a more natural alternative to the phenylephrine as it also functions as a vasoconstrictor. While this may help reduce the appearance of wrinkles, it could  also help to dry out the skin area which in the long run may irritate which leads to swelling and yes! More wrinkles…

Zinc Oxide – This is an active in another top selling cream and functions as a mild astringent (the vasoconstricting) as well as a barrier former.   I imagine that the zinc used in hemorrhoid cream would not need to be nano sized so there is a good chance that creams containing this as an active would leave you more white eyed than wrinkle free eyed!

Cortisol – Some creams contain this ingredient which is a steroid used to help stop skin itching.  I can vouch for its effectiveness in itch – stopping but would run a mile if told to put creams containing this around my eyes. Cortisol creams thin the skin and as the skin around the eye is already thinner than butt skin, I would give these a miss.  A steroid overdose around the eye area will make you more prone to sun damage, dark circles and in the long run more wrinkles.

Should I run out and buy some?

Um well, I would be very careful about what you rub around your eye area and would take care to research any hemorrhoid cream before applying. Steroid based formulations should be avoided at all costs and some of the more heavily laiden herbal formulas may also leave you stinging.

The bottom (pardon the pun) line is that while some ingredients in butt cream will reduce puffiness and firm up the eye skin, others will set you up for a less attractive future. Keep in mind that the skin around your bottom is very different to the skin around your eyes and these products have been formulated accordingly. A little experimentation, carefully done could yield surprisingly pleasing results!

Take Care and read the label.